It’s Friday, and I am losing my mind. 😂 All the work travel and the holiday weekend (which was great, don’t get me wrong!) have left my inbox completely out of control, and I am dropping balls left and right. Another mom texted me yesterday morning to ask very politely if my 8 year old would be coming to her son’s birthday party (tomorrow)— which made me realize that my inbox was full of birthday party invitations that I had tabbed to reply to later… then forgotten about entirely. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Anyway, we have three birthday parties, a school sign-up party, and a Little League playoff game this weekend. 😵‍💫 Bring it on?

A few memes:

And here are your Friday five to tab to read this weekend, or at whatever other point you’re able to put your feet up and take a few deep breaths:

One. Study finds a steep drop in mothers’ mental health (NY Times— I have run out of gift links, so this is a regular link— I’ll update link on the site tomorrow AM after my June sharing quota opens!). This article summarizes a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine journal earlier this week— which showed a significant decline in self-reported maternal mental health from 2016 to 2023… and which started even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two. Bring back communal kid discipline (The Atlantic, gift link). I am personally one of the many American adults hesitant to correct other people’s children in public— but I don’t mind at all when other adults give my kids reasonable corrections and feedback! Let’s face it, as parents, we don’t always see our own kids in action and clear feedback or correction from other adults at times that kids cross the line — whether that line is safety-related or a matter of kindness/decency— can be super helpful. I loved this piece, and I want to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Three. It’s a tough world: Here’s how parents can raise resilient kids (KQED MindShift). I adore science journalist and author Melinda Wenner Moyer (who BTW, I interviewed for THIS space just this morning— coming your way in July!). Melinda just released a new book focused on how we as parents can support kids in building resilience and other skills that will serve them as they exist in a challenging world. My pre-order is at the top of my TBR pile— and should join yours! In the meantime, this article from KQED offers a few quick tips. (Also, check out this Q&A: Hello, Cruel World! on Motherwell for some more important take-home lessons for parents about how we can zoom out to help our kids build skills that will serve them long term— or this interview on Emily Edlynn’s Substack about how to raise open-minded kids in a polarized world.)

Four. All about sunscreen and kids (ParentData). It’s that time of year where we all start to remember that yes, we should be sunscreening our kids and ourselves. Take a look at this for a comprehensive sunscreen rundown from economist Emily Oster about pros, potential risks (including whether you should care about the question of chemical vs. physical/mineral sunscreens), and whether or not sunscreen use is linked to vitamin D deficiency (spoiler alert: the answer is no).

Five. Generation Alpha is causing problems for teachers (Newsweek). I met a woman at a conference a few weeks ago who told me that her teenage kids use ChatGPT to generate their written schoolwork… and then use AI detection apps to humanize their work so it doesn’t get caught. 🤯 One, this conversation made me feel old, because I didn’t even realize that anti-ChatGPT apps were a thing— but two, it made me think about the opportunity costs of technological advancement, especially for the kids growing up with these tools. This Newsweek piece doesn’t share anything groundbreaking, but it’s a reminder that there are both benefits and opportunity costs to technology use— and raises some interesting questions about the way in which maybe we should be thinking about amping up student engagement for IRL interactions. (Also related: More learning, less scrolling, from Common Sense Media founder Jim Steyer’s new Substack, Kids and Tech in the AI Era.)

A few more memes, without comment because it’s Friday afternoon and I am tired:

Also, did you catch my interview this past Monday with Modern Citizen founder and CEO Jess Lee? If not, it’s definitely worth your time to go back and read, watch, or listen. Here’s a snippet— where Jess shares how she uses her calendar as to-do list, and also an easy, visual check on whether the way that she’s spending her time aligns with the way that she WANTS to be spending her time. 💕

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! See you here next week.

Coming your way in June and July— interviews with wine industry marketing and sales consultant (and winery owner!) Erin Robertson, luxury real estate agent and developer Victoria Stewart Davis, fine artist Dev Heyrana, and health coach and founder of WORTHY self-care studio Meliza Mokrani…. plus so many more.

If today’s content resonated for you, please hit the like button and forward to another mother who might appreciate it too! Thanks for being here. I really believe we can’t (and shouldn’t!) do this alone— and that we all need other mothers. ❤️