The hottest Parenting Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Culture Topics

Counter-Spoliating Children's Stories

Contemplations on the Tree of Woe • 927 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. There’s a strong need to reclaim children’s stories by making real, story-first books that teach character instead of serving as marketing or shallow branding.
  2. Beast fables—using wolves as a symbol—are a powerful way to teach about human nature, masculine virtues, and the reality of force and danger in life.
  3. Modern threats like screen addiction and cultural softening mean parents and creators must be deliberate: control kids’ media, consider homeschooling, and supply honest, high-quality youth fiction.

Tuesday night dinner

What Do We Do Now That We're Here? • 2408 implied HN points • 29 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Finding moments of presence in everyday life can create special experiences, like enjoying dinner while listening to film scores. It's important to appreciate these small, joyful moments before they become memories.
  2. Film scores can evoke strong emotions and help connect with deeper feelings. They can change a regular evening into something meaningful simply through music.
  3. Building community and connection is crucial for emotional support. It helps both parents and lonely individuals find joy and purpose together.

The Over-Therapized Lives of Mormon Wives

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 231 implied HN points • 20 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. The women aren’t really living secret lives or fitting the image of traditional Mormon wives; fame and follower counts have become their main identity.
  2. Their lives are saturated with therapists, specialists, and healing retreats, but the heavy use of therapy often looks like a performance rather than real recovery.
  3. The show spotlights messy relationships, breakups, and personal struggles while turning private life into entertainment, making micro-celebrity status more important than stability.

I Almost Didn’t Survive ‘The Population Bomb’

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 663 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. They were influenced by Paul Ehrlich’s “population bomb” ideas and worried a third child would derail the family’s upward mobility, but they never regretted having another baby.
  2. The unexpected pregnancy triggered an agonizing checklist about money and readiness — they were in their late 20s with two small kids, living in a cramped Upper West Side apartment and relying on unstable work.
  3. They were part of the late‑60s hippie scene—shaggy hair, a red Volkswagen bus, protests—and remained idealistic about making the world better even while handling family pressures.

'Aging is another word for living'

What Do We Do Now That We're Here? • 4220 implied HN points • 11 Oct 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Parenting
  1. Aging should be seen as a natural part of life, not something to fear or fight against. Embracing the changes can lead to more joy and freedom.
  2. Taking short breaks for self-care can really improve your mood and relationships. It's important to carve out time for yourself, even if it's just a little.
  3. You don’t always have to keep your options wide open. Sometimes, making firm choices can lead to more happiness rather than feeling stuck in endless possibilities.
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When the student is ready, the teacher will appear

Austin Kleon • 7873 implied HN points • 23 Aug 24
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. It's back to school time, which can make parents reflect on how fast their kids are growing up. Keeping busy with projects like writing or crafting can help with those feelings.
  2. Many famous artists and writers use simple supplies like scissors, glue, or index cards to create their work. It shows that you don't need fancy tools to be creative.
  3. A mixtape can be a fun way to connect different themes or moments in life. It's also interesting how the term 'blue moon' can mean two different things depending on how it’s used.

How I Learned to Love Reading

The Honest Broker • 10838 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
🚌 Education Parenting
  1. Leisure reading among teens has collapsed in recent years, and that decline is alarming to teachers and parents.
  2. Loving reading matters more than any teaching method or test score; if a child doesn’t develop affection for books, instruction alone won’t stick.
  3. Warm early experiences—like being read to by a caring adult—can create a lasting love of books, so parents and educators should try to recreate those moments.

Tough Love: Do I Like Being Single Too Much to Fall in Love?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 3746 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. A full, independent single life can be wonderful, but being completely self-contained often leaves no space for a partner to enter and be needed.
  2. Deep romantic love requires humility and vulnerability — you have to be willing to let someone disrupt your routines, depend on them, and accept inconveniences for their sake.
  3. Love usually won’t arrive passively; actively meeting people, saying yes to dates or setups, and risking disappointment is how you give yourself a real chance at finding it.

