changed
My son is 12, almost 13. I always prided myself on having an awesome relationship with him, so it’s difficult to admit that some of the stereotypical, totally natural teenage behaviors he’s starting to exhibit have hit me hard. Our relationship has started to change as he’s grown up, and…
A day in the life of a 20-something-year-old in New York City doesn’t always look the way it does in the movies — living alone in a perfectly decorated apartment, meeting friends for dinner after a long day, and never stressing about money.For me, it looks like helping my 6-year-old…
This September marks 10 years since my father died, and I left not only Florida, but the United States. Leaving the country was difficult, but now I’m working through a new type of grief: losing my connection with the US.My relationships with my friends, family, and hometown have changed —…
When my children enrolled in college, I decided to step away from supervising their education. I would no longer keep too close an eye on their grades or class performance. I confess that it was a selfish decision, but as the mother of five, I’d already spent too many hours…
Growing up in a small Midwestern city, I always dreamed of moving to a place like New York or Chicago after graduating from college.I wanted to be at the center of everything that made these places so appealing, from the endless entertainment options to the seemingly abundant career opportunities.Yet after…
On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025, at 41 years old, I found myself in bed, lying to men about where I lived.Well, sort of.Earlier that night, while my teenage kids were getting ready for bed, I scrolled through TikTok, pausing on a video from a woman who manually changed her…
This as-told-to essay is based on an interview with Aziz Aslan, 45, the owner of Turquaz, a Turkish restaurant on Mission Street in San Francisco. It has been edited for length and clarity.I opened my Turkish restaurant, Turquaz, in San Francisco in February 2025. Typically, most of our customers are…
