Kids as friendship bombs

Plus the politics of Ballerina Farm, the best podcast, and a perfectly Pretty/Ugly rec

Did we all read the essay in The Cut on friendships between people with kids and people without kids?

Before I even read it, I knew it would be polarizing simply because it is about people with kids and people without kids, which means it's at least in part about motherhood. And in the US, motherhood is always polarizing; it's both an identity and an occupation. It’s a gender marker, a labor of love, and an integral component of capitalism. And (in addition to marriage) it’s also proof of “good womanhood,” which is the biggest problem of all. And yes I’m making this about mothers instead of parents in general because parenthood is gendered as hell!

Except I found the piece in The Cut almost entirely uncontroversial. Having kids totally screwed with my friendships.