My teen asked for a $28 phone case that she didn’t need. I used that as an opportunity to teach her about wants versus needs.
Like most teens, mine (not shown) asks for a lot of things. I didn’t want turning her down to ruin our relationship though. Parenting is a constant balancing act. On one hand, we want to instill important life lessons in our children, like the value of money and the difference between wants and needs. On…
I was the person who could handle anything, but then I became a mom
Shea Karssing no longer chases the next goal like it’s the only thing that matters. It’s 11 a.m. and I’m still in pajamas crusted with rapidly souring breast milk. Next to the kettle is a cup of congealing tea. I’m ravenous and I need a poop. Instead, I’m sitting on my unmade bed with a…
I thought getting an Alexa would be good for our family. Instead, it ruined our manners.
The author says that buying an Amazon Alexa ruined her family’s manners. When I bought a lavender Echo Pop, I thought I’d found the best possible gift for my 5-year-old son. Just entering the “I’m bored” era of childhood, he often found himself at loose ends when I was occupied with household chores. But he…
I will track my daughter on Life360 when she goes to college in the fall — and it’s nonnegotiable
The author (not pictured) plans to track her daughter on Life360 when she goes to college. My daughter is a high school senior and was recently accepted to her dream college. As we celebrate her huge accomplishment and start planning for this exciting change, part of me is more than a little anxious about my…
I show love by taking care of everything. It was exhausting and nearly ruined my 15-year marriage.
My husband and I have different love languages. Mine was exhausting me. A few years ago, I found myself standing in the middle of my kitchen, holding a spatula in one hand, a laundry basket in the other, and a mental list of 47 or so unfinished tasks swirling in my brain. The kids were…
I was a stay-at-home mom. Now, I’m a fashion influencer in her 50s with brand deals and a podcast.
Caroline Baudino is a lifestyle and fashion content creator based in California. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Caroline Baudino, a 53-year-old content creator and mother-of-two based in Los Angeles. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Before I became a stay-at-home mom, I worked as an actor and TV…
I retired at 41 to spend time with my grandkids. I supplemented my income with part-time work.
After more than 20 years in the British Army, I looked around and realized both kids had grown up and gotten themselves partners. Although divorced from their mom, I’d always been in their lives but had missed so much of them growing up during my service. When my daughter Chantelle announced I was going to…
My family takes turns making dinner. It’s helped us connect with our teens.
The author’s teens take turns making dinner for the family. Like many families, ours finds there often isn’t enough time for everything — especially time to hang out with each other in between school, work, activities and other responsibilities. In my family, cooking is one way we work around that. Sometimes I cook, sometimes my…
Jamie Dimon, who famously hates meetings, explains how to run them well
Jamie Dimon said meetings should be purposeful, quick, and involve only the necessary people. Jamie Dimon, who has a long list of frustrations with meetings, offered a set of strategies to make them better. In his 2024 annual letter to shareholders released Monday, the JPMorgan CEO said he wants to “kill meetings” because they “slow…
