raising

One thing every expat loves to tell you about the UAE is how safe it is. It’s almost a reflex. We say it to visiting friends. We say it to family back home who worry about the region. We say it because it has been true.This Saturday, I was reading…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dorenne Simonson, 66, who is her granddaughter’s kinship care provider in New Jersey. Simonson has parented her since she was two months old. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.I’ve always been in a situation where I had to…

Growing up, I knew two things: I wanted to be a mother and to live abroad one day.Both came true when I met my Danish husband while traveling solo almost a decade ago. Not long after, I moved from New York City to Copenhagen, which was ranked first in the…

While raising my kids in Chicago, I saw a recurring pattern. A neighbor would welcome a second child, or a friend’s oldest would be ready for middle school. Suddenly, the city wasn’t “enough” for them anymore.Seemingly overnight, they longed for larger backyards, quieter streets, and “better schools.” Houses were listed,…