During childhood, it’s about trying to help develop who your kid’s going to be. During adolescence, it’s about responding to who your kid wants to be.

The author observes the shift now that children are not a source of labor for the family, that they have gone from employees of the parents to the bosses of the parents.

Even when our children are still young and defenseless, we feel intimations of their departure. We find ourselves staring at them with nostalgia, wistful for the person they're about to no longer be.

You don't have a good story until something deviates from the expected, " says McAdams. "And raising children leads to some pretty unexpected happenings.

What makes a mother? Looking at your child and identifying emotion

Vocabulary for aggravation is large. Vocabulary for transcendence is elusive.

The 20th century, the author observes, fostered the idea that fulfillment is possible on Earth.

The phrase "having it all" has little to do with having what we want.

Your children are going through life with their eyes closed, so YOU'RE the one who has to steer.

Children live life as a controlled experiment.

Couples with children may argue more, the author suggests, because children are a reminder of just how crucial our choices are.

Alex resisted the urge to throw Seb off the balcony and see if he could fly.

He had defended himself against death from without, and then it had carried him off from within.

I'm not nearly as well organized as I would like. I am a creature of to-do lists and calendars - if something doesn't get onto my Google Calendar, I don't show up for it.

The purpose of sound is silence.

My mother was a very elegant woman. When a flying saucer landed on the lawn, she turned it over to see if it was Wedgwood.

We have the means and the capacity to deal with our problems, if only we can find the political will.

It is always wise to make too much potato salad. Even if you are cooking for two, make enough for five. Potato salad improves with age - that is, if you are lucky enough to have any left over.

Nearly always when actors are approached by the beauticians, they try to avoid the dabs that the beauticians put on their faces. They dodge them.

Put life into living, and do it with enthusiasm!

She that asks Her dear five hundred friends, contemns them all, And hates their coming.