Even in the midst of the stresses of travel, there are glorious reminders that all is not lost.
We’re HIPs, and we’re so much cooler than DINKs
Have the self-indulgent “DINK (Double Income No Kids)” videos going around lately convinced you that DINKs have got it made? Not so fast.
Reads of the year for the HIP (Harried Intellectual Parent): 2023
Here are my top reads of 2023, an eclectic, personal, and incomplete list that shows just how much I no longer care about people judging me for my wide-ranging tastes.
What to get the kids you know for Christmas this year
Not sure what to get the kids you know and/or parent for Christmas this year? This gift guide is for you!
Homeschooling and the Washington Post
The Post’s attention is justified. Its conclusions are flawed.
“Living As Humans in A Machine Age:” reflections on this year’s Front Porch Republic conference
What unites the Front Porch Republic folk? Reflections from this year’s conference.
How to write a book proposal with a toddler jumping on your back
Yes, you can write a book proposal (and book)–even with a toddler jumping on your back.
FORUM: What Does Higher Education Need Now? Part One
This is one crisis that must not go to waste
You really can just unplug: three months later
This past July, I posted here at the Arena about the challenges of finding a way to unplug from the internet and devices regularly without having to pay the price of answering approximately one million e-mails, messages, and more once […]
Letter to my freshman self
Dear Self (17), You’re weird. Or maybe not? You’re not sure yet. A lot of self-discovery lies ahead. First of all, you’ll be confused at orientation when your new friends call themselves “kids.” You yourself have been grown up for […]
Remembering Brother Jerome (a good teacher)
Oh, did Brother Jerome drive me nuts. Jerome Cox, F.S.C., was a friend of my father’s from their days in the Christian Brothers junior seminary in Glencoe, Missouri. Their years together in the juniorate were formative for both of them, […]
What I am reading: books on motherhood and homemaking
Summer is the season for reading, whether re-reading old favorites or finding new ones—on your porch, in a cabin in the woods (bears optional), or at the playground or the beach. Because there have been so many wonderful essays on […]
Augustine and the Bullfight
The allure of violence is real. So are its consequences.
Is homeschooling abusive?
Homeschooling is much in the news these days, for a variety of reasons. The relationship between the broad public and homeschooling has changed recently in three ways: As a historian of American education and a mother of four, I am […]
Can you really “just” unplug?
Recently, I spent five days in the mountains without internet-connected devices. It was great. Meanwhile, however, 207 e-mails were mercilessly piling up in my inbox. Upon my return, I immediately e-mailed a friend to complain and he wrote back right […]
Stephanie Murray on parenting at The Atlantic today
Balancing childhood independence with childhood safety has been much on parents’ minds lately, as evidenced by the recent Reasonable Childhood Independence laws that have been passed in seven states in recent years, including Virginia, Illinois, and Connecticut in 2023. Yet […]
Many know the night: a lesson from Elie Wiesel
Many know the night. This was the message I heard on the afternoon of September 10, 2002, while sitting in the hushed, overwarm, overcrowded chapel of Middlebury College, where I was just beginning my sophomore year of studies. My friends […]
Reconsidering Homeschooling, Part II: Challenges and Solutions
The task of educating children at home may not be as tall as you think
Reconsidering Homeschooling, Part I: Growth and Benefits
Post-pandemic, educating children at home is suddenly mainstream
Sex and womanhood: a person-first approach
A year or two ago a conservative college student, Katie, received her acceptance notice from a prestigious law school. While out celebrating, she was pulled aside by a disgruntled male classmate who been rejected by the same school. “You shouldn’t […]