When I first became a mother, I was thrilled. I had dreamed about having children for years. In my mind, I pictured myself wearing flowing dresses while little hands tugged at the fabric, everyone smiling, everyone happy. I was sure I would avoid all the mistakes I thought my own parents had made. Then my daughter was born. Within weeks, I was overwhelmed. Was I breastfeeding correctly? Was she sleeping enough? Was I feeding her the right way? Every decision felt enormous. My perfectionism...

It’s already May, and five months have gone by. You might find yourself thinking, “I’m not where I thought I’d be.”Maybe you feel like you’re falling short at work, or maybe you’re looking at your child’s grades and feeling disappointed. Disappointed at them, and also at yourself. After all, you feel like you should have known better. But before going further, it helps to pause and ask a simple question: What is failure, really? We often treat failure as the end of something, a sign that we...

Do you want the people around you to tell you what they are really thinking? Do you want your children or your partner to feel safe enough to share their true thoughts and feelings with you? Or would you rather they just tell you what you want to hear, so you can feel okay for the moment while nothing really changes? This is an important question. Because if we want honest communication in our homes and relationships, trust has to come first. Without trust, people often stay quiet. They hide...