Parents and educators, please share with your schools: @theatlantic.com is offering U.S. public high schools FREE IP-based access to our journalism—an excellent way to improve news literacy and inspire a new generation of independent thinkers. For info, visit theatlantic.com/hsaccess.

As a person who doesn't get invitations to reunions (because: didn't do normal high school), I'm fascinated by other people's—and am loving this essay by Jordan Michelman (h/t my @theatlantic.com colleague Serena Dai for shepherding) www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

The inimitable @petridishes.bsky.social, saying it all out loud. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Excellent analysis from @katemanne.bsky.social katemanne.substack.com/p/why-marria...

Loving this advice from James Parker to a 19-year-old pining for romantic attention: “You do not need to be thinner, smarter, or better. I don’t mean to be glib about the effects of generations of patriarchal damage and...consumerism, but—you’ve got to get that stuff out of your head. It’s poison.”

A case against phones at school: Besides distracting kids from learning, phones are "a digital umbilical cord tethering students to their parents,” @gailcornwall.com writes—diminishing kids’ autonomy and setting an expectation that parents must always be on duty. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

ICYMI: Fascinating piece by @faith-hill.bsky.social sky.social @theatlantic.com on single men choosing to become dads, and how this plays out in their personal relationships + affects their sense of self. A nuanced look at tangly territory: www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

“When women realized they couldn’t rely on the men in their life, they tried instead to rely on other women,” @faith-hill.bsky.social @theatlantic.com writes. “In the end, misogyny got in the way of that too.” www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

“I’ve experienced too many moments,” @jessicaslice.bsky.social writes @theatlantic.com, “trapped upstairs while my family laughs, argues, sings, or cries, just out of reach.” A beautiful, harrowing essay shepherded by @katecray.bsky.social. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

A moving essay by Julie Kim, whose daughter is one of millions of students “at risk of losing access to the crucial support systems that enable them to participate in American classrooms and ordinary life." www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

“More than one in five Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ,” @emmasarappo.bsky.social writes. This generation is often described as "entitled." But "personal liberty *is* an American entitlement, and these young people will not readily give it up." www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

+1 to this entire @nytopinion.nytimes.com project. "The financial strain of raising children is a contributing factor to lower birthrates around the world." / "Children are human beings; they shouldn’t be a luxury good." www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/o...

"Pick up a novel," @jeremygordon.bsky.social @theatlantic.com writes, for the value in seeking "new mental frontiers beyond the accumulation of information...It may shock you, the worlds you end up exploring—and the feelings you will stir up from nothing at all." www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...

"One man has consistently cheered and helped execute the funding cuts that have exacerbated suffering and death." And yet... Powerful reporting by @cwarzel.bsky.social and @hana-kiros.bsky.social @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

"If I want to work at a place that is excited to publish a wide range of opinions about things that aren’t free speech and free markets, that won’t involve getting a different job at a different publication...” Welcome to @theatlantic.com @petridishes.bsky.social! www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Victor Hugo "was suspicious of kings, and for good reason," Megan Garber writes @theatlantic.com. "That sound you keep hearing might be Hugo not just rolling in his tomb but protesting from it." www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

With dating apps, “the slow burn has become less common,” @faith-hill.bsky.social @theatlantic.com reports. Instead, we get more snap judgments about romantic prospects—and, apparently, an increase in a “dreamily romantic notion” about how people fall in love. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

“We are all performing some identity, in some way, and I can live with being a ‘guy who loves his wife a lot,’ no matter what nicknames it brings.” It’s official: @jeremygordon.bsky.social @theatlantic.com is the sweetest. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

Some moral clarity from @julieebeck.bsky.social @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

Coming to you on Day 4 out of 5 of my kids’ most recent school spirit week, all I have to say is: I feel so seen. Thank you, @julieebeck.bsky.social — and @lianafinck.bsky.social for the wonderful art!: www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

🧵The logic when he was a kid, Joshua Coleman writes, was that raising boys to be “tough” would help them “meet the toughness of the world.” That notion is resurgent today in American politics and culture—and deeply flawed, Coleman argues: www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

"Democracy, under the sway of lies, becomes a form of anarchy": Megan Garber @theatlantic.com on how Walter Lippmann's "Public Opinion," published a century ago, foresaw our current politics. www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

So: What kind of dishwasher person are *you*? Ellen Cushing @theatlantic.com shows once again that she can write about pretty much anything and hit on what's interesting, funny, and deeply true. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

🧵Such a good piece by @faith-hill.bsky.social on the expectations and burdens placed on modern grandparents—especially grandmothers. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

This, from @adamserwer.bsky.social, is what I keep coming back to: "whatever their constitutional status, all of these things should be morally intolerable to any decent human being." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Upon learning she was losing her pregnancy, @ashleyrparker.bsky.social walked to the office and filed 35 inches of copy on Biden’s State of the Union address, on deadline, amid intense grief. Yes, what women bear, every day, is incredible—as is this essay: www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