Homeschooling Isn’t for Everyone

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1210 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🚌 Education Parenting
  1. Taking children out of school can put their education at real risk, creating gaps in basic knowledge and skills.
  2. When parents use extreme or unconventional methods, homeschooling can lead to physical, emotional, or developmental harm for the child.
  3. Homeschooling is often associated with isolation, undereducation, and cultlike family dynamics, so it isn’t the right fit for every family or child.

18 Paying Pitch Calls and a Chance to Write About Chilly Movies

The Sub Club Newsletter • 317 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. There are 18 different pitch calls available this week for writers looking to get paid. It's a great chance for anyone to get their stories published.
  2. Writers should focus on making their stories feel timely and relevant. Adding a current angle to historical topics can help attract interest.
  3. There's a free workshop available to learn how to write effective pitches. It can help improve your chances of getting published by teaching you what editors want.

Should a Woman Have Nine Children? Or None?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 338 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Hannah Neeleman, the face of Ballerina Farm, is an influential social-media mom who at 35 now has nine children and sells food and lifestyle products online.
  2. She presents a polished, media-savvy image—using produced videos, ballet aesthetics, and product plugs—so her domestic life often doubles as marketing.
  3. Her large family and Mormon, Utah persona make her a polarizing figure, admired by some and criticized by others, and that tension fuels bigger questions about women’s choices and cultural expectations.

The Generation Raised to Give Up on Love

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 639 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Growing up with divorced or loveless parents makes many young people doubt that love lasts and treat commitment like a trap. This childhood experience shapes how they view relationships as adults.
  2. Many people are sharing raw feelings online about fear of abandonment and not knowing what a healthy relationship looks like. These posts show the emotional pain and confusion that often gets ignored.
  3. The popularity of hashtags like #divorce and #divorcedparents shows this is a shared, generational issue. Social media has become a space where people seek validation and try to understand how their childhood affects their love lives.

Lots to Be Thankful For

Freddie deBoer • 8972 implied HN points • 26 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. A creative work reaching readers and earning recognition can be a powerful consolation when professional opportunities are limited. That success matters even amid negative reviews and lingering reputation problems.
  2. Small pleasures — apps, podcasts, books, online classes, cozy content, and an easygoing session beer — bring steady joy, mental stimulation, and comfort in everyday life. They help offset stress and keep curiosity alive.
  3. Family and supportive readers or subscribers are central sources of gratitude and meaning, providing perspective and practical support that outlasts career ups and downs.

Culture links, 2/26/2026

In My Tribe • 212 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Smartphones and cheap data let educated women in big Turkish cities bypass parental and state controls and use comedy, music, and glamour on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to spread progressive, aspirational ideas.
  2. Paying for all-in-one, networked living in pleasant foreign cities — with food, housing, coworking, and community bundled — lets people escape unpleasant local environments and meaningfully improve quality of life once they reach career escape velocity.
  3. Digital media is becoming more oral and immersive, blurring frontstage and backstage behavior and making people more exposed and judged for inconsistencies; separately, parenting that is both responsive and demanding is associated with better youth mental health, though the causal direction is uncertain.

Open marriages with young kids: yet another symptom of the infantile misery of the urban creative class

Unreported Truths • 50 implied HN points • 20 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Open marriages and polyamory among parents rarely ease the mental load of childcare and often lead to more breakups, resentment, and complications.
  2. High housing costs and unstable finances in expensive cities are a big driver of marital strain, leaving couples frustrated and feeling unsupported.
  3. The preferred fix is practical: prioritize financial stability and family responsibilities by moving to cheaper areas or taking steadier jobs instead of relying on non-monogamy to solve relationship problems.

The way you wanted to feel

Austin Kleon • 5295 implied HN points • 28 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Riding a bike can make you feel like a kid again, giving you a sense of joy you wanted when you were younger. It's important to give yourself those little joys in life.
  2. Think about what you loved doing as a child because it can help you discover your passions today. Reflecting on those moments can guide your hobbies and career choices.
  3. Creative work often connects with childhood memories. Embracing what made you happy as a kid can inspire you to be more creative and fulfilled now.

