Real Conversations

Wellbeing

The Making of a PTA Monster

by ParentCo.

Who were these selfless souls who found time to fulfill PTA duties again and again, year after year? I was about to find out.

Wellbeing

8 Wildly Unique Styles for Your Lady Garden

by ParentCo.

Perhaps Public-Figure-Inspired Pubic Art will even become a hot new trend. So hop on board, ladies, and get creating.

Wellbeing

A Coffee Date at 40: Why Time for Ourselves Is Essential

by ParentCo.

For so long, I’ve been focused on my family’s needs, and this milestone is forcing me to evaluate myself and my life choices.

Wellbeing

Bend Me, Break Me

by ParentCo.

Little did I know how perfectly this wooden toy would represent our marriage.

Wellbeing

So Long Irish Goodbye

by ParentCo.

Through hours upon hours of therapy and journaling, I realized that the stress around saying goodbye stemmed from my own childhood.

Wellbeing

What If I Never Lose a Pound?

by ParentCo.

I could be happy now. If I never lose another pound I can still choose to live the life I want to live.

Wellbeing

Making New Friends? Not in the Wintertime.

by ParentCo.

All I want to do when the holidays are over and January spreads out, flat and unchanging, is to call in the old standbys.

Wellbeing

The Sting of Being the Uninvited

by ParentCo.

Doesn’t everyone know what that feels like, some personal version of Annie and the birthday non-invitation heard round the world?

Two girls sitting in a sofa with cups ,tab and books placed on a table

Wellbeing

Making Friends at 40 (Because We Need Them More Than Ever)

by ParentCo.

I couldn’t explain how afraid I was of new people and this new place. The fact was, I didn’t know how to make friends and I was terrified.

Wellbeing

What to Expect When Your Ovaries Decide You’re Done Expecting

by ParentCo.

Here are the most common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause you can expect:

Group of mother carrying their babies backside and standing infront of ocean

Wellbeing

To Every Exhausted Mom out There, This Is All You Have to Do

by ParentCo.

Instead of doing all of these things in an attempt to satiate ourselves, we just have one thing to do, that’s to show up.

A mother is showing candlelight to her baby

Wellbeing

Everything Looks Better by Candlelight

by ParentCo.

Now that I'm a mother in my late 30s, it seems my own mortality and the ridiculously-accelerated passage of time is shoved in my face every five seconds.

An illusion guy removing root brain of an image

Wellbeing

Noticing, Understanding, and Getting to the Root of Our Triggers

by ParentCo.

Once we began to understand the triggers that arise from our own childhood and how our kids push our “buttons,” we can respond appropriately.

Wellbeing

When All I See Are Snakes

by ParentCo.

Where is the balance between protection and paranoia, between caution and completely shutting down?

Wellbeing

“Boy” Underwear Is the Best Underwear

by ParentCo.

There's no physical need for the variance in young kids' underwear sizes. Might there be a benefit to styling all kids' underwear the same way?

Wellbeing

How to Keep Romance Alive When Your News Feed Feels Like the 2017 Libido Ice Bucket Challenge

by ParentCo.

Good luck, friends! It’s time to ring in 2018 like we didn’t just spend 12 months wading through a stinking pile of poop.

Wellbeing

So My Kids Can Use the Big Knives, and Other Reasons to Get a Divorce

by Courtney Christine

I had to learn that sometimes the best thing you can do for the people you love is break all the rules.

Wellbeing

Here's Another Benefit to Eating Together as a Family

by ParentCo.

According to the results of this longitudinal study, maintaining a family mealtime is important for your child’s long term well-being.

Wellbeing

The Radical Act of Paring Down Holiday Consumption

by ParentCo.

Research suggests that financial stress is one of the worst carryovers into the new year, largely because financial stress is one that snowballs.

Parenthood Wellbeing

In the Middle

by Wendy Kennar

Wellbeing

Yes, You Can Grieve the Living

by Jacque Gorelick

Over the years my mother and I have fallen apart and come back together plenty, but this time was different. I could feel it.

Family journey with a kid sitting on top of shoulder

Wellbeing

Can an Introvert Change Her Stripes?

by ParentCo.

The question of whether introverts can really become extroverts is up for debate. Famous psychologists have argued that personality is immutable.

A girl is holding books by covering her face

Wellbeing

The Problem with Teens No Longer Working Part-Time Jobs

by Sandi Schwartz

The reluctance of teens holding part-time or summer jobs is now a national trend that has caused a fair amount of concern from experts in the marketplace.