I hate wearing a mask.... more

There's a gem of a childcare center in downtown St. Louis with a dedicated staff, a bright and welcoming building and space available to serve even more children.... more

A genuine and specific thank-you benefits the giver as much as the recipient.... more

Ornella Liesenfeld slides her tiny 6-year-old body down the slipcovered couch to show me the purple monster she drew on her white T-shirt.... more

I'm fluent in most American sports, but one international game has eluded me.... more

The line of people stretched for nearly five blocks through a neighborhood that looked like it was hosting a fall festival instead of a fundraiser for a young girl's medical treatment.... more

I recently had to take a flight to attend a friend's wedding. A week prior to the event, Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights after staffing shortages compounded initial weather problem... more

My favorite book in elementary school was about a life-altering friendship between two fifth graders who created an imaginary world in the woods to escape their day-to-day troubles.... more

For much of this country's history, aborting a pregnancy was fairly common -- and even openly discussed.... more

Nine-year-old Lyla McCarty was baking a cake when she started screaming in pain and fell off her chair at the kitchen table.... more

If you applied to college 20 or more years ago, you may not have any idea of the intense anxiety and pressure that peak this month for students aiming for the country's most selective universities.... more

I don't believe in competitive parenting, but I can spot an ace when I see it.... more

Missouri state test scores were bound to be lower this year after 18 months of disrupted schooling for most students.... more

The Fogarty family in St. Louis County had been looking for a puppy for months before they found Dunkin.... more

The Twin Towers fell a year before my daughter was born.... more

Imagine the mothers in Afghanistan.... more

It was easy to talk a big game during the weeks leading up to our daughter's move to a college 885 miles away.... more

When many schools reopened after the pandemic lockdown, families of color were more likely to keep their children in remote learning than white parents.... more

Parents reach milestones just as much as their children do.... more

My fully vaccinated children will wear face masks when they return to school later this month. With rising cases of the more contagious delta variant, we want to do whatever it takes to try to reduce ... more

There was a moment in the U.S. Olympic gymnastic team's interview with "Today" anchor Hoda Kotb that seared straight into my heart.... more

Social media influencers are selling their audiences a "lifestyle," and in many cases, that audience is tweens and teens.... more

A pressing concern of mine in first grade was which Little Debbie snack my mom packed in my lunch.... more

When parents send a child to college, they entrust an institution to look out for their child's best interests.... more

Kristen Tippit never imagined her baby would end up in the neonatal intensive care unit.... more

Our worst day of the pandemic seems hard to fathom right now.... more

A mother with adult children recently shared that her husband still does their son's taxes.... more

For decades, part of the puberty lesson in elementary school has included a booklet given to girls about their periods.... more