#254: Notes on spirit

Maybe Baby • 1201 implied HN points • 01 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. The spirit is felt as something beyond body and mind, a steady inner compass that guides what feels right and sustains meaning beyond facts or moods.
  2. People use the idea of spirit to judge everyday life—what nourishes or drains you—and to name resilience, morale, and the deep intention behind parenting, work, and care.
  3. Shared spirit fuels solidarity and resistance; communities acting with courage, care, and humor can protect one another and push back against forces that try to crush them.

Why I Don’t Homeschool

The Analog Family • 1458 implied HN points • 19 Aug 24
🚌 Education Parenting
  1. The public school system in Ontario can be good enough for many families. It offers physical activities, creative learning, and outdoor experiences, unlike some more extreme examples seen elsewhere.
  2. The author loves her job and doesn't want to pause her career for homeschooling. She feels it's important to balance work and family life while still providing education.
  3. Education is about more than just school. The author believes in filling learning gaps with real-life experiences, discussions, and activities at home, emphasizing ongoing education outside of the classroom.

Jonathan Haidt: The Devil’s Plan to Ruin the Next Generation

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 6014 implied HN points • 25 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Constant convenience and distraction from smartphones and social media quietly erode young people’s attention and wellbeing, functioning like a slow, unnoticed harm.
  2. Researchers have documented a sharp decline in Gen Z mental health since the early 2010s, and growing evidence links that drop to smartphone and social media use.
  3. Early worries about overprotection gave way to a focus on technology, with the age kids first get smartphones emerging as a key factor tied to later mental wellbeing.

The Monday Media Diet with Lee Glandorf

Why is this interesting? • 1327 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Build a distinct career by combining writing, marketing, and a personal passion for sports and fashion. That mix can create a clear niche that changes how women’s athletics are presented.
  2. Keep a voracious, curated media diet—books on your phone, selected Substacks, and favorite podcasts—to feed ideas and avoid endless scrolling. Preferring female protagonists and re-reading favorites makes the habit sustainable and comforting.
  3. Value small local rituals and curiosity—community swimming holes, train cafe cars, and digging into neighborhood histories provide restorative joy and inspiration. Use practical tools like training apps and manageable accountability to balance parenthood, fitness, and work.

How I taught my 3-year-old to read like a 9-year-old

The Intrinsic Perspective • 26836 implied HN points • 28 May 25
🚌 Education Parenting
  1. Teaching a child to read early can lead to them enjoying books and reading for pleasure. This habit can help with their brain development and emotional well-being.
  2. Using methods like reading together, fun activities, and spaced repetition can make learning to read more effective and enjoyable for kids.
  3. The process of teaching reading requires patience and flexibility, as each child learns at their own pace. Making it fun is key to keeping them interested.

[DĂŠbrief] 10 choses Ă  savoir sur le TDAH

L'Atelier Galita • 179 implied HN points • 15 Oct 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Parenting
  1. ADHD is not just about attention problems. People with ADHD can have intense focus (hyperfocus) on things they enjoy, but struggle to concentrate on tasks they find boring.
  2. ADHD affects both men and women equally, but many women go undiagnosed because the symptoms can present differently compared to men, leading to a lack of awareness.
  3. ADHD isn't just a childhood issue; many adults also experience it, but they often suffer in silence because they weren't diagnosed as kids and the school environment makes symptoms more apparent.

The Weekend Press: The Teenage Stoners of America

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 403 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Teenagers who start using weed and prescription pills can quickly get derailed, harming school, friendships, and future plans.
  2. Firm parental boundaries—even painful ones like asking a child to move out—can force a reckoning and sometimes start a path to recovery and change.
  3. The issue pairs a personal recovery story with cultural coverage, including debates about modern parenting, a remembrance of Jesse Jackson, critiques of nostalgic documentaries, and lifestyle recommendations.

