Family and Relationships - The Persistent

Art and Design

‘Engorged With Milk and Aching For My Child’

Throughout history, breastfeeding is depicted as a symbol of maternal love, but pumping seems a more accurate reflection of what being a parent looks like in a late-capitalist society.

Family and Relationships

Mourning the Mother You Wish You’d Had

The day after my mom’s death, I dove into writing her eulogy. But why was I was putting myself through the painful rite? For healing? For hurting? To have the last word in a lifelong contest with my mother?

Black and white still from a silent movie showing girls sitting around a large table, reading books.

Parenting

When School’s Out, Girls Keep Reading. Boys Don’t.

Research shows that boys' reading drops during school closures and holidays, while girls’ remains steady.

Illustration in rich cobalts, salmons, mustards and greens showing a tangle of hands, feet, breasts, faces and arms.

Relationships

I Was Raised to Be a 'Good Ghanaian Girl.' A Dive Into African Cultural History Set me Free

I was raised to be a good girl, which meant marrying a man and being a good wife and mother. I’m giving my daughter a different legacy.

Illustration of a woman in blue and green, surrounded by stones. She crosses her arms over her chest as the stones press in on her.

Personal Finance

When It Comes to Caregiving, Acknowledge the Overwhelm

A completely candid, unapologetic conversation about caring for elder parents. You’re welcome.

An illustration of a woman crying with a rip in her shirt where her heart is. Two people behind her hold her hand and shoulder.

Family and Relationships

'Disoriented and Not Fully Present'—What to Do When Grief Takes Over

When you're in the fog of grief, you need someone else to make the rules.

Illustration: a bride holds a pen, having signed her (scribbled) name on a huge, oversized contract.

Relationships

Why Are American Women Still Taking Their Husband's Name?

What’s in a name? For women, maybe everything. An exploration of the never-ending battle over women’s surnames.

An artists's rendering of a woman, against a backdrop of painted flowers.

Parenting

It’s So Easy to Blame the Mom

America is funding research to identify the root causes of autism, but it's looking in all the wrong places.

Illustration in which a woman sits at a cafe table with her stroller while people mill around behind her.

Parenting

The Community I Never Knew I Needed? It Was Right Here All Along.

When I went on maternity leave, I assumed I’d be lonely. Instead, I connected with the world in a whole new way.

Simplistic illustration of a tired woman reaching for a glass of wine as her two children climb over her and pull her hair.

Parenting

Gentle Parenting is Gentle on Everyone But the Mothers Doing It

While gentle parenting places a high value on children’s feelings, it doesn’t have the same concerns about parents.

Illustration showing a woman looking at her watch as hands reach in proffering keys, a wallet, a permission slip, a phone and other items.

Parenting

How Back to School Puts Working Moms in an Impossible Bind

The mismatch of days off between schools and workplaces is an annual puzzle. It’s moms who bear the brunt.

Illustration of a man cooking at a stove while a woman works at her laptop.

Relationships

The Day I Walked Out of The Kitchen

My choice is to leave all planning, preparation and worrying about food to my husband. That feels like a radical feminist act.

The words "child care wins" in a black serif font on a grey background. A question mark is spraypainted at the end

Parenting

I Wish Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Was the Solution to America’s Child Care Crisis. It’s Not.

Beware the 'momwashing' provisions.

Watercolor of Megan Clement, a white woman with dark hair and red lipstick in a denim boilersuit.

Family and Relationships

'Quite Looking Forward to Going Mad With Grief'

A dying father. A world awash in Covid. A total loss of control. And a mind that refuses to snap.

An illustration of a bride and groom embracing under a chuppah. The chuppah is held up by friends.

Relationships

A Wedding Today Costs How Much? I’m Glad You Asked.

When my daughter was married last month, we bypassed everything extravagant, opting instead for a wedding built on friends, community and love.

Parenting

Moms: Proving, Yet Again, They're Just As Dedicated

If employers want to retain talent, they need to build cultures that truly support mothers without penalizing ambition.