kids
When I told people I was spending $20,000 to take my two kids to Bora Bora, the reactions ranged from wide-eyed surprise to outright judgment.”You’re taking them to a five-star resort?” someone asked. “Don’t you have college to pay for in the Fall?” said another. The answer to both was,…
As a kid, I ran from field to field for soccer tournaments with back-to-back games, and woke up before the sun was up for lacrosse tournaments that were a long drive away.I’m not alone. It feels like nearly everyone in the US has some connection to youth sports, either through…
I spent several summers lazing at home, watching movies with my family, and swinging with abandon at the playground with my friends.Eventually, my mother suggested sending me to an overnight camp. I had never been away from my parents for more than a night, and the camp, about a four-hour…
Bruce Springsteen says it took him time to learn the importance of being present with his kids.During an interview on Wednesday’s episode of the “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” podcast, the musician spoke about balancing his career with fatherhood.Springsteen has been married to Patti Scialfa since 1991, and…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kristina Bouweiri, owner of Reston Limousine. It has been edited for length and clarity.I never planned on being in the limousine industry. I thought I’d follow in my father’s footsteps and join the Foreign Service. I was born in Japan and…
I grew up with my grandparents — they raised my brother and me when our parents couldn’t. My grandfather was plagued with health issues throughout his life, almost dying from hydrocephalus when he was a kid. He had a dent in his head and a hole in his finger. These…
Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to talk to boys, learn about money, or skip church. In my world, women were taught that God would provide through a man. I always questioned that.I remember spying on my grandparents as they balanced checkbooks and printed 401(k) statements. Without them, I would have…
I started to crumble when I was forced to change careers after 14 years of service in local government. I had worked and planned for a life of public service, but then life happened, and suddenly, I was in a new career field and way out of my depths.The sudden…
Mary Jo Fairhead felt that something was missing at the South Dakota public schools where she taught for over a decade, so she quit and started one in her home.The main challenge she’s working to solve at her school, Onward Learning, which launched in 2022, is individual attention. She said…
I’ve done a lot of things right while parenting my kids, but I’ve also made plenty of mistakes. My “babies” are 17 and 15 now, and my greatest parenting achievement just might be that I’ve always been open with them about my mess-ups.Yelling when I shouldn’t have, looking at my…
