Family

Nothing Drains You Like Mixed Emotions

Feeling conflicted can be even more distressing than feeling bad. Here’s how to manage it.

The Case for Public Child Care

Parents deserve the option.

How We Learned to Be Lonely

In the early days of the pandemic, many of us got used to solitude. It’s a habit we need to break.

How Children Conjure a Snow Day

Spoons under pillows, ice cubes in the toilet, and other rituals to call forth snow

The Quiet Profundity of Everyday Awe

That feeling—of being in the presence of something vast—is good for us. And, counterintuitively, it can often be found in completely unremarkable circumstances.

What It’s Like to Retire in Your Early 20s

Some former college athletes face the existential crisis of a career ending at a young age.

What Squirrels Taught Me About Life After Divorce

Only 25 percent of gray squirrels survive their first year. Success rates for second marriages are almost equally dire.

Partying Feels Different Now

Parties have always been about hope. After forgoing them for so long during the pandemic, that’s clearer than ever.

The Surprisingly Profound Power of Thank-You Notes

Looking back on the year, I make a mental list of everyone who supported me—and remember that no achievement is the result of my efforts alone.

The TV Shows That Helped My Dying Son Communicate

After my son got a brain tumor, his treatment left him unable to speak. Children’s shows that used the language program Makaton became a source of joy for our 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.