I fixed everything for my oldest daughter, and it backfired. I'm raising my youngest to be independent.
With my oldest, I intervened and helped whenever she needed me. Now with my youngest, I'm trying to step back and let her be independent.
I didn't want to get married again after my divorce unless I had kids. I fell in love and had 2, and we've been married for 17 years now.
After a divorce, I was wary of marriage. Then I met Craig, and we had two kids and bought a house before getting married. We're still together.
My son dropped out of high school and community college. I supported his choices every step of the way.
My son dropped out of school, and people in our lives didn't understand. It was the right choice for him, and he's found his path now.
As the mother of teens, I have to be a parent and a friend
I grew up thinking that parents could not be friends. But now that I have four kids of my own, I want to be both things for them.
Our kids have an 8-year age gap. We thought having more kids later in life would be easier, but we were wrong.
I've alway wanted a big family. After having two kids, we delayed having more by eight years thinking we'd be better off financially. We were wrong.
I'm a middle-class mother of 4. I start a holiday budget early and do a lot of research before buying presents.
I request wishlists early in the year so I can set a budget for what my kids want. I also do research before buying to find the best price.
I thought raising teens would be easier than raising little kids. I was wrong.
My kids range from ages 19 to 11. I've learned that teaching them how to be adults starts early on, even though their brains are not fully developed.
My daughter hates her name because it's traditionally used for boys. I hope one day she learns to love how different it is.
I've always been drawn to masculine names for girls, and I named my daughter Kyle. She doesn't love it now, but I hope she will someday.
I'm a teacher and a mother of 4 who hates mornings. Doing these 3 things makes them bearable.
I've never liked mornings, but as a teacher and mom of four, I've made my peace with them. I created a morning routine that works for us.
Growing up with a lazy eye was difficult. It still makes me self-conscious sometimes, even as an adult.
I have a lazy eye and felt insecure about it as a kid, and kids called me names. I put a positive spin on it but still feel insecure sometimes.
I'm a mom of 4 and have done back-to-school shopping for over a decade. These are the 3 things I've learned.
I have kids in middle school and college and have been shopping for over a decade. I buy secondhand when I can, and wait for deals.
My grandparents were strict and unaffectionate while I was growing up. Everything changed when I had kids.
My grandparents raised me, and they were strict when I was a kid. When I had my own children, they became much more affectionate.
My foster mother hated her first name. I found another way to honor her after she died.
I was close with my foster mom, Esther, but she hated her name. She made me promise not to name my kids after her. I honored her another way.
My family always felt different. My grandparents raised me and were older than my friends' parents.
My grandparents raised me, and they were older than the parents of my friends. There were pros and cons to the generational gap.
My parents didn't raise me, but I had an older village who ensured my kids and I had the love we needed
My great aunts helped raise me, and my kids have formed a special bond with them. The benefits of their intergenerational relationship go both ways.
A relative I'd lost touch with found me online and sent me a gift — the only photos I've ever seen of me and my mom
My long-lost-cousin found me on Facebook and we reconnected. She sent me old photos, including the only photos I have with me and my mom.
My brother took my grandparents' last name because they raised us. Here's why I didn't do the same.
When my brother changed his last name, I felt betrayed. But now I understand why he wanted the same name as our grandparents, who raised us.
I grew up watching Olivia Newton-John movies. She was like an extra mom to me after I lost my biological and my foster moms.
The author says she thought of Newton-John as an extra mom after her biological mom died of a drug overdose and her foster mom died of a tumor.