Thirteen years ago, hugely pregnant with my first child, I read Anne Lamott’s Operating Instructions. I laughed so hard I nearly snorted myself into labor. more

After my third child arrived, I negotiated with my employer (begged, cajoled, manipulated is more like it) to cut my in-office hours in half. After cutting my pay in half, my boss agreed. For two years, I worked 9:30-2:30 four days a week in an office with a door, an assistant, a staff of 15 and about 40 clients. more

Would your husband quit his job if you earned more? Would you if he did? more

Father’s Day afternoon. My family and I were heading home after a weekend away. Our plane was packed. We were last in line to board. Right in front of us was a middle-aged dad, wearing khaki shorts and a golf shirt, holding a six-month-old baby. Stroller, diaper bag, carry-on bag, bottle, pacifier…All of us who’ve ever traveled with babies surely remember how much heavy, awkward, leaky junk you need to fly with an infant. more

In their fabulous new book Womenomics, BBC News anchor Katty Kay and Good Morning America correspondent Claire Shipman, make many elegant estrogen-fueled observations about juggling work and family. more

The landmark Violence Against Women Act, which provided $1.6 billion in funding to strengthen investigation, awareness and prosecution of violent crimes perpetrated against women, is up for reauthorization in Congress next year. more

I loved last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine commentary by Mommy Trackd/Flexperience 2008 keynote Lisa Belkin, “Let the Kid Be.” Belkin hopefully forecasts the demise of helicopter parenting and smothering mothering, citing a wave of new books... more

Do women bully differently than men? Recalling the jungle of 7th grade girldom, I have to say YES. I remember the time two girls stuck deodorant, mouthwash and a nasty anonymous note in an awkward girl’s locker. Someone suggested a late-blooming girl (okay, me) use the boy’s bathroom. more

One of the tricks about American motherhood is learning to block out the pervasive, contradictory media messages beamed to us via newspapers, magazines, advertisements and television programs. From the time we are toddlers we hear that becoming a mother is “the most important thing a woman ever does in her life.” But moms are the first to be attacked when we step outside cultural norms or when misfortune strikes our children. more

During my first job after business school, let’s say I had a little, um, trouble with my boss, a woman who openly despised me. My boss’ boss did me a great favor by slipping me the Harvard Business Review classic, Managing Your Boss. Almost 20 years later, I still refer to my dog-eared copy for insight and counsel. more