Driving to drum practice, I catch sight of Cal’s hair in the rear-view mirror with the twists a teacher at his school gave him. The black spirals rise out of the clean geometry of his scalp, neat and ...

A waitlist can be a strange place for a student to land. They know they don’t have a spot at the school right now—but they might, if only [fill in the blank] happens. Naturally, a student thinks: What ...

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We are a reader-supported site and receive compensation from purchases made through these links. See more about our Privacy and Affiliate policies here We are now ...

We are a reader-supported site and receive compensation from purchases made through these links. See more about our Privacy and Affiliate policies here. Deciding what ...

A perfect afternoon to me at 56 is sitting in my backyard with a good book, listening to the windchimes and watching the birds. I’m not expecting anyone to drive up from school or ask what’s for ...

Social media is the master puppet that pulls our heartstrings. You are scrolling through Facebook and nostalgically liking pics of your friends cuddling with their young children. Then, your memories ...

My children (ages 19 and 21) get to make their own decisions—as long as I agree with them. Yes, I said it, and I’m not proud of it. I never intended to be the pushy mom stifling my children’s ...

When teens and young adults picture social settings, most of them envision physical spaces with their peers, online communication, or possibly family gatherings. Most don’t think about the social ...

I can’t think clearly right now because there is a rather substantial section of my prefrontal cortex missing. It’s a fairly important chunk, something having to do with rational thought. You see, it ...

It happened again this week. Several times, in fact. I’m a university professor and my office is located directly across from the elevators. Because I maintain a literal “open-door” policy for my ...