80% of high school dropouts cited their inability to pass Algebra as the primary reason for leaving school — I was 32. I’d long suspected something was wrong but this was a diagnosis meant for a child, not a grown woman. After eight weeks of embarrassing testing and observation, my assessment advisor delivered my results. …

Remember the ’80s, when men preferred Hanes and could legally rape their wives? — In 1982, Donald Trump was 36 years old and he preferred Hanes pantyhose. Not because other leading brands constricted his balls, but because women belonged in dresses; it pleased the male eye. If you’re a Gen-Xer, you undoubtedly remember these ads. For nearly two decades Hanes ran television, print, and…

“Folks of privilege don’t understand how $17 can ruin you” — I met this woman named Mae. She’s a van driver for a production company. She works 14-hour days but says she doesn’t mind, says she keeps one eye on the road and the other on the prize — a paycheck that has to last through the dead months. We’re driving…

It takes a certain kind of person, not a certain amount of alcohol, to assault another human being — I knew a boy who was murdered. Late one night I was up nursing my daughter and Googling my past, like you do. I saw his name in the Saint Petersburg Times. Murdered. I marveled at the story the way I marvel at those spectacular, hard-to-believe photographs from the Hubble…

Kids don’t need to “smooth out bulges” — A school in Mississippi offered free “shapewear” to middle school girls, and a mom went public with the permission slip: “So this is what my 8th-grade daughter brought home from school today. I am beyond pissed…”

When Americans are born on third base and think they hit a triple. I’m in line at the Target pharmacy watching a woman edge a baby stroller back and forth. Lena, the pharmacy tech, tilts her screen toward the woman and points. The information hits hard. The woman’s hands fly…

Why parents should think twice before granting kids absolute digital privacy — So, I had the talk with my 11-year-old daughter. (Not that talk, I had that talk a couple years ago.) She stared, unblinking, as I explained how sextortion works. I began with the story of Aaron Coleman. Five years ago, when Aaron was 14 years old, he tormented middle school…

Her name is Cindy Hyde-Smith. She’s a Republican Senator from Mississippi. Her website says she’s a Jesus-loving lifetime member of The National Rifle Association. On the morning of November 14th, the Senate was on the floor debating legislation for background checks as a gunman opened fire at a high school…