We can all probably remember those peaceful weekend mornings, sun filtering through the basement playroom windows, curled up on the couch with our favorite bowl of way-too-sugary cereal that we had to beg our parents to buy. That cereal might as well have been gold; we certainly thought it was worth its weight in it. My parents, however, never showed an interest in eating this cereal themselves. Something about stale marshmallows and really overhyped Cheerios just wasn't all that appealing to t…

Learning boundaries is important, even if it means being disappointed—not everything is always going to go your way. Sure, when you're one year old, something you were interested in suddenly disappearing might be the worst thing that's ever happened to you, but it's important to learn that lesson now because once you're older, learning that same lesson gets a lot more inappropriate and embarrassing. There's a big difference between a 12-year-old throwing a public tantrum because they didn't get…

There's a whole lot going on in this post that's really difficult to un- pack (hah, get it) and that I really just can't quite wrap my head around. So, let's start here: Why on earth does a 13-year-old need FIFTY backpacks? With a single bag alone costing $500. And why in the heck does a 13-year-old have their own influencer account?.. And where in the heck are they storing all of these backpacks? At the risk of sounding very “old man yelling at clouds here,”… what in the heck is going on with…

Always think twice before naming your child. Seriously, just because you're itching to name your kid after a fruit, think about their experience for a brief moment. Think about how they might be treated at school. Think about how their name might sound with their last name. Look up your name and check if there are any strange meanings or cultural associations people may have with that word or sound. Say the name out loud multiple times to hear how it sounds and to ensure it's not accidentally h…

It's surprising and disappointing sometimes the disrespect and disregard people have for their spouses when relationships are supposed to be built on respect and support. We're talking about someone who is supposed to be your other half, so it makes sense that responsibilities be split and handled as if that were the case—where capable and able. We're all only human, and our lives and their requirements are changing all the time, so we're not going to get it right all the time, but that's where…

We all like to think of our lives as being cut into neat little shapes with clearly defined outlines and borders. The reality of that couldn't be any further from the truth, and those who insist the most fervently that there is nothing amiss in their life are either hiding something or in complete denial. So, when you read something along the lines of “mother rejects their child,” you probably make a judgment call before even knowing the rest of the context, coming in guns blazing and ready to…

Naming kids is a minefield that's littered with many potential pitfalls. Upholding family traditions comes into contact with conflicting expectations from either side of the family, meeting jarringly with modern naming trends while trying to make sure that it also ends up being something unique while also avoiding adverse personal and pop culture associations. Yeah, you're never gonna get it exactly right; just when you think you're getting close to settling on a name, you come to learn that it…

Health insurance can be expensive. While many of us have spent at least a short stint of our lives wondering how we're going to pay for healthcare, it's usually not in our first few months on earth. However, if you're the lucky baby in our next story, you have nothing to worry about because Big Mama discovered a nifty health insurance loophole.

Parents can get oddly competitive about their kids, and they have some backhanded compliments to dole out to parents they're intimidated by. They say it's not productive to compare your kid to others, but it's hard not to. If all the other babies are walking but your kid is still crawling, you might worry that they're behind. Other babies start talking very early on, while others don't speak in full sentences until they're two or three years old. It's understandable why parents would be concern…

When you're in your late 20's or your early 30's, if you've been in a semi-stable relationship for more than 5 minutes, nosy relatives start coming out of the woodwork. You've heard the phrase ‘it takes a village’, but never thought it meant the village coming after your ever-fruitful loins, chasing you with baby-mongering pitchforks and flaming fertility torches.

This is the newest version of “My dog ate my homework.” Apparently for one student, their excuse is that their project got eaten by their family! At some point while you were in high school, you probably had to do this assignment for your health class. Students often have to care for a fake baby as if it's a real baby. The fake baby can be an egg, a bag of flour, or, if you live in a wealthy school district, an electronic baby that cries throughout the day at random intervals. The project often…

Every server feels their stomach drop when they see a toddler seated in their section. Like any service industry member with PTSD, for a split second, they'll imagine the terrors of cleaning melted ice cream from the corners of the booth seats, Karenish mothers yelling at them for a side of ranch, and scrubbing the crayon scribbles off the tabletop...

There are lots of details that go into planning a baby shower . It's a joyous celebration of expecting parents-to-be. Showers are usually thrown by those close to the pregnant person, like their friends, family members, or coworkers. It's all about the new baby and the mom---people bring cute presents and play baby-themed games. Sometimes the parties are even a surprise. No matter how they're arranged, baby showers are meant to celebrate the mom's pregnancy journey and the upcoming arrival of a…

It sounds like this brother-sister relationship is almost impossible to repair at this point.

What do you do when your twin brother steals the name you planned to give to your future daughter? Especially when you promised your dying friend to honor her by doing so. Reddit unexpectedly sided with the twin brother and his GF's decision to name their child “Amelia" which this Redditor, u/AITAbabynames, planned to give their future daughter. The name had been that of a childhood friend of u/AITAbabynames who had passed away from cancer at the age of 12. u/AITAbabynames swore they would name…

Call it humble beginnings, or something.