I have neurodivergent kids. I am no stranger to meltdowns. I have been navigating these emotionally intense responses in my daughters for years, and I’ve worked hard to learn their triggers so that I can jump into action before a meltdown ever occurs. But I can only control so much. And the daily after school collapse my girls experience is already killing me.

Last night I had a sex dream about my best friend’s husband. It was very unexpected for numerous reasons. 1. I would never do that to my friend; 2. I don’t find him attractive (or do I?!?); 3. It was entirely pleasant and non-erotic. I mean it when I tell you that I woke up with a “huh, that’s odd” moment.

It is not in our nature to honor our parents when we’re teens. Or even pre-teens, come to think of it. Which is totally fine and really just a step into the very necessary process of growing up and out, becoming individuals instead of an extension of the family. That means eschewing even the best advice our parents might want to dish out. What to wear, what to study, and vitally — in my opinion — what to watch. No one wants to watch TV that their mom loves when you’re a teenager.

The greatest Christmas I’ve ever had was back when I was 8. After unwrapping all the gifts under the tree, I was left disappointed. No one had given me my No. 1 Christmas wish: a Samantha doll. But then, a holiday miracle! My uncle and his husband, fresh from another party, came to my house just as I was going to bed. I can still remember tearing the bell-themed paper to see the American Girl logo staring back at me from the box, and before I knew it Samantha was in my arms. After that, I was hooked. I chased that high by arduously saving up and buying Kirsten, Molly, and Felicity. Though I’d outgrown dolls by the time subsequent characters were released, I was still always excited to learn about the new dolls American Girl would be unleashing onto the world. So, even as a 40-something mom, I was excited to learn that the company announced today that the 2025 Girl of the Year will be Summer McKinny!

It’s always a good moment when you come across impressive products on Amazon that are designed to make your life a little easier — especially ones that you didn’t even know existed. The list you’ll find here is chock-full of genius, top-selling Amazon items that will improve your productivity, help things run more efficiently at home, and most importantly, bring you some joy.

Real ones know that Survivor is coming back for its 47th (!) season on Wednesday, September 18 on CBS (and streaming on Paramount+!). And my fam? We’re the realest real ones. Our calendars are cleared and the countdown is on. We’re ready to outwit, outplay, outlast — repeat. And we’re not alone. Families around the nation are looking for fun ways to celebrate the return of the OG reality competition. The good news is that we’ve come up with an incredible family-friendly idea that you, too, simply *must* try at home.

Two years ago it would have been a nonsense word, but now romantasy is its own best-selling genre. And while we’ve all heard of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, there are several other writers making their way to prominence, including Kerri Maniscalco. She has written 10 books spanning three different series, raking in spots on all the big bestseller lists and amassing a dedicated fanbase on BookTok. Her latest work, Throne of Secrets, releases on October 29. It’s the second installment in her Princes of Sin series, the first of which — Throne of the Fallen — is one of the most frequently recommended romantasy books on my FYP.

Ariela Basson/Scary Mommy; Getty Images, Shutterstock, Stocksy. In typical ‘90s kid fashion, I grew up keeping a diary of my deepest thoughts, fears, and dreams. And, in continuing that millennial stereotype, I also grew up with the nagging fear that my parents would one day invade my privacy and read my diary.

When I was a teen, back in what now feel like caveman days, my family got a dial-up internet connection. Email was the new frontier then, and web pages were mostly just blocks of text against a backdrop of bad clip art. My parents were learning about the internet in real time along with me, and as far as I remember, they never set rules or talked to me about online safety.

It’s hard to make friends later in life, but I’d made a great one in my 40s after a mutual friend connected us. We had a lot in common — both divorced and dedicated to our fitness and career goals. The first time we met, we bonded instantly and became close, fast friends. For two years, we talked weekly and made a lot of time to spend together, which isn’t easy when you’re a single mom and live 45 minutes away from each other. We meant a lot to each other.

Like many moms of school-aged kids, JoAnna Garcia Swisher [Sweet Magnolias, Reba] spends a lot of her time in the car. Her daughters — Emerson, 11, and Sailor, 8 whom she shares with her husband Nick Swisher— are always off to somewhere. School, horseback riding lessons, cheer practice (“I’m officially a cheer mom!” she tells me on Zoom), but she doesn’t seem to mind too much. In fact, she relishes this time.

Spooky season is upon us, and one city has a plan to make it the best one yet. Halloween in Boston just got a little more festive, and a whole lot more safe, thanks to a program that will provide residents with grants to throw block parties in their neighborhoods.

Among the perpeutally hot button issues in the United States is the subject of guns. While an majority of Americans are in favor of stricter gun laws, including universal background checks, there does not seem to be the political will to move forward with tightening regulations and restrictions on firearms. But TikTok star Ryann, who posts as @ryannpdatsme, offers a novel solution to this fraught topic: gun insurance.

Naming a baby is something that, for most parents, involves a lot of deliberation. If you’ve always known what you wanted to name your kids and your partner agrees, amazing! But for the vast majority of families, you’ll go back and forth countless times debating which names are in, out, kind-of-in-but-we-hate-the-nickname... you get it. As parenting editors, we cover a ton of baby name trends. Here are the baby names we loved but didn’t use (and why). Who knows? Maybe your baby’s perfect moniker is somewhere in this list.

Recently, Ashton Kutcher stirred up some controversy when he admitted — during an episode of the podcast Throwbacks — that he and his wife Mila Kunis parent their children, daughter, Wyatt, now 9, and son, Dimitri, now 7, differently. He largely implied that the distinct approaches to each child leaned into gender stereotypes that he hasn’t unlearned quite yet.

Being the smartest person in the room isn’t for the faint of heart. Your brain is constantly spinning, making connections between minute details that others deem immaterial. And when the people around you make a mess, it’s a major exercise in self control not to clean it up.

The following is an excerpt from chapter 9 — Mom Friends Forever! (Or Not) — of Stassi Schroeder’s new book, You Can’t Have It All: The Basic B*tch Guide To Taking The Pressure Off. Since Hartford started getting invited to birthdays, my social anxiety has found...

I moved a lot as a kid. My dad worked in pulp paper mills in the 80s and 90s — not a great time for the industry — so we moved six times, chasing jobs. We spent at most four years in a town, which was long enough to feel settled but short enough that it never feel like home. I went to two elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. I’m not from anywhere, and the only old friends I talk to now are ones I found over social media years later. But there is no connection, and it feels like a giant loss. I missed out on any chance of community. And I have always felt like a loner.

It’s no surprise that parents who own firearms might want to teach their children gun safety and proper handling — since 2020, firearm-related injuries have become the leading cause of death for children in the United States. However, a new study has shown that parents who teach children how to use guns properly are also less likely to store their weapons securely, a safety hazard that puts kids at a greater risk of injury and death.

Let’s just get this out of the way right now: every parent can do what they think works for their own children and their own family! That applies to schooling choices, where you live, what you eat, and allowing kids to get their ears pierced. One mom posted an...