Kenneth Watkins’s son, Kenny, was 6 days old when he was taken away by ACS, New York City’s child-welfare agency. Kenny was then placed with an affluent foster family. To regain custody, Watkins had to prove that being poor didn’t make him a bad father. Despite Watkins’ constant efforts, it took years to get Kenny […]
parenting
Posted inEditor's Pick
4 Dead Infants, a Convicted Mother, and a Genetic Mystery
“Kathleen Folbigg was found guilty of killing her babies. One scientist suspected the real culprit was mutant DNA—and went on a tireless quest to prove it.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Ungrown
“Here it is: Women are the gravity stopping humanity from drifting off aimlessly into the void. We mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, grandmothers — women — are the backbone of the world.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Abortion I Didn’t Have
“I would never give my son back, for anything, but I would certainly give him a different mother.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘Am I Even Fit To Be a Mom?’ Diaper Need Is An Invisible Part of Poverty in America
“Parents cannot use federal aid to pay for diapers, and are often forced to come up with other solutions, using maxi pads or towels to keep their children clean and dry. In rural America where aid is even harder to access, tiny diaper banks are the only lifeline.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
We Gave Them Our Leftover Frozen Embryos. Now, We’re a Family.
“I had gone into this process hoping to find our embryos a loving family. But now we were finding a loving family for ourselves, too.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
My Mother’s Other World
“Motherhood had always been her path. In exchange for it, however, the woman before me had surrendered her keys to the world.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Kitchen Dad
“Place the oyster on a bed of ice and go to the next one. It’s possible to refine this technique to perfection. Like changing a diaper.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Last Children of Down Syndrome
In 2019, only 18 babies in Denmark were born with Down syndrome. Prenatal testing is changing who gets born and who doesn’t.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Motherhood, Metamorphosis
“I do not wish to have not been a parent. But I think it is normal to imagine new existences when the world is crumbling.”