A Parent Has to Know Her Limitations

Work-life balance, again. |

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SUBSCRIBE to TIME Magazine Yoohoo Parents! So I was away for a bit, checking in on my parents in a country far away and doing a story on this mother, who also runs a country. I mean, a small one, but still. (Her husband does most of the child-rearing, when he's not spearfishing. Lordy, what a #goals couple.) Anyway, I was also dropping my kids off at that same distant land, where they go to college. And I got to thinking that it's beginning to feel a bit fraudulent, this parent newsletter-writing, because while you never stop being a parent, you do move further and further away from its daily burdens and concerns. I don't have to worry about what to cook for dinner or if I have to rush home, or what that weird rash on my kid's neck is or whether she's going to suck her thumb forever. Those problem areas are no longer within my purview. I think writing about families—trying to bring people the best wisdom we have on the subject and to speak honestly about its many joys and equal number of burdens—is a real privilege and an important vocation. But, forgive me Mr. Harry, a person has to know her limitations; it's time to pass the baton to a new generation of thinkers with their ideas and worries and approaches. It's been so much fun and such an honor to try to figure out how to be a parent with you all for a few years. I remain committed to the view that we should be less worried about our offspring and more playful with them, and that we will make our kids' futures more secure by caring about all children, rather than by focusing so intently on our own. I also remain someone who fails to be playful enough with my kids. And to focus on them too much. The Time For Kids folks, who are taking over the newsletter, are wonderful journalists and great parents and I hope you all continue to read—or start to, since I have it on reliable authority (my kids) that my advice can be annoying. I'll pop in and guest edit from time to time. You're still welcome to holler at me, at Belinda.Luscombe@time.com or @luscombeland on Twitter. P.S. If you like this newsletter, please pass it on to a friend. And if you got it from a friend, sign up here for email delivery each Friday. You know, more or less. roundup What would a parenting newsletter be if there was nothing in it about work-life balance? Here's a roundup of some the most interesting recent thinking on how to manage it. TIME Children and families have paid a high price in the opioid crisis. Now that the pharmaceutical companies have to pay damages to settle the cases brought against them, those families should not be forgotten, argues this grandmother. "Compensating victims and funding addiction treatment and recovery programs is the morally right thing to do."    TIME Not every kid is built to go to college. Which is just as well, because not every job requires college. A politician from California has introduced legislation that would fund apprenticeships in such atypical "apprenticeship" careers as banking and insurance.  Will it work?  TIME Alert, alert, alert. TIMEand TIME for Kids are joining forces with Nickelodeon to create the first-ever Kid of the Year special . The hour-long show, which will be hosted by Trevor Noah, will air on Nickelodeon and CBS in December. It will recognize five extraordinary young leaders who are making a positive impact in their communities and name TIME Kid of the Year. We'll be taking nominations later this year—watch this space for more details. The internet is full of yuk, but sometimes it can be a wonderful antidote to things that happen in real life. That's what Quaden Bayles discovered after he was bullied. TIME One of my favorite advice pieces we published when I started this newsletter was about how to help your kids help one of their friends when that friend was in trouble. It's all about empathy, which is the antidote of bullying. I leave this with you. All the best in the years ahead!  TIME PFFT: Parenting from Famous Types Chrissy Teigen, actor, model and Instagram mom par excellence "[Luna] definitely hates photos, paparazzi, anything. She does everything you see on my Instagram for a quarter or a Sour Patch Kid.""  To Unsubscribe You have received this e-mail because you are subscribed to this newsletter from TIME.com. Unsubscribe here. Update Email Click here to update your email address. Privacy Policy Please read our Privacy Policy, or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://time.com/privacy TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. For Further Communication Please contact parents@time.com TIME USA, LLC 3 Bryant Park New York, NY 10036 Connect with TIME Find TIME on Facebook Follow TIME on Twitter Subscribe to more TIME Newsletters Get TIME on your Mobile Device Get TIME on your iPad Subscribe to RSS Feed