There’s a better way to summer. — It’s summer in Minnesota. That means it’s time for my annual attempt to convince my kids — who are 7, 4, and almost 1 — that the impossible is true: No, the sun won’t set for two more hours, but yes, you really have to head toward bed. These long…

Greet the edges of your understanding with awe, not angst. — Growing up, on the second Sunday in May, you could usually find my family outside, planting flowers for my mom. On Mother’s Day last year, my husband, kids, and I stuffed our in-ground planters with seedlings: basil, mint, strawberries, and tiny tomatoes you can pop in your mouth come August…

When your brain feels crowded, focus on the wisest voice — One Sunday afternoon, while walking along the river path near where I live in Saint Paul, I wandered off the pavement to a clearing where the bluffs swing out over the Mississippi. I watched the wind push a pocket of snow from its perch in an oak to the cold…

When you feel irritable, leverage curiosity’s effect on the brain to feel good instead. — My six-year-old is in that phase where he loves magic tricks. He learned one of his favorites from a Netflix show called Brainchild. It’s purportedly a physics lesson, but I think it’s also a fantastic psychology lesson in disguise. The trick goes like this. My son has me stack my…

What research reveals about sighing and how you can harness your breath to feel good anytime — If you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw the Associated Press call the presidential race for Joe Biden on November 7, 2020, you weren’t alone. Sighs of relief were heard around the world. The New York Times reported that “Biden Victory Brings Sighs of Relief Overseas,” while The…

Life can be difficult, but knowing what to say to your child doesn’t have to be. — Miscarriage. Deaths. Medical diagnoses. Health emergencies. Pandemic. Police murder. Evacuation. Infertility. Burglary. These are all hard things. In the last year, each of these has touched my family, and I have talked my little kids through every one. My children, who are currently almost three and five years old, have…

A reflection on the value of living in an urban area — in spite of everything — This weekend, my family and I escaped the city. We zipped our suitcases, buckled our seatbelts, and drove away from Minneapolis, where we live. …

Self-pity doesn’t help me or my kids — Whenever I tell people that my oldest child begins remote kindergarten this month, they simply say, “I am so sorry.” To be honest, my default response is to feel sorry for myself, too. This is not how I pictured my five-year-old entering his first year of elementary school and his…

A reflection on living during the Covid-19 pandemic, social justice uprisings, and infertility — When my neighbor waved at me from the other side of the street, I imagined his lips moving on the other side of his mask as he asked, “How’re you doing?” I must have taken too long to answer because he squinted his eyes and added, “How’re you coping?” His…