Family Dynamics

What makes a family? Learn about traditional and non-traditional family relationships, including single-parent families, families with gay parents, military families, and more. Try these tips for making your family work regardless of your family make-up.

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Mom Says Family Can 'Live in Filth' Until Husband and Kids Pitch in With Household Chores

Mom Says Family Can 'Live in Filth' Until Husband and Kids Pitch in With Household Chores

One mom on Reddit gave her family an ultimatum: Step up to help with keeping the house clean or live in what you've created. It didn't go over well.
5 Ways to Teach Your Child to Accept Every Type of Family

5 Ways to Teach Your Child to Accept Every Type of Family

In a world where all kinds of ties bind parents to their children—whether the grown-ups are single, in a same-sex marriage, or adoptive guardians—it’s important to show kids that it’s not who’s involved, but the love they share that makes a family.
Multigenerational Homes Are on the Rise—Here's How to Make It Work For Your Extended Family

Multigenerational Homes Are on the Rise—Here's How to Make It Work For Your Extended Family

Like most things in life, moving in with family members of different ages has its pros and cons—fortunately, there are ways to ace the multigenerational living arrangement.
I Didn't Know English Well When I Moved to the US—and It Was Little Gestures From Others That Made All The Difference

I Didn't Know English Well When I Moved to the US—and It Was Little Gestures From Others That Made All The Difference

When I arrived in the United States from Argentina with my family a few years ago, adjusting to a new culture was hard. Here's what my journey in a new place without knowing the language fluently has been like.
Man on Reddit Tells Sister to Lower Her Dating Standards Because She's a Single Mom

Man on Reddit Tells Sister to Lower Her Dating Standards Because She's a Single Mom

What she's looking for? A good-looking guy who makes a decent living and understands that her kids come first. How dare she.
Inside the Mind of 'Family Annihilators'

Inside the Mind of 'Family Annihilators'

Netflix's new documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door explains what led Chris Watts to kill his family. He's just one of many family annihilators to make the news. Experts explain what leads these killers to do the unimaginable.

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Shouldering the Mental Load on Your Own

Shouldering the Mental Load on Your Own

Single parents often carry the pressures of parenting on their own and burnout comes hard and fast. Relief does exist in the form of a support village—here's what to know and how to create yours.
The Mental Load When There Are Two Moms to Carry the Burden

The Mental Load When There Are Two Moms to Carry the Burden

There's an overwhelming expectation in our society that moms are naturally better caregivers than dads and they're expected to be able to handle more of it as a result. This leads to a mental load imbalance in two-parent heterosexual households. But the reality is gender does not define parenting abilities and raising kids in a same-sex, two-mom household has its own share of burdens to navigate.
The Mental Load of the Black Mother

The Mental Load of the Black Mother

How We Talk About Dads Adds to the Mental Load on Moms

How We Talk About Dads Adds to the Mental Load on Moms

The Changing Face of the American Family

The Changing Face of the American Family

Transgender Parents Are Left Out of the Parenting Discourse—and the Pandemic Makes That Abundantly Clear

Transgender Parents Are Left Out of the Parenting Discourse—and the Pandemic Makes That Abundantly Clear

My Partner and I Both Use Wheelchairs: This Is How We Parent Despite Our Disabilities

Born with a rare condition called arthrogryposis, one Minnesota mom explains how she and her partner are raising a daughter and advocating for parents with disabilities along the way.

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I Became a Single Dad at 19 and Here's My Advice to Others

I Became a Single Dad at 19 and Here's My Advice to Others

Why I'm Letting My 3 Year Old Help Plan My Wedding

Why I'm Letting My 3 Year Old Help Plan My Wedding

Raising Five Siblings: 'I Became Their Mom, Dad, and Sister at 17'

Raising Five Siblings: 'I Became Their Mom, Dad, and Sister at 17'

Are ‘Granny Pods’ Really the Ideal Guest Room for Grandparents?

