Help Me Write My Book!

I want your stories, pretty please!

Greetings, everyone. I was floored by the lovely feedback I received on Tuesday’s essay about my son turning 13. Although many of my Tuesday essays are free, I do sometimes include paywalls when the topic is personal — both to help protect my family’s privacy and to ward off trolls. I hope you understand. I really appreciated all of your comments and shares on Substack notes.

I want to take a second today to briefly re-introduce myself because I haven’t done that in a while — and wow, there are a lot of new faces here! My name is Melinda Wenner Moyer, and I’m a science journalist based in New York’s Hudson Valley. I’m a contributing editor at Scientific American magazine and a regular contributor — and former columnist — at The New York Times. Until recently, I also taught graduate students in the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.

For much of my science writing career, I’ve covered the “hard” sciences: genetics, neuroscience, and immunology (I have a background in molecular biology). But over the past decade, I’ve been writing more and more about parenting. Why? There’s actually lots of science on parenting — and also lots of pseudoscience that needs debunking. Many parents rely on social media and parenting influencers to get their parenting advice, but unfortunately, much of what is recommended is either useless or harmful. It’s often fear-based, making parents feel that if they don’t do things “the right way” (spoiler alert: there is no one “right” way!) they will screw up their kids.

Here at Is My Kid the Asshole?, I challenge unscientific, fear-mongering parenting advice and invite skepticism about the lies we’re being told. I also share what the science really does say about raising wonderful and resilient human beings.

In addition to this newsletter, which I’ve been writing for four years, I’ve also been writing books. My first book, How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes, came out in 2021 and is being translated into 12 languages. I’m now working on a second book, due out in summer 2025, called Hello Cruel World!: Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times.

Speaking of My Second Book….

I have an important request! My book is due in less than two months (July 1st!), omg. I have had so many fascinating and incredibly helpful conversations with researchers over the past year as I’ve been reporting it.

But I also want to hear from you.

Instead of posting a thread today, I’m hoping you might be willing to take my new book research survey and share some of your experiences and stories with me there. If I include anything you share in my book, I will change all names. Feel free to share the survey with friends, too. The more responses, the better! Thank you!!!!!!!