BuzzFeed’s “How Privileged Are You?” quiz exposed to Pauline Gaines the blind spots in her understanding of privilege. She also discovered the ominous limitations of such a test.
One Wrong Choice
A therapist and a social worker do everything they can to help change a troubled boy’s fate, recognizing that in the end, the responsibility is upon Reggie alone to create a hopeful future for himself.
Bite Me, Marissa Mayer
Working mom Pauline Gaines is outraged by Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer’s order to send all employees into the office instead of continuing their work-from-home arrangements.
Lance Armstrong: The Price of Enabling Professional Athletes
Pauline Gaines insists that we need to let go of the fantasy that our professional athletes can be superheroes. The fate of our children depends upon it.
Why Can’t My Ex-Husband Talk About Our Son’s Psychiatric Disorder?
Part of loving a person with a psychiatric disorder, writes Pauline Gaines, is acknowledging that the disorder is real.
Is Your Blog Stalked By Trolls? Here’s Why.
Pauline Gaines wonders what makes some commenters feel they have the right to rip a blogger into teeny-tiny pieces.
Meds, Horses, and Uncle Fred’s Farm for My ADHD Son
After months at a therapeutic boarding school, Pauline Gaines’ son has recognizably changed.
Did My Son Inherit My Eating Disorder?
For Pauline Gaines, the thought of her son having an eating disorder represents something bigger.
My Son Goes to Boarding School, and No, I Don’t Mean Exeter
Pauline Gaines offers perspective about divorce, family therapy, and boarding schools for the troubled.
How Does a 99% Mother Raise a 1% Son?
There’s more than one divide between Pauline Gaines and her son, and she’s trying to get them both to disappear.
Patching a Hole in a Damaged Psyche: A Teenager Learns to Change
In Part 3 of the story of Luca’s Walkabout, a mom and her sixteen-year-old son come to terms with just how much damage has already been done.
“Will You Visit Me There?” A Mother and Son Briefly Reunite
Pauline’s son Luca is in the midst of a ‘walkabout’, desperately trying to make sense of a world gone awry. A reunion only adds to his confusion.
My Son’s Walkabout
At the end of her rope, Pauline Gaines sent her troubled son to a wilderness camp, hoping that he would find his way out of his downward spiral.