Four US surrogates describe their motivations and responses to the current controversy, adding firsthand perspective to a fraught family-building issue.
The Guardian spoke with surrogates across the US about what they think of the controversy surrounding the practice Surrogacy has been thrust into the national spotlight in recent weeks, with both the announcement of Lena Dunham using a surrogate to start a family and the ongoing legal battle surrounding McKenna West , a gestational surrogate who fled to Texas to avoid having an abortion that was requested by the child’s biological parents. With a renewed public interest on commercial, or compen…
A working parent traces how school holidays, work demands and life admin turn promised family time into a logistical squeeze.
Last week, Georgie Dent’s National Press Cub speech made headlines. I, too, would like to have time to hang out with my kids without being distracted by work or nonstop life admin When my eldest started school I made the highly original discovery that the school day ended at 3pm. My work day did not. Since then, my life has been a logistical and psychological nightmare. Before-school care, after-school care, activities, therapy, swimming, the dentist. I am bored just typing it out. And yet it n…
A parent assesses Play School as calmer toddler viewing amid fast-paced, attention-grabbing children’s TV.
Thank goodness for this antidote to today’s frantic shows that aim to grab our kids’ attentions the same way our phones grab ours As a mum to a two-year-old in 2026 there is no shortage of things to make me feel bad about my capabilities as a parent. His snacks aren’t always organic or made from scratch. Some of his toys are plastic and noisy, not wooden and Montessori -inspired. And – most heinous of all – he is sometimes allowed screen time. Like any good, middle-class millennial mother, I tr…
A new study suggests coffee may influence mood and brain function by changing the activity of microbes in the gut. Both caffeinated and decaf coffee were linked to lower stress, depression, and impulsivity, while also producing measurable changes in gut bacteria and metabolites. Decaf was associated with better learning and memory, while caffeinated coffee appeared to reduce anxiety and improve attention.
Strengthening the body’s natural daily rhythms helped mice recover after stroke by improving the brain’s waste-clearing system and reducing lingering inflammation. The approach worked even when treatment began three days after the stroke, suggesting circadian-based therapies could eventually offer a new way to support long-term recovery.
Strengthening the body’s natural daily rhythms helped mice recover after stroke by improving the brain’s waste-clearing system and reducing lingering inflammation. The approach worked even when treatment began three days after the stroke, suggesting circadian-based therapies could eventually offer a new way to support long-term recovery.