"He has three types," the wife writes: "the standard whistle, with lips pursed; the tongue-between-the-teeth whistle, which is more high-pitched; and a 'lazy' whistle, where he’s sort of blowing air with no real tune..." James Parker to the rescue: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

"Gaps in educational experience among heterosexual couples are growing again," Stephanie Murray writes. "And this time? It’s women who are 'marrying down.'" www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

“This is exactly why you’re the Queen Bee,” a line uttered by Sarah Sherman, most likely alludes to the the book that “Mean Girls” was based on, Megan Garber writes—and nods to “the willingness that grown men have shown to serve the queen bee in the White House.” www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

“The ones who stayed married were ones that weren’t looking just to get laid. They were looking for someone to understand them.” —Bert Kreischer // What happens when the (very funny) @olgakhazan.bsky.social decides to ask (also funny) comics for marriage tips: www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

SO many people complain they're sick of the dating apps. And then there's this guy... www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

A very @olgakhazan.bsky.social take on baby-led weaning: "Mine is the only baby I’ve ever interacted with at length, but I’ve come to the conclusion that he should not be leading his own weaning"—because he is "not that smart." 😂 www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

Early on, Trump 1.0 was branded the “reality-TV presidency.” But it’s only with Trump 2.0 that we’re seeing the conventions of the genre applied with blunt force—and dangerous impunity, Megan Garber writes: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Trump & DOGE’s erasures—of agencies, jobs, people—are themselves a form of propaganda, Megan Garber writes, reminiscent of Orwell’s “memory holes,” which shaped the future by making the past disappear: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Does your smart kid say they’re bored at school? Do they feel “meh” about learning? They might be stuck in “Passenger Mode,” as @howtobebrave.bsky.social and @drrebeccawinthrop.bsky.social put it. Here, they suggest one tactic for helping them get unstuck: www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

You probably don’t want the gov’t facilitating your dating life. But what about a couple of behavioral scientists “invested in unlocking love’s mysteries”? Read this exploration by @faith-hill.bsky.social @theatlantic.com—and follow her! www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

I’ll admit: I have, at various points in my life, said “I don’t like kids” (says a lady who now has kids of her own). But working with Stephanie Murray on this piece has made me think about that choice of words in a whole new way:

I can't help but feel like women would have to do a lot less self-care if the men we often live with more regularly cared for us when we need it katemanne.substack.com/p/when-do-wo...

An Atlantic reader—enamored of a woman's writing and calling themselves “Not a Stalker”—asks: To reach out or not to reach out to one's literary crush? James Parker has thoughts in this week’s “Dear James.” (Curious: What do Bluesky-ers think?) www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

p.s. Please do share with your ailing, tortured, existentially troubled friends as well! bsky.app/profile/did:...

Hey, Bluesky friends: I work on The Atlantic’s advice column “Dear James,” written by the inimitable James Parker. Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you? Are you beset by existential worries? James would love to hear from you: [email protected]. Threading some examples...

Hmm, sound familiar?: “It’s likely that many men are bad at texting…because they’re bad at anything that prioritizes connection.” @matthewschnipper.bsky.social delightfully unpacks a communication conundrum. www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

When I see stories like this (remarkably generous) one by @olgakhazan.bsky.social, I’m always reminded of this mic-drop of a line by @lyz.bsky.social: “Do you want to know how I finally got my husband to do his fair share? Court-ordered 50-50 custody, that’s how.” www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

“The hovering, ‘intensive’ approach to parenting that has steadily come to dominate...American family life“ is, Stephanie Murray argues @theatlantic.com, “incompatible“ with the old “it takes a village” ethos: www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

And now, a dose of catharsis for your Wednesday morning, by the brilliant Megan Garber: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

"A man who’s carrying his own weight, who knows his own frailty and can manage it, will give a woman or a child no reason to be afraid." The great James Parker delivers an entire sermon in that single lovely line, in this week's "Dear James" @theatlantic.com: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Come for "the broccoliness of broccoli," stay for the gentle reminder, the dash of hope: "This week, more than any other week of the year, Americans grasp reality together." (Miss you, @katecohen.bsky.social!) bsky.app/profile/kate...

I am so onboard with this excellent proposition by @elcush.bsky.social @theatlantic.com. Burning question: Do I still get to eat all the pie AND all the Halloween candy? www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Doctor Zhivago, Pina, In the Mood for Love, @ellecordova.bsky.social, Lego Masters, Ada Limón—got to write about some of my favorite culture-y things for our Sunday newsletter @theatlantic.bsky.social. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Yes, it took me long enough, but here I am—and excited to reconnect with old friends! Also delighted to join the party with these words by my colleague @theatlantic.bsky.social Megan Garber: "The lulz-to-life pipeline has never been shorter." www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...