Menderist shares stories about how people turned difficult moments, days, and situations around. See the menu to choose stories in the categories of Relationships; Health; Work; At Home; and Outside and Around.
Special Issues: Family Mental Health, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorable Gift, Teacher/Educator, Year in Review
What parental guidance has the biggest impact on a child’s future? For author Kern Carter, a large part of success has been his mother’s steady encouragement of, and belief in, his longtime goal of becoming a published author.
Becoming a mother is a huge transition for women, involving physical, psychological, and spiritual shifts. Psychiatrist Barbara Robles-Ramamurthy recounts her early motherhood journey, revealing how conventional approaches failed her. She shares how she and her partner are co-creating a family life that centers on children’s needs and family health.
Advice received long ago from her husband’s mother is still valuable today, explains researcher Amanda Doherty-Kirby. She remembers the practical help her mother-in-law, Jean, provided during key events, like wedding preparations and setting up their family home.
After growing up in a home where her mother encouraged creative play, kindness, and family rituals, author Cheryl Oreglia made an unusual decision. She describes childhood memories and their lasting effects.
The early loss of a parent was a devastating experience. But, explains teacher Mark Winterbottom, steps taken by his pragmatic and compassionate mother helped him through dark days – and into a successful career and family life.
It wasn’t until he became a parent, shares teacher Rolland Chidiac, that he realized how much work goes into caring for a family. He explains how this new understanding has deepened his appreciation for maternal strength and capabilities.
A love of travel, art, reading, and conversation were some of his mother’s interests, Dave Sacher remembers. Those and many other qualities inspired him, as did the time his mom revealed the secrets of long division.
It’s not only parents who raise children: other relatives and friends often help, too. In a follow-up article to his first story, Dave Sacher pays special tribute to the special care he received from two aunts.
New for Spring: Menderist lists 6 more mental-health themed books that children aged 8+ and their parents can read and discuss together – in recognition that an estimated 13 to 20 percent of mental health problems begin by the early adolescent years (11 to 14).
“London feels stuck. His school friends think he’s this confident kid who likes video games and will kick your butt if you get on his bad side. His high-achieving parents think he’s a genius coder …None of this is true.” (from the review of ‘Is There A Boy Like Me?’)
Sometimes parents and children want to read more high-quality books but don’t know about the great review sites available. To help these families, Menderist lists nine well-respected sites we used in researching our Spring 2025 article, Books on Mental Health for Parents and Children to Read Together.
In the following article we list seven reputable websites, from organizations such as Kirkus, CommonSense Media, and Quill and Quire. We also link to a popular crowd-sourced site, and an independent review site.
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Every few weeks, people share encouraging essays, anecdotes, and stories about moments that turned their day around.
