At this time of year, family calendars implode under the weight of school performances, sports tournaments, award ceremonies, teacher gifts, graduation traditions, summer camp forms and holiday travel plans. How to deal with it all?

Moms often get a piece of well-intentioned advice: Just trust your instincts. Follow your heart. Tune into how ...Read more

Years ago, we had a financial adviser who was so young I often wondered if I should bake cookies before he came to the house — peanut butter or chocolate chip?

He once said something that I found semi-appalling. He asked if we knew the three phases of retirement. We confessed we did not. With a grin, he said, “Well, there’s go-go, slow-go...Read more

What if the story of your life isn’t really about you?

In "Other People: A Memoir and Reflections on Trauma, Connection, Meaning, and the Neuroscience of Healing," Michael S. Piraino makes a quiet but persistent case that who we become is shaped, piece by piece, by those around us. It’s a compelling premise, one he explores with emotional ...Read more

Every family has stories — the ones they tell over holiday dinners and on road trips, the ones grandparents passed down to their littles, the ones couples who are getting serious reveal to each other. And yes, certainly, some of those stories are true. But families repeat the stories they want repeated, don’t they? It’s a way of creating ...Read more