My kids don't want to hear about my successes, but they absolutely love hearing about my failures

Tech Insider : Business
a mom sitting on a rock with her son
The author (not pictured) tells her sons about her failures.

Maskot/Getty Images/Maskot

When my grandmother died, we didn't know the story behind her jewelry. I took time to preserve the memories behind mine for my kids.

Tech Insider : Business
the author smiling and wearing a pineapple necklace
The author recently organized all her jewelry to preserve family memories. Here, she's wearing a pineapple necklace her mom got her in Hawaii.

Courtesy of Jillian Pretzel

We raised our daughter in China and Cambodia. Now she's not sure she wants to leave Los Angeles.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Family posing for photo
The author's family moved to China and Cambodia for four years.

Courtesy of the author

My mom died 6 weeks after my son was born. Losing the woman I wanted to talk to the most reshaped motherhood for me.

Tech Insider : Business
The author with her mother in a garden.
The author, shown with her mother, said that she still has the urge to call her mom from time to time.

Courtesy of Frankie Samah.

We take turns hosting kids-only dinners with our neighbors. It gave my kids the closest thing to an extended family they've had.

Tech Insider : Business
Kids having dinner
The author and her neighbors take turns hosting kid-only meals.

Courtesy of the author

I'm a photographer, and I quit Instagram after 13 years. I hadn't noticed how much it was distracting me from my kids.

Tech Insider : Business
Family photo
The author says quitting Instagram has made her more present.

Courtesy of the author

As a stressed-out mom, I needed a break. I went on a 3-day trip to focus on myself — and it worked.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author in Romania
The author took a three-day solo trip to Romania.

Courtesy of Jamie Davis Smith

I played in the World Cup for Team USA — then I had kids and it changed my definition of success

Tech Insider : Business, Sports
Maurice Edu
Maurice Edu says playing in the World Cup was a dream.

Omar Vega/Getty Images

I love hosting pool parties, but it's expensive. 1 rule keeps me from going broke over summer.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports, Style
A boy snacks on watermelon while floating in a pool.
The author is happy to host others at her pool, but she says always asks them to bring snacks to share.

Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

My daughter and I were always close, but her teenage years were turbulent. Now, we're finally reconnecting.

Tech Insider : Business
a woman and her daughter staring at a lake
The author and her daughter (not pictured) have reconnected after the teenage years, which were difficult for their relationship.

Maskot/Getty Images/Maskot

Subscribe to parenting-freelancer