Parenting
Untangling the Horrors of Being Parented Resentfully
In the ‘Beloved,’ ‘The Baby,’ and ‘Barbarian,’ Black women grapple with vengeful mothers and children. In my life, I’ve broken that cycle.
Taking on the Feminine Labor of Creating Holiday Magic
I can’t give up the invisible labor of making “holiday magic” because that’s how I feel closest to my late mother.
The Mom in ‘Home Alone’ Is a Messy and Magnificent Model of Motherhood
Is Kate McCallister a “good mom”? That’s beside the point. Her example shows the shallowness of such standards: She loves her kid. She proves it.
Instagram Makes Parents Feel More Clueless Than We Really Are
All these self-styled experts online drown out the intuitive voice of the parent and sow doubt in every decision that they make.
The Funk of Poverty
My poverty is the most dangerous kind of poverty. It is religious. This is what I know, what my family and community know.
Even in a Queer Marriage, There’s the Familiar Trap of Gender Roles
The wall that divided us in those early weeks of my first child’s infancy became a continued separation.
How to Teach Your Child About a Disappearing World
My daughter understands object permanence—the idea that what vanishes continues to exist. As the planet warms, I worry I may have oversold the concept.
I Turned to TikTok When Motherhood Felt Out of Reach
In the emergency room waiting for a potential diagnosis, I soothe myself with loops of pudgy toddlers tripping into the antics of babyhood over and over again.
How Affirmations Ground Me in Baking and Parenting
My affirmations teach me the things I still need to learn.
I Needed Control of My Life, So I Started With My Hair
I grieved the chance to have an uncomplicated pregnancy. I grieved the fact that having more babies could be potentially fatal. And I grieved a younger, more carefree me.