"Mama, can I have paper so I can draw you my feelings?"

He sat down with a pen and paper. Out came the sadne…

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And when it does, things like basic words and the concept of time fly out the window. People ask what you want or need, and you stare back at them, bewildered by how they’re still standing upright. Didn’t the world just collapse?

Knowing what to say and how to hold space for people can sometimes feel impossible. It mi…

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“I feel like I’m constantly battling between the demands of my business and the never-ending needs of my family.

Even simple things like going to the gym, running errands, or meeting a friend for coffee feel impossible to ask for without feeling like I need permission. I know it sounds trivial, but there’s always a sense of disappointment or frustration from my family when I do.

How do you navigate this kind of mental and emotional tug-of-war? What’s worked for you in creating some balance without guilt or resentment? How do you make space for your own needs while still being present for your family?

Where do I start?”

When you’re a primary breadwinner AND a parent, it can feel impossible to gain traction in all areas of your life—let alone talk about finding any time for yourself! A lot of moms share the added frustration of gender norms, where they are expected to be the primary caregiver by default, where other people can come and go from the house at will, but they are always expected to run point on all things children. And dads, I want to hear about how you’ve struggled with this, or faced different gendered expectations that make this hard in more ways.

There are a lot of reasons why folks can feel like this is impossible:

• Business Demands can feel overwhelming and impossible to put down.

• Internal Self-Talk can be unrelenting and it’s hard to give yourself permission to do the things you know you need.

• Gender Norms or partnership disagreements can add complexity because you feel like a default parent, or that you have to organize and arrange with a spouse just to get any time to yourself.

I want you all to share your advice on this topic.

How have you found ways to take solo time, or carve out a tiny bit of space for yourself? Where are the biggest blockers or challenges for you (family, business, logistics, internal dialogue, or something else)?

If you’ve successfully navigated a conversation with a partner or a spouse to find ways to recharge and take space, please share what strategies you’ve used and how you’ve navigated this. People want to hear your stories!

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I was talking to a small group of parents in Founders With Kids, and we were bemoaning yet another three-day weekend without sufficient childcare. We’re…

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It’s time for another Advice Thread where readers can write in to ask this community for advice. Today’s question comes from a parent whose four-year-old started hitting other kids on the playground.

If you’ve had a hitter, a biter, or a kid with intense emotions, help this parent out and share your experiences. What did you do? What worked? What didn’t work?

As always, the rules: be kind, speak from your experience, be supportive—don’t be judgmental—and allow for multiple points of view.

Here’s the question:

Help! My kid started hitting another kid. Not just one kid, but I’ve gotten two calls now from the camp counselor that he punched another kid on the playground. (One kid yesterday, one kid today.) From what I can tell, the other kids are being mean to him and excluding him from their games. “They don’t let me play,” is all I’ve been able to get him to tell me. The counselor said that the other kids told him they couldn’t play with him. My heart breaks for him! But also hitting is not okay!

He’s four and a half years old, and he’s big for his age, so I am generally worried about him being a bigger kid and having a size advantage over people that are smaller than him. But also, he’s younger than he looks, and since he was a baby, he has always had these really big feelings and intense emotions. He’s always been quick to get angry and to cry.

We have spent a lot of time working on feelings and being there with him, and we have feelings and emotions books that we read to him at night. We also got him a special pillow that has 16 different feeling faces and emotions on it, and he carries the pillow around with him to snuggle everywhere.

But hitting other people isn’t okay! How do I stop the hitting? What are my options as a parent? Part of me thinks I need to teach him how to make friends better? Or maybe he’s getting overstimulated? Have you dealt with this before? Help—I have no idea what I’m doing and I don’t want my kid to hit other kids! I would like any and all parenting help I can get—give me all of your ideas!

If you’ve successfully parented through this type of behavior, if you know how to deal with hitting, or if you’re going through it — leave your thoughts below.

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