The Gift of Good Email
Newsletters don't get screwed by supply chain problems. Here are my favorites.
Welcome to Is My Kid the Asshole?, a newsletter from science journalist and author Melinda Wenner Moyer, which you can read more about here. If you like it, please subscribe and/or share this post with someone else who would too.
Hello all! I hope you had a lovely (or at least tolerable) Thanksgiving, and Happy Hanukkah! This week I’m furiously buying presents for friends and family for the holidays, but with all the supply chain and postal service woes, I’m trying to think outside the box. One genre of gifts that keep on giving, are environmentally friendly, and don’t rely on delivery services are newsletters.
It probably goes without saying that I would love for you to give *my* newsletter as a gift to friends and family, but, hell, I’m going to say it anyway. Please consider giving a gift subscription to my newsletter! I even have a fancy gift certificate you can print out (below). In doing so, you’ll make another parent’s life easier, giving them strategies that will help with ensuring that their kids listen to them and follow directions, improving kids’ table manners, addressing bossiness, fostering growth mindset, supporting anxious kids, reducing needle-phobia, and more. They’ll get my essays, strategies and Q&As, plus subscriber-only perks like Thursday Threads and some Ask Melinda columns.
And, of course, you’ll be helping to support my work, too. A win-win!
Here’s a lovely gift certificate PDF, which was designed by the amazing Deanna Lowe (click to download):
OK, but I bet you want some other fun gift ideas too. I subscribe to a ton of newsletters, and I enjoy all of them. Here are a few of my favorites, broken down by category:
CULTURE, POLITICS AND HISTORY:
Culture Study by Anne-Helen Peterson is perfect for people who are fascinated by the culture we live in, how it changes, and what it says about us. It’s always an insightful, interesting read.
Letters From An American by Heather Cox Richardson is a newsletter I always learn something from. She puts current events and political developments into historical context in a way that’s always insightful.
Men Yell At Me by Lyz Lenz is a feminist commentary on culture and current events. Reading it is like hearing your smart funny friend rant about what’s going on in the world and why some people (usually men) suck.
PARENTING:
Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith provides eye-opening, funny, smart takes on diet culture, fatphobia, and food. It’s great for parents who want advice on handling mealtimes and weight-related issues with kids, but non-parents will love it too.
Parent Data by Emily Oster provides evidence-based advice on various aspects of parenting. I know Oster has become a polarizing figure in the pandemic, but she covers so much more than Covid-19 in her newsletter, and I often find it helpful.
Truth In Parenting by Emily Edlynn shares evidence-based advice for parents on all kinds of issues, including handling tantrums and sleep woes, making daycare decisions, and developing social skills. Edlynn, a psychologist, writes regularly for Parents magazine.
COOKING:
What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers shares delicious, easy, family-friendly recipes and meal ideas every week. I love getting recipe ideas in my inbox instead of having to search for them. But, if you do want to search or just browse through her recipes, she also provides a helpful index.
SCIENCE / COVID-19:
Dear Pandemic by Those Nerdy Girls is excellent if you want science-based Covid-19 advice delivered to your inbox. It’s written by a handful of women scientists and they cover pretty much every question you’ll ever have.
Your Local Epidemiologist by Kaitlyn Jetelina analyzes the latest news and science related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Jetelina is an epidemiologist who follows the research closely and always has a smart and informed take.
One final gift idea: My book! You can order a personalized signed copy through my local bookstore, Split Rock Books. They’ll even gift wrap it for you and send it anywhere in the U.S.
Other fun news: As of this week, I’ll be writing more regularly for The New York Times’s Well section. I’m super excited! If you have story ideas or health or parenting questions you’d like answered, please submit them here!
My book was recently mentioned in Good Housekeeping, in an excellent piece by Gail Cornwall about raising likable and popular kids. Read it here!
If you missed hearing me on the Meaning Full Living podcast with Hayley Hubbard and Jessica Diamond, you can listen here. Also don’t miss the Puberty Podcast episode where I talk about raising teens who aren’t assholes!