Parenting and Family

Object-ives #27: The Sneakers That Traipse on Without My Grandma

How an old pair of shoes became impossible to part with

Mar 20 • Courtney Kocak

Unraveling the Puzzle of the Two Paintings My Mother Gifted Me Upon Her Death

The legacy of her message may not be the one she intended

Mar 17 • Eleanor Anstruther

Object-ives #24: The Brown Wall-to-Wall Carpet of My Childhood Home

Many secrets were hidden in its mottled earth

Feb 27 • Sumitra Mattai

After Infertility, I Found a Version of Motherhood I Could Claim As My Own

My identity took shape around the struggle for a child. Who was I now that I actually had one?

Feb 12 • Amy Gallo Ryan

I Zoomed My Sister’s Funeral

How I handled my grief from a distance

Jan 26 • Tawnya Gibson

It’s More Like a Five

A doctor dismissed my pain because I’d driven myself to the clinic. Now I bring my teenage daughter to appointments—not for support, but as a witness.

Jan 20 • Brittany Miles

On forgetting myself in fatherhood

Jan 8 • Bud Hager

January 2026 Open Secrets Book Club Pick: 'The True Happiness Company' by Veena Dinavahi

Join us as we read about how Veena Dinavahi went from troubled teen to married Mormon mom of 3 under the guidance of a cult leader

Jan 8 • Open Secrets Magazine

Object-ives #16: The Inheritance I Bought

A dead woman’s milk glass collection became the family heirloom I never had

Dec 26, 2025 • Tamara MC, Ph.D. 💖🦄🌈🌍🦋🦄 🌵🍭🛼

How Building a Lego Jesus Changed My Life

Why these tiny plastic pieces from my religious childhood saved the day in adulthood

Dec 20, 2025 • Kelli Dunham

Object-ives #14: The Soapstone Trinket Box That Holds Both Horror and Holiness

When pain is hidden in plain sight

Dec 12, 2025 • Katrina Donham

You Won’t See My Family Dynamics in a Hallmark Movie

Being estranged from my sister taught me not to take family for granted just because you share DNA

Nov 30, 2025 • Megan Romaine

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