After her husband’s infidelity, Christine Kalafus re-architected her marriage. Now she needs to let her son in on the plans.
motherhood
Posted inNonfiction
We Are All We Have
While caring for her mother post-surgery and her grandmother during her final days, Megan Stielstra wonders who’s really taking care of who.
Posted inNonfiction
‘To Be Well’: An Unmothered Woman’s Search for Real Love
After years of strife with her mother, Vanessa Mártir finds unconditional love in a new, tender relationship.
Posted inNonfiction
Borrowed Babies
Five months into her first pregnancy, one writer pursues a research project about the history of home economics, as she struggles with her own concerns about motherhood.
Posted inNonfiction
Tar Bubbles
Melissa Matthewson remembers the flights of fancy that kept her company as a young girl, and bears witness to her daughter’s.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quotes
Airbrushing Out the Evidence of Her Son’s Differences
Are you really achieving representation for your child with special needs if you’re only sharing the upbeat, attractive photos on social media?
Posted inEditor's Pick
Why I Discuss My Son’s Autism on Social Media
A personal essay in which Alysia Abbott writes about the importance of presenting her autistic son on social media — fostering inclusiveness, normalizing his differences, connecting with other parents with similar children — and confesses her tendency to often only show him in the most flattering light.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books, Culture, Essays & Criticism, Story
Frenzied Woman
Cinelle Barnes considers how the chaos and discipline of dance kept the disparate parts of her being stitched together.
Posted inCommentary, Culture, Essays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Story, Writing
‘A World Where Mothers Are Seen’
Vanessa Mártir introduces Writing the Mother Wound, a series of essays on mothering presented in collaboration with Writing our Lives and Longreads.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Story
How to Survive a Vivisection
After a traumatic experience with childbirth, Rachel Somerstein struggles to bond with her newborn daughter.