We're Talking Brain, Child

Guilty As Charged

2009-07-01T10:37:00.002-04:00

Bridget Kevane thought nothing of letting her children go to the mall alone. The cops thought it was a crime.

Bad parenting or an over-protective society?

Love on the Rocks

2009-07-01T10:32:00.003-04:00

Modern science brought her three lovely girls ... and seven frozen embryos. What's the right thing to do with all that potential?

Beth Kohl, author of Embryo Culture: Making Babies in the Twenty-First Century, peers into her heart to find an answer.

What's My Heritage?

2009-07-01T10:28:00.003-04:00

When you adopt a child from another country, how much of the child's birth culture should you aim to preserve? Martha Nichols examines the latest thinking on international adoption and culture-keeping.

Endgame

2009-03-26T15:57:00.003-04:00

Really, whatever happened to happy mediocrity? Hilary Meyerson wishes for a dollop of good old-fashioned averageness for her children in this era of hyper-competitiveness and goal-driven recreation.

Talking Smack

2009-03-26T15:54:00.003-04:00

Earlier in her life, Johanna Bailey had a serious drug problem. Today, she's the clean-living mother of a young son. In this thought-provoking essay, she struggles with what to tell her child about her lost years.

Mothering From Afar

2009-03-26T15:51:00.004-04:00

There are many reasons a mother might not live with her children. But there seems to be only one reaction to those mothers: harsh judgment. Katy Read looks into the lives and emotions of non-custodial mothers.

The Mom Job

2008-12-23T16:28:00.002-05:00

More often than not, pregnancy and childbirth take a toll on a woman's figure.

Melissa Stanton explores the emotions, the justifications, and the business behind cosmetic surgery for mothers.

At the Pump

2008-12-23T16:26:00.001-05:00

Don't get between Alexandria Peary and her breast pump.

Just don't.

Between Depression and a Hard Place

2008-12-23T16:20:00.002-05:00

Pregnant with her second child, Anna Blackmon Moore had to make a hard decision: stay on her meds or go off?

Talk about a shit sandwich.

Black on the Inside

2008-10-16T10:15:00.000-04:00

Dionne Ford delves into the tricky issues surrounding race & family.

Ebony. Ivory. Perplexity.

2008-10-16T10:14:00.002-04:00

Race matters these days -- but how much? Margaret Gunther gives us a peek into her own family's challenges.

New cartoon caption contest

2008-10-07T14:36:00.003-04:00

Help a sister out?

Give us a funny caption to this cartoon and we'll publish it in our next issue.

Leave your suggestions in the comments, along with a way for us to get in touch with you. For example, Jennifer Dot Niesslein AT brainchildmag Dot Com.

Deadline is November 3.

Bad Medicine and Good

2008-09-19T14:05:00.005-04:00

Ever felt sort of screwed by one of those big chain pharmacies? Karen Dempsey can so relate.

Baby Weight

2008-09-19T14:05:00.003-04:00

Cheryl Strayed never saw herself as a "baby person." She was happy enough creating fiction.

Surprise!

The Mermaid of Mull

2008-09-19T14:05:00.002-04:00

Sometimes a change of scenery puts your parenting life in a new light. Heather Dundas tells the tale.

Rock Steady

2008-09-19T14:05:00.000-04:00

Lindsay Reed Maines looks at three books by rock-n-roll mamas.

Seller Beware

2008-06-17T12:44:00.002-04:00

Stacey Schultz takes a peek inside the insidious world of some multi-level marketing organizations that make big promises to stay-at-home moms.

Like they say, if it sounds too good to be true...

Moment of Recognition

2008-06-17T12:42:00.002-04:00

Suzi Schweikert, a practicing OB/GYN, is blindsided on an airplane by a man who claims she delivered his child. Did she or didn't she? How's a busy doc to remember them all?

Along for the Ride

2008-06-17T12:40:00.002-04:00

Camilla Medders wonders about the stereotype that sticks to some disabled kids. Could it be true that they really are happier than the average child?

Should You Raise Your Child With Your Political Values?

2008-06-17T12:37:00.003-04:00

A timely debate for an election year, no?

Liz Gumbinner says yes, of course you should.
Lora Shinn argues that kids need to think for themselves.

What do you say?

Caption Me, Baby!

2008-04-17T13:19:00.004-04:00

As announced in our April 2008 newsletter, it's our very first cartoon caption contest! Please leave your suggestions in the comments, along with a way for us to get in touch with you. (For example, Jennifer Dot Niesslein AT brainchildmag Dot Com.)

Without further ado, the art by Beth Hannon Fuller:

We’ll choose a winner whose caption will be printed in the Summer 2008 issue of the magazine. The winner also gets props with her name next to the caption and—perhaps more importantly—her choice of The Greatest Hits or a one-year subscription for herself or a friend.

The deadline is April 30. Caption away!

The Needle and the Studies Done

2008-03-10T10:49:00.001-04:00

Debates over vaccine safety are murky enough to confuse the medical experts. How’s a parent supposed to sort it all out? Sari Weston, a scientist and a mother, digs in to what the studies actually say.

Isn't Forty Kind of Old for That?

2008-03-10T10:29:00.001-04:00

Ann Whitfield Powers looks at the age-old question.

Outbound

2008-03-10T10:27:00.002-04:00

Tracy Mayor and her son take a bus ride in the waning days of his boyhood.

Is Rewarding Kids a Good Parenting Practice?

2008-03-10T10:24:00.001-04:00

In this debate, Renée Hill argues that yes, it is. Kathy Gillen says nope—it sends the wrong message.