Family

A man wearing an Israeli flag looks toward ambulances outside a hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, on Nov. 24.

Some Israeli hostages are coming home. What will their road to recovery look like?

7:01am December 02, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Dozens of women and kids held hostage by Hamas for nearly two months returned home to Israel this week. Experts say reacclimating is a process — and there are ways professionals and parents can help.

Marine Corps veteran Ed O'Connor is seen outside his home in Fredericksburg, Va. He is among tens of thousands of veterans who took a COVID forbearance on a VA home loan. But the VA's program ended abruptly in October of 2022 and many veterans were asked to either pay all the missed payments or face foreclosure.

Veterans fear the VA's new foreclosure rescue plan won't help them

6:06pm December 01, 2023

A pause in foreclosures after an NPR investigation may be of no help to many vets. They were already pushed into costly loan modifications after a move by the VA stranded them in a tough spot.

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A child from the Mbendjele people, a hunter-gatherer community that lives in the northern rainforests of the Republic of Congo. A new study found that children in this society have on average 8 caregivers in addition to the mother to provide hands-on attention.

Health & Safety

Bringing up a baby can be a tough and lonely job. Here's a solution: alloparents

10:27am December 01, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

"Allo" is Greek for "other." Alloparents are helpful relatives and neighbors. In a study from Congo, babies had 8 alloparents on average. Perhaps the self-reliant nuclear family is a societal misstep.

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Leslie McIntire, 69, is part of the baby boomer generation that is entering older age amid a historic affordable housing shortage and rising wealth inequality in the U.S.

Millions of seniors struggle to afford housing — and it's about to get a lot worse

8:26pm November 30, 2023

by Jennifer Ludden

Baby boomers are entering older age amid a historic affordable-housing shortage and widening inequality. A new study warns many won't be able to access the kind of housing or caregiving they need.

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It took two years for Joyce McMillan to be reunited with her children after they were removed from her care nearly 25 years ago. The experience propelled her advocacy for child welfare system reforms.

National

'Deluged' child welfare systems struggle to protect kids amid calls for reform

5:13am November 30, 2023

by Olivia Hampton

More than 3 million U.S. children were involved in an intervention for suspected abuse or neglect in a single year. Advocates say a disproportionate impact on families of color makes reform urgent.

World News

A Gaza woman describes trying to keep her family safe — and alive

6:13pm November 29, 2023

by Aya Batrawy

A Gaza woman describes the fear of living under airstrikes, and her attempts to keep her children safe.

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People likely aren't adapted to care for newborn babies alone, new study suggests

5:57pm November 29, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Allo parenting, in which non-biologic parents serve as a child's caregiver, is common in many parts of the world. Mothers have help provided by several others, including neighbors and older siblings.

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Teresa Cox-Bates and her husband John Bates, along with their kids Eli, Ava and Issac. Teresa says HealthySteps has helped her face her own childhood trauma and be a better parent.

Health & Safety

How to break the cycle of childhood trauma? Help a baby's parents

11:30am November 29, 2023

by Rhitu Chatterjee

HealthySteps is an intervention where new parents get practical help with their lives, allowing them to create stable, nurturing bonds with their babies. It all starts at the baby's checkups.

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A wife and grandmother with dementia is connected through a trail of stars to her husband and grandchildren.

Health & Safety

Facing my wife's dementia: Should I fly off to see our grandkids without her?

7:00am November 25, 2023

by Marc Silver

After 40 years of living and travelling together, a writer considers a trip without his wife. He can't explain where he's going or why he can't bring her along.

National

Father-and-son locksmiths have found the key to happiness

5:05am November 24, 2023

by Liyna Anwar

Phil Mortillaro started Greenwich Locksmiths in Manhattan in 1980. His youngest son Philip followed in his dad's footsteps, and in 2014 talked to him about why he went into the family business.