Much has been written about the importance of the family meal. There's something about setting aside time every day, away from the distractions of work to-dos and house chores and Instagram notifications, to connect over food with your clan. Kids who grow up with the ritual will be fundamentally different from those who don't — science backs this up.

In her new memoir Now My Heart Is Full, Laura June writes about how becoming a parent has helped her make peace with the memory of her own mother, her mother’s alcoholism, and their difficult relationship. Here, she talks about life with her daughter Zelda, from her belief that babies sometimes need to be left alone to the way motherhood has made her more creative than ever.

Parents who share a Netflix account with their families know the distinct pain. After putting your kids to bed, you sit down to watch a sexy new drama (or for me, The Great British Bake Off), and up pops on your TV screen: “Because you watched Lalaloopsy: A Sew Magical Tale, here’s Luna Petunia, My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake!” Your shows! What happened to all your shows?!

On Slate's parenting podcast "Mum and Dad Are Fighting", the hosts debated a tough question: After a divorce, should you spend time together as a family if a child requests it?

A few years ago, when my husband came home from the store with a bottle of sunscreen for our toddler, I had a mild panic attack.

Dear Lifehacker, I consider myself a pretty organised person. The rest of my family? Not so much. It's not that we're totally out of control or anything, but with three kids, there are lots of activities, messes abound, and schoolwork is always a hassle. What can I do to get us all more organised and in sync with each other?

When's the last time you went on a holiday and felt confident that you'd packed everything you needed? For some of us, travel means spending the first night away from home at a Kmart or Big W, buying the sunscreen or thongs (or jacket and thermals) we should have put into our suitcases.

Whether a day trip or a transnational odyssey, if you’re bringing along an infant (yours, we hope), packing the dreaded nappy bag is a rite of passage.

So, you need some help. It's okay, we all need a hand sometimes. Problem is, a lot of us don't know how to go about asking - so we don't. Well, according to a social psychologist, here's the simplest, most effective way to ask for a favour.

When I was a kid, my dad taught me how certain chess pieces move by having me analyse the shapes of the pieces themselves. The rook, a castle made of horizontal and vertical lines, moves horizontally and vertically. The bishop, which has slanted lines, moves diagonally.

I was never much good at the game, but I vividly remember sitting there at our dining room table, watching the man explain all of this with glee (he even added eyes to the bishop with a marker and nicknamed it "Joey Bishop" - what a dad). Now as a parent myself, I'm convinced that playing chess is a wonderful way to bond with your child.

I was three and a half months pregnant when my partner and I separated, and I suddenly had to rearrange my life around something I'd never anticipated: single parenthood. In operatic moments, I made mental ledgers of all the things I'd likely have to give up as a sole caretaker: my demanding career, my exercise routine, my friends, reading, going out to dinner, going out to movies, going out at all. I was terrified to parent alone.

Life throws a lot of unpleasant experiences our way - such as deaths in the family, nasty breakups, or agonising injuries - but a good friend can always help us pull through. This trick will remind you to be a good friend long after the initial shock of a traumatic event has faded away.

It's Mother's Day, which means many of us are going to spend the day in conversation with our mothers — whether in person, on FaceTime, or over the phone.

If you're not careful, your well-meaning condolences can make you sound like a total arse. The trick to offering your sincere sympathy to the bereaved is knowing what to avoid while you show your support. These are the seven big no-no's.

Studio Ghibli films have been a touchstone in my life for years. They're artistic masterpieces, featuring a stunning attention to detail. The films defy stereotypes -- they feature female protagonists with great depth, male leads with striking vulnerability, and unforgettable background characters.

Funerals are a time to remember loved ones and say a heartfelt goodbye, not draw attention to yourself. Still, some people do exactly that. Just because you're all dressed up doesn't mean a #funeralselfie is warranted.

The heart of the family road trip is the never-ending potential for spontaneous adventures. Along your drive, you might spot a cool adventure playground or a lake with a rope swing or an Instagram-famous spot. When you stop, you'll need the right clothing and gear.

Pervasive as Facebook is, not everyone uses the social service. Maybe they hate social networking, or they're frustrated with Facebook's continual privacy "oopsies," or they're not technologically savvy. How can you share content outside of Facebook's (somewhat) walled garden?

I remember the moment my mother brought home our first chick, Victoria, better than I remember most of my birthdays. It was a warm, spring afternoon, and we came home from school to find my mother had finally started the flock she'd been wanting for so long. Looking at the downy fluff of Victoria's body and her scrawny, dinosaur legs, it occurred to me then, as an eight-year-old, that I'd never really observed a bird up close before. Birds were probably my least favourite creatures, what with their beady eyes and sharp beaks, but Victoria was something else. She chirped in her sleep and made a mess of her water bowl and responded to treats just like all the puppies I'd loved before her.