Are ‘Granny Pods’ Really the Ideal Guest Room for Grandparents?

'I Had 4 Babies in 13 Months': How IVF, Surrogacy, and a Surprise Pregnancy Grew a Loving Family

'I Had 4 Babies in 13 Months': How IVF, Surrogacy, and a Surprise Pregnancy Grew a Loving Family

This Is How to Introduce Your Teenager to Your New Partner

This Is How to Introduce Your Teenager to Your New Partner

As More Women Under 40 Are Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, Is 'Hospital Bed Mom' the New Face of Parenting?

As More Women Under 40 Are Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, Is 'Hospital Bed Mom' the New Face of Parenting?

Mom Loses Her Husband Days Before She Almost Lost Her Son—Now She Takes Nothing for Granted

Mom Loses Her Husband Days Before She Almost Lost Her Son—Now She Takes Nothing for Granted

When 'One More Baby' is Quintuplets: 'We Became a Family of Nine Overnight!'

When 'One More Baby' is Quintuplets: 'We Became a Family of Nine Overnight!'

Single Moms vs. Single Dads: Examining the Double Standards of Single Parenthood

Single Moms vs. Single Dads: Examining the Double Standards of Single Parenthood

Second-Parent Adoption Was the Only Option My Wife Had to Gain Parental Rights of Our Kid

Second-Parent Adoption Was the Only Option My Wife Had to Gain Parental Rights of Our Kid

'A Cure Didn't Come in Time for Our Daughter, But We're Not Giving Up': Hamilton Family Opens Up About Losing Their 3 Year Old to Epilepsy & Fighting to End the Disease

'A Cure Didn't Come in Time for Our Daughter, But We're Not Giving Up': Hamilton Family Opens Up About Losing Their 3 Year Old to Epilepsy & Fighting to End the Disease

The LGBTQ Community's Struggle for Paid Parental Leave is Very Real

The LGBTQ Community's Struggle for Paid Parental Leave is Very Real

As a Gay Dad I Was Always Intimidated By the Suburbs, Until I Moved There

As a Gay Dad I Was Always Intimidated By the Suburbs, Until I Moved There

Having a Second Child Made Me Miss My Time With My First: Here's What I Did About It

Having a Second Child Made Me Miss My Time With My First: Here's What I Did About It

How My Cerebral Palsy Became My Parenting Super Power

How My Cerebral Palsy Became My Parenting Super Power

We Fled Afghanistan for America After Insurgents Threatened Our Family & Now We Help Refugee Families Like Us

We Fled Afghanistan for America After Insurgents Threatened Our Family & Now We Help Refugee Families Like Us

Couple's Emotional Surrogacy Journey is Documented in Touching Photos

Couple's Emotional Surrogacy Journey is Documented in Touching Photos

I'm a Single Mom and I Want to Stay That Way—Stop Trying to Get Me to Date

I'm a Single Mom and I Want to Stay That Way—Stop Trying to Get Me to Date

I Never Expected to Be Investigated by Child Welfare Caseworkers, But I Was

I Never Expected to Be Investigated by Child Welfare Caseworkers, But I Was

I Get Mom-Shamed For My Children's Age Gap, But I Think It's the Best Way to Have Kids

I Get Mom-Shamed For My Children's Age Gap, But I Think It's the Best Way to Have Kids

I Never Got Over The Trauma of My Mother's Abandonment, Until I Became A Mom

I Never Got Over The Trauma of My Mother's Abandonment, Until I Became A Mom

From Toxic Mother to Loving Grandmother: How I Learned to Forgive My Mom After My Son Was Born

From Toxic Mother to Loving Grandmother: How I Learned to Forgive My Mom After My Son Was Born

5 Immigrant Family Stories That Will Change Your Idea of What It Means to Be American

5 Immigrant Family Stories That Will Change Your Idea of What It Means to Be American

Parenting My Trans Son is Easy, Changing Policies to Help Him is Hard

Parenting My Trans Son is Easy, Changing Policies to Help Him is Hard

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