We have 3 kids under 3. We left a trip early and realized we needed to reset our expectations.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author with her three kids on a wooden boardwalk.
The author and her husband decided to end a family trip early.

Courtesy of Lauren Salles Gumpert

My mom grieved the real talks dementia took away with my grandpa. I loved the nonsense ones.

Tech Insider : Business
Woman with grandfather
The author found new ways to talk to her grandfather when he had dementia.

Courtesy of the author

  • My grandpa's dementia made conversations unpredictable and confusing.
  • I learned to accept his reality instead of correcting him.
  • That approach helped us stay connected in a new way.

"What's your favorite color, grandpa?"

My great-great-grandfather started our insurance company. At 27, I sit where my 90-year-old grandfather once did.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports
Evan O'Dowd headshot
Evan O'Dowd left his job to join the family business.

Courtesy of Evan O'Dowd

When I was younger, being present was easier. Now that I have kids, I'm rethinking what it means to me.

Tech Insider : Business
A mother exhausted on the couch while two kids play.
The author (not pictured) had an easier time being present before she was a parent.

Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images

While other moms carried their kids' backpacks, I handed mine a wrench. It taught her independence.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Woman posing for camera

Courtesy of the author

My closest friendships came from motherhood. They didn't last.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports, Technology
Old photo of mom
The author doesn't speak to her mom friends anymore.

Courtesy of the author

I spend Mother's Day at my son's grave. It's the only place I feel like a whole family.

Tech Insider : Business
The author and her two kids at the grave of her son, William.
The author and her family spend Mother's Day at her son William's grave.

Courtesy of Susie Shaw

My son couldn't use his phone on a school trip to England. He didn't miss texting or scrolling — he missed taking photos.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Technology
The author's son looking out at a view while on a hike.
The author's son missed taking photos while on his trip most of all.

Courtesy of Kristina Wright

My grandmother stepped in when I needed her. I stepped up for her later.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Family photo
The author took care of her grandmother as she got older.

Courtesy of the author

I moved back in with my parents at 24. It made me grow up way more than renting with friends.

Tech Insider : Business
The author packs up the contents of her apartment before moving back in with her parents.
The author, shown packing up her apartment, said that she was initially embarrassed about moving back in with her parents.

Courtesy of Eliza Pepper.

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