Sarah Wheeler

Sarah Wheeler is the author of the newsletter Momspreading: The inexpert endeavors of a so-called parenting expert. She is a writer and educational psychologist based in Oakland, California.

Sarah Wheeler

GOOD ENOUGH PARENT

Should I Let My Anxious Kid Opt Out Of Standardized Tests?

All parents find themselves faced with some flavor of your dilemma at some point in time, which essentially boils down to, “do I make my kid do the thing?”

Parenting

Help! Every Time We Try To Do 'Family Game Night' It Ends In Tears

Is something wrong with us?

Life

The Woman Who Erased My Messy House Guilt

A love letter to KC Davis, who taught me how to be a half-assed housekeeper.

Entertainment

'Women Talking' Overwhelmed Me With Grief — And A Sense Of Possibility

I want to talk to everyone I love about this movie.

Entertainment

The ‘Bluey’ Episode That Is Secretly About ADHD

The magical Australian geniuses who created ‘Bluey’ remind us of the power of showing children just as they are.

Life

My Daughter Wanted To Be Elsa For Halloween, But I Made Her Go As A Dumpy Owl

Raising a girl gets really fraught for me this time of year.

All The Feels

How To Manage Big Back-To-School Feelings — For You & Your Kids

Transitions are hard, but the experts from Big Little Feelings are here to help.

MOTHER FIGURES

My Therapist Mothers Me Like No One Else Can

I adore my children, my husband, my family of origin, my friends. But this work, and the woman who does it with me, is in many ways my life’s great love.

Parenting

How To Teach Kids Not To Erase Disability

Tips for teaching kids that one kind of mind or body aren't better than others.

Parenting

How To Get Your Nervous Kid To Let You Put A Covid Test Up Their Nose

Helpful tips for acclimating our squirmy little kids to the testing process.

Parenting

How To Survive Kindergarten Tour Season

It helps to remember there's no such thing as a "best" school

Parenting

The Co-Housing Community That Rescued Me From The Isolation Of Parenting

In a parenting era when everyone felt isolated, we were anything but.

Parenting

Emily Oster Can’t Have It Both Ways

Why 'The Family Firm' and the optimization of parenting are making me sad.