Tough Love: Can I Marry an Atheist?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1395 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Parenting
  1. Deep differences about God and faith can shape your whole marriage and how you raise kids, so they matter more than many other disagreements.
  2. Don’t treat religion as a small compromise — fundamental beliefs often determine the first principles of a shared life, so you should honestly assess whether you can reconcile those views.
  3. Having the same goals now (home, roles, kids) doesn’t prove you’ll handle future stress; test how you’ll navigate faith differences before making a permanent commitment.

Arthur Brooks: Stress Makes Life Meaningful

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 250 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Parenting
  1. Modern screen use is a major driver of rising stress, so cutting back on screens can help reduce daily strain.
  2. Many of life’s happiest milestones—like pregnancy, parenting, and big achievements—are also highly stressful, so joy and stress often come together.
  3. Stress isn’t automatically bad; it can add meaning to life, so rather than seeking a stress-free existence, learn to manage and accept the hard and sweet parts together.

Brooklyn Beckham Needs to Grow Up

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 932 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Many young adults are quick to 'cut out' their parents, treating perceived slights as grounds for estrangement rather than working through conflicts.
  2. Brooklyn Beckham’s public, detailed accusations against his parents come across as immature to some and show how airing private family disputes on social media can escalate tensions.
  3. Parents can be baffled when kids interpret jokes or awkward moments as contempt, and those generational misunderstandings sometimes turn small issues into lasting rifts.

Pressed by Moms for Liberty, Florida school district adds clothing to illustrations in classic children's books

Popular Information • 12854 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Florida school district adds clothing to illustrations in classic children's books due to challenges from Moms for Liberty
  2. Challenges included concerns about nudity and obscenity in books like 'In The Night Kitchen'
  3. Alterations to books in libraries raise questions about censorship and the rights of readers

I Thought My Marriage Was Broken. Then I Stayed In It.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2351 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Many couples reach a point where their marriage feels fundamentally broken and beyond repair.
  2. Real adult life—parenting, money troubles, and household responsibilities—can change people and reveal how unprepared partners are for long-term marriage.
  3. Divorce is often portrayed as an exciting escape, but choosing to stay and work through the hard parts is a valid and sometimes necessary path.

I should not be left to my own devices

Jeff Giesea • 798 implied HN points • 03 Sep 24
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. The rise of smartphones and social media has led to increased anxiety and depression in Gen Z, starting around 2010. Parents are encouraged to be stricter with screen time while allowing more freedom in real life.
  2. Many adults, including parents, struggle with their own screen addiction, making it hard to guide younger generations. It's important to recognize personal habits before teaching children about healthy device usage.
  3. Empathy for Gen Z's struggles is crucial, as they face unique challenges in a digital world. Understanding their experiences can help foster better communication and support.

Let it Go

We're Gonna Get Those Bastards • 10 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Parenting
  1. Most anxiety comes from dealing with other people. Ask yourself: did I cause it, can I cure it, can I control it — if the answer is no, let it go.
  2. Codependence and grudges waste emotional energy and rarely change the other person. Focus on what you can control—your own behavior—and stop carrying other people's problems.
  3. Practice acceptance and keep resentments short so they don't sap your life. Gratitude and focusing on the small things you can change free up your mind and peace.

5 Actions to Reduce Smartphones in School

The Analog Family • 319 implied HN points • 30 Aug 24
🚌 Education Parenting
  1. Schools should encourage families to delay giving their kids smartphones until high school. This helps kids focus better on their education.
  2. Parents can help by communicating through school offices instead of texting their kids during class. This keeps kids from being distracted by their phones.
  3. Activities and teams should not require smartphones for participation. Schools can find other ways to share information that includes all students.

Stop Telling Women When to Have a Baby

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 222 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. There isn’t one perfect age to have a baby; biology might point to an optimal window but social and personal circumstances mean timing is different for every woman.
  2. Women get nonstop, unsolicited advice about when to have kids from all parts of the political spectrum.
  3. Men don’t face the same pressure about timing, and some men cross lines by trying to dictate or control women’s reproductive choices, which can be inappropriate and paternalistic.

