Children and Childhood

May 17, 2020

‘Straight-Up Fire’ in His Veins: Teen Battles New Covid Syndrome

When a sprinkling of a reddish rash appeared on Jack McMorrow’s hands in mid-April, his father figured the 14-year-old was overusing hand sanitizer —- not a […]
April 24, 2020

Is Summer Camp Canceled?

“Ten for two” is an unofficial rallying cry for many lovers of sleepaway summer camps. In three words it reveals an unspoken bargain agreed upon for […]
April 21, 2020

So You’re Having a Baby During a Pandemic

I recently heard from a woman who didn’t plan anything for her niece’s birth date. She said she’s been feeling regretful that, because of the coronavirus […]
April 13, 2020

In Rural Japan, a 370-Year-Old Tradition Falls to One Child

SHITARA, Japan — More than three centuries of tradition rest on Mao Takeshita’s narrow shoulders. Mao is 6 years old and swaddled in a heavy kimono, […]
April 3, 2020

Children Are Hunting Teddy Bears During the Coronavirus Outbreak

With her school closed, her city quiet and her country under lockdown, Stevie-Lee Tiller, 13, is stuck at home with her parents and three siblings. Stevie-Lee, […]
March 25, 2020

‘A Week of Snow Days’? Ha! Families Deal With Cabin Fever

Anita Tandon and Sujit Chakravarthy, parents of three young children, ages 3 months to 7 years old, have taken extreme measures to keep order in their […]
March 19, 2020

Figuring Out Work and Family in the Age of Coronavirus

“This is a new world now.” — Corinne Purtill, a Los Angeles-based journalist who covers health, science, and technology [In Her Words is available as a […]
January 31, 2020

Doctors on TikTok Try to Go Viral

For decades, sex education in the classroom could be pretty cringey. For some adolescents, it meant a pitch for abstinence; others watched their teachers put condoms […]
January 24, 2020

Love in the Time of Low Expectations

I saved the drunk voice mail from Texas, which he left during a wedding rehearsal dinner. “I miss you,” he said. “You’re the best thing that’s […]
December 27, 2019

As the Ball Dropped, Our Life Fell Apart

Six years ago, on a frigid New Year’s Eve, my teenage daughter and I, along with our two cats, became homeless. Just before midnight, we closed […]