Family

How to Make the Most of Bad Gifts

Presents are generally terrible, but they can still bring you joy.

‘Best Friends’ Are a Surprisingly Recent Phenomenon

We weren’t always so taken with dynamic duos. But in recent decades, we’ve come to expect that people should have one closest companion.

The Dilemma of Babies on Airplanes

Hamstrung by the need to ensure that their kids don’t inconvenience anyone else, parents can’t do much parenting at all.

An Alternative to Overspending on Presents

Gift-giving is a beloved—and expensive—tradition. But some people have found a way to partake without the cost.

Dear Therapist: How Do I Hold Boundaries With My Sister at Christmas?

I don’t want a relationship with her, but my parents want us to make up.

We Are Not Prepared for the Coming Surge of Babies

The post-Roe rise in births in the U.S. will be concentrated in some of the worst states for infant and maternal health. Plans to improve these outcomes are staggeringly thin.

What Second-Chance Couples Know About Love

Getting back together with an ex is risky—but it might pay off.

Should Friends Offer Honesty or Unconditional Support?

A “culture of passivity” makes many people reluctant to question their friends’ decisions.

We’re All Capable of Going ‘Goblin Mode’

The Oxford Word of the Year tells a concise story about how many of us are doing these days.

Haunted by the Ghost of 2019

Our obsession with going back to our pre-pandemic lives is keeping us from building a better future.

Breakups Always Hurt, but You Can Shorten the Suffering

Three steps to get over your ex

Take Yourself on a Date

It’s not just the quantity of your alone time that matters. It’s the quality.

The Pandemic Exposed the Inequality of American Motherhood

Rich and poor women had completely different experiences.

Does Overindulgence Make You Happy?

Why we binge as a way of celebrating.

My Family Oversimplified My Brother’s Adoption Story

Believing that your sibling was “almost aborted” has a way of crystallizing one’s convictions.

How Much Alone Time Do Kids Need?

Solitude can help children grow, but some might not be getting enough of it.

Parents Need Their Own AARP

Raising kids in America is expensive and isolating. A caregivers’ lobby could help.

Meetings Are Miserable

One of the most straightforward paths to happiness at work is to fight against the scourge of time-consuming, unproductive meetings at every opportunity.

America Is Pursuing Happiness in All the Wrong Places

The U.S. is undergoing a crisis of our personal and shared sense of meaning as polarization rises and institutions erode. The solution is as simple as it is difficult: Love one another.

The Questions We Don’t Ask Our Families but Should

Many people don’t know very much about their older relatives. But if we don’t ask, we risk never knowing our own history.