I know that a lot of parents joke about inevitably forcing their children into therapy as adults—trying to cope with the psychological damage we inflict on them when they are young. I often think the same thing whenever I find myself yelling irrationally at my children—especially my daughter—over their messy rooms, their seemingly constant fighting, or purely out of sheer frustration.…

When I think about the emotions I experienced when I was a new mother, I remember feeling joy, excitement, wonder, and . . . guilt. Yes, guilt. If you are a parent, especially a mother, guilt is more than likely one of the primary motivators for many of your actions—it has been for me. Even as I write…

Sometimes I look at my daughter and I see the teenager she will someday be. It isn't a clear picture—I have no idea what she'll actually look like, and I have a very hard time picturing her taller than me—but I sometimes envision a teenage girl who will want nothing to do with me. My future daughter will find everything I say to be completely wrong, and she will spend all of her waking…