Iuliia Burmistrova/Getty Images Just when parents of Gen-Alpha kids finally recovered from the neck pain associated with vigorously nodding their heads in agreement that their kids are “honey badgers,” a new generation is entering the world: Beta-Babies, children born between 2025 and 2039. In a new Prudential survey of more than 2,000 adults, people made some bold predictions about the world Beta Babies will inhabit, from the rise of AI to a TBD job market. For parents, the uncertainty can feel unsettling. However, experts share that there are ways to help Generation Beta navigate the ever-changing landscape and thrive physically,...
The Comfort Snack I Rely On When I’m Just *Going Through It*
Recently, when my beloved son was mid-meltdown in his car seat, I found myself standing in my driveway for 20 minutes strategizing my next move. Option one would be to take the gentle parenting route and talk to him in a soothing tone, logically and simply explaining that his big feelings were valid and firmly telling him that we’ll talk when he calmed down. Option two would be to wrestle him out of his car seat and into the house so we could continue our respective meltdowns in privacy. And dear reader, I have no shame in telling you that...
I Can’t — & Won’t — Force My Husband To Go To The Doctor
10’000 Hours/DigitalVision/Getty Images Every so often, my husband will complain of a new pain in his leg or his arm or his back. Sometimes, he’ll notice an odd-looking mole somewhere on his body and point it out to me, his voice full of concern. Being the loving, caring wife that I am, I’ll drop what I’m doing and run to his side to evaluate the situation, offering a Band-Aid or pain reliever or just a listening ear, whatever the issue requires. Just kidding. We have four kids, who always have weird complaints about mysterious ailments. I have to investigate theirs....
My Mental Load Is All These Goddamn Toys
Vera Livchak/Moment/Getty Images Now that we’re finally naming things like default parents and the invisible load, I imagine many of us have stepped back to examine our own relationships and see how much of this stuff is at play. I have been pleased with my findings: My husband truly believes in being an equal partner and lives accordingly. Neither of us has assigned duties; we each just see what needs to happen that day and we divvy it up. Mostly it works. But there is one household domain that still takes up outsized real estate in my brain, and I...