In which I confess to being a small-talk hater who nevertheless small talks constantly ... and what I'm going to do about it open.substack.com/pub/olgakhaz...

For a story, I'm looking to interview someone who has moved to the midwest at some point in the past couple years. The only requirement is that you moved from somewhere OTHER than the midwest. If this describes you, please DM me or email [email protected]. Thank you!

American kids used to be much more adventurous eaters. A young Edith Wharton liked turtle soup and oyster sauce. Mark Twain ate squirrels and rabbits. Fascinating article from @olgakhazan.bsky.social on what changed.

In case anyone wants to feel better about their parenting, I just saw a Hasidic lady stop her toddler’s tantrum with a YouTube video 🙂

Many daters look for a list of traits in a partner—but research suggests a better way to find long-term love, @olgakhazan.bsky.social reports:

I spoke with the great Sonja Lyubomirsky about deep friendships, the roots of chemistry, and whether all Russians hate small talk: substack.com/home/post/p-...

Today my husband said possibly the most white-man thing ever: “why would anyone be mad at me?”

I have a hard time initiating friendships. Maybe you have a hard time initiating other things you generally enjoy? Here’s the case for focusing on how you’ll feel in the middle of things, not the start of things: olgakhazan.substack.com/p/the-case-f...

Uh oh: yoga teacher decided to play what can only be described as the Buddhist equivalent of Christian Rock

eventually all the daycare sicknesses just layer on top of each other and you die, right?

The toddler made the midwestern husband so mad today that he let out a “holy freaking fudge!”

Probably the one piece of pseudoscience I live by is “liquor before beer, you’re in the clear”

Every doctor's office: "We actually have a patient portal called MyHealth. It only works on the 2003 version of Internet Explorer. The password can't contain any letters or numbers. If you message us on there, nothing will happen but it will give you the illusion of control."

I could have gone to medical school in the time that I've spent trying to log into patient portals

“In the years that Block was homeschooled, why was he never assessed, or even checked on? The answer is that homeschooling was wildly-regulated when Block was a boy—a situation that has not changed much since then.” @olgakhazan.bsky.social for @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/...

That's one way to make sure the US wins at soccer

I wrote about the great new memoir Homeschooled, and how unregulated homeschooling hurts vulnerable kids www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/...

How does healthcare have the worst customer service of any industry? Yesterday I called a doctor’s office: - waited on hold 15 minutes, was hung up on - called back and waited on hold 30 minutes - they said they need medical records before making an appointment - ok, can I just email you the records

I talked with the great @kph3k.bsky.social about her fascinating new book, Original Sin, and whether we're doomed (or blessed!) to turn out just like our parents substack.com/home/post/p-...

Don’t check your 401k, lol, lmao

Ugh can they make something for the straight husbands to watch while we watch Heated Rivalry?

hot take: book promo is harder than book writing

apropos of last night's news, it's worth noting that even American cops (and these weren't cops) are considered poorly trained by international standards. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

considering doing that designer-baby IVF thing but only so my baby can avoid having the cilantro soap gene

I didn't realize when I was doing this research that it would become so relevant today....thank you, @olgakhazan.bsky.social for sharing it.

AI can't destroy journalism because I'm not friendly enough to work at Trader Joe's

On top of the mental load of remembering to tell your husband to do stuff is the mental load of reminding him to do all that same stuff because he’ll “do it later”

The Best Way to Argue About Politics with Your Relatives Is to Not Argue About Politics open.substack.com/pub/olgakhaz...

My dad: how was your trip? Husband: great! Dad: sorry I asked

Do Americans have some sort of brain problem where they think shoes are clean? My husband just put my kid’s shoes ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER 🤢

But the weed soda ban will have a special carveout for when my family comes to visit, right? ... Right?

MAGA types talk a lot about decreasing immigration and increasing the American birth rate, but those two goals are at odds

Excited for all the people who yell at women for saying "like" to start yelling at all the male academics for saying "sort of" and "right"

Honored to see ME, BUT BETTER included in Greater Good’s Favorite Books of 2025! 🥳 Check out the full list here: bit.ly/favebooks2025

A story that should shock our collective conscience: After Trump Cuts to Kenya Food Aid, Children Died of Starvation

It’s so weird how my phone broke and doesn’t play Baby Shark anymore, only Chappell Roan

If someone called me a “round yon virgin” while I was giving birth it would be the last thing they ever said

“Instead of learning the textbook definitions of psychological disorders,” @olgakhazan.bsky.social writes, “laypeople are absorbing the oversimplified versions, then diagnosing their spouse.” Might this sound familiar? Then you need to read this good piece: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...

Why therapy speak is killing your marriage: www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...

A toddler will crawl fully into the dishwasher like, “there’s your problem. There’s not a full Uncrustable inside it.”

Wow why is it that the difference between getting up before 7 vs after 7 is the difference between clinical depression and not

Fancy doctor’s office: we do things a little differently here 🙂 Me: is it that you don’t take insurance? Dr: How’d you guess? 🙂

The predominant thought within linguistics used to be that speech doesn’t change much after adolescence, @olgakhazan.bsky.social writes. But a study that analyzed years of Taylor Swift’s vocal changes illustrates a recent theory about how our accents evolve:

I got to nerd out about a longtime fascination of mine: Why do people sometimes acquire new accents in adulthood? www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/...

Here’s a mom trolley problem: toddler melting down screaming “wawa” in a busy, poorly designed casual restaurant I hurry to the water-filling station, don’t look around too hard, and start filling his cup Another lady yells “I was waiting!” & how I need “to be patient” I say sorry & let her fill

It’s giving

Well we couldn’t wait for our toddler to start walking and now that he’s running around the house like a drunk criminal I’m happy to say our problems are over

When your toddler with a daycare cold gives you kisses

Not widely known but Claire Danes learned to make all those amazing acting faces by reading Ryan Lizza's Substack

The idea that a person who isn't a professional writer or editor could offer helpful notes on a manuscript ABOUT HIMSELF is the most unrealistic part of A Beast In Me