Featured Truth
We Are ALL Jane Doe: Why This Cornell Case Matters to Every Woman
I was assaulted 5 times and never reported any of them. Because I knew society would find a way to excuse them and blame me. Jane Doe’s case…
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By Deborah Cruz
Life Perspective Through Mom Goggles 2.0
Parenting teens, launching-pad motherhood, perimenopause, travel, culture, family, politics, wellness, and becoming yourself again after years of raising humans.
Find Your Lane
The conversations other mom sites skip.
Training Wheels Parenting
A steadier, more honest model for guiding kids toward capable adulthood.
Explore stories →Launching Pad Life
The evolving truth about older kids, college, empty nests, and letting go without disappearing.
Explore stories →Perimenopause + Motherhood
Midlife motherhood, changing bodies, and the clarity that arrives when the filter comes off.
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Neurodivergent motherhood without the shame spiral, masking, or impossible standards.
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Culture, family, identity, and opinions served with love and enough heat to tell the truth.
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Evidence-aware health and wellness for Gen X mothers who are done being an afterthought.
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Honest family and grown-up travel stories, practical discoveries, and places worth remembering.
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Meet the voice behind the truth
Deborah Cruz has been telling the truth about motherhood for more than 20 years.
Writer, mother, publisher, Latina truth-teller, and the voice behind a new chapter for moms who are done shrinking themselves.
More about DeborahThe Launching Pad Mom Revolution
You are not an empty nest. You are the launching pad.
Empty nest sounds like loss. Launching Pad Mom means purpose, pride, and the evolving work of raising humans who are learning to fly.
Signature Series
Come for the truth. Return for the rituals.
Recurring columns with their own rhythm, point of view, and devoted corner of the archive.
Or read what is new ↓Freedom Phase Friend-Finding
Making and keeping meaningful friendships after the school-pickup years.
1 storyGen X Mom Gets Fit Friday
Realistic midlife movement, health, and strength without punishment or perfection.
2 storiesLaunching Pad Life
Stories from the tender, disorienting work of raising adults and rediscovering yourself.
6 storiesSpicy Takes Sunday
Culture, parenting, and current conversations served with a little more heat.
7 storiesThroat Punch Thursday
Sharp, funny commentary on the people and moments that deserve a loving throat punch.
183 storiesTraining Wheels Tuesday
Practical stories about guiding older kids toward independence without losing connection.
4 storiesLatest Truths
Fresh from the messy middle.
Launching Pad Life
Oh Shit-It’s August: What Nobody Tells You About Letting Go of Your Kids Going to College
Here's the raw, honest truth about letting go that nobody tells you.
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News
My Friend Jill Smokler: She Made Millions of Moms Feel Less Alone —And I Was One of Them
I knew this day was coming. For months, I’ve been surviving on prayers and hope, the way you survive anything you can’t…
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ADHD Moms
I Spent 50 Years Shrinking To Fit a World That Was Never Made for Me—I’m Done
A story of lies, deception, trauma - and the radical, messy, life-changing work of reparenting yourself back to who you always were.
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Launching Pad Life
My Daughter Turned 18 and Graduated – Now What?
Happy Throat Punch Thursday to all who celebrate (shhh! I know there’s a lot of you.I saw your DMs)! I’m here to…
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Travel
I Found Chicago’s Best-Kept Secret: Why StayPineapple Is the Dog-Friendly Hotel That Will Ruin Your Own Bed Forever
There’s something magical about finding a hotel that doesn’t just accommodate your stay but enhances your entire travel experience. As a mom…
Read storyFrom 20 Years of Truth
The archive is not a graveyard. It is proof.
Stories from every season of raising a family, resurfaced for the moment you need them.
Explore the complete archive