Introducing: ‘Tough Love with Abigail Shrier’

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1446 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. A new weekly advice column called "Tough Love" will deliver blunt, practical advice every Thursday to paying subscribers.
  2. It aims to tackle real-world anxieties, illustrated by a reader worried that looming social chaos makes it hard to commit to long-term plans while raising young children.
  3. Readers can submit questions to the column, but access requires a paid subscription, which is currently being promoted with 25% off the first year.

Should All Parents Consider Embryo Selection?

Richard Hanania's Newsletter • 1511 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Parenting
  1. Research suggests that embryo selection and IVF may not lead to significantly worse outcomes compared to natural conception. Many potential negative effects may actually stem from the parents' health rather than the IVF process itself.
  2. Sperm competition in natural conception may not provide a better selection of embryos than IVF methods, which often involve either filtering sperm or simply picking the best-looking one.
  3. Overall health and success of children born through assisted reproductive technology tend to be more influenced by factors like socioeconomic status than by the method of conception itself.

'The Anxious Generation': Things Are Worse Than We Realized

The Analog Family • 2977 implied HN points • 10 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Parenting
  1. Smartphones and digital media have greatly increased anxiety and depression in kids. The period between 2010 and 2015 saw a sharp rise in these mental health issues coinciding with the rise of smartphone use.
  2. Kids need real-life play to develop important social skills and physical abilities. Too much screen time replaces active play, leading to developmental challenges.
  3. Parents play a crucial role in managing their children's digital exposure. Limiting smartphone use before high school, avoiding social media until 16, and encouraging outdoor play can improve children's well-being.

Happy mother's day

Disaffected Newsletter • 2018 implied HN points • 12 May 24
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Motherhood is a vital and challenging job that deserves recognition and respect.
  2. All mothers work hard, regardless of their economic status or outside employment.
  3. It's important for mothers to enjoy quality time with their families on Mother's Day.

Vigil

The Intrinsic Perspective • 18132 implied HN points • 14 Oct 24
📚 Literature Parenting
  1. The author finds a wounded rabbit and reflects on the nature of life and death. He is torn between wanting to help the rabbit and recognizing the harsh realities of nature.
  2. Through caring for the rabbit, he grapples with his own moral beliefs about animal life and the contradictions in being a meat-eater.
  3. As he takes the rabbit to a wildlife rehabilitation center, he contemplates the bigger questions of existence, connecting his feelings about the rabbit to deeper ideas about life and its fragility.

Two ordinary Kiwis go toe-to-toe with their local school over inappropriate gender-identity and sexuality content in the curriculum.

A B’Old Woman • 479 implied HN points • 02 Aug 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Parenting
  1. Parents are concerned about certain gender and sexuality topics in their kids' school curriculum. They feel the content is inappropriate for children.
  2. Two parents, Blair and Karen, are actively fighting against this content and have formed a support group called PAGE NZ. This group helps others share their concerns and experiences.
  3. Not all schools use the same content from the guidelines, but those that do face strong pushback from parents trying to protect their kids.

A Life With Less Pleasure Reading

Culture Study • 3565 implied HN points • 24 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Reading for pleasure is declining, with many people spending less time on it than before. We need to think about how busy lives are affecting our reading habits.
  2. People might still be reading, but it's often not in the form of traditional books. Many are consuming content online, through social media or podcasts, which isn't always counted as reading for fun.
  3. The pressures of adult life and parenting make it hard to find time to read. Balancing work, family, and leisure can make reading feel like a low priority, even if it's valuable for relaxation and enjoyment.

No joy in life can survive reductionism

Passing Time • 468 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Parenting
  1. Reductionism strips rich human experiences down to dull components, making even great joys sound pointless. It's a lazy way to criticize and misses the meaning that emerges from the whole.
  2. Yes, activities like skiing can be expensive, risky, and geographically limited, but those isolated facts don't capture why people love them. The whole experience is greater than the sum of its parts.
  3. Teach kids real-world skills and give them adventurous experiences even if they seem niche or inconvenient. Those lived moments create value that reductive descriptions can't explain.