Family

National

The FDA is investigating whether lead in applesauce pouches was deliberately added

8:46pm December 16, 2023

by Juliana Kim

The Food and Drug Administration is working with Ecuadorian authorities to investigate Negasmart, who has been supplying cinnamon to the three recalled applesauce brands.

Arts

Life Kit: Cultivating a chosen family

5:29pm December 16, 2023

by Margaret Cirino

Many people rely on chosen families when facing rejection from families of origin. NPR's Life Kit talks with Daniel Blevins, the founder of the group Stand In Pride, about cultivating a chosen family.

Nearly 6% of preschoolers, ages 1 to 4, had been given the sleep supplement melatonin, according to a recent survey.

What parents need to know before giving kids melatonin

7:18am December 16, 2023

by Maria Godoy

Research shows nearly 1 in 5 school-age children are using melatonin to help them sleep. But these supplements are unregulated and pediatricians worry about their safety and the dose.

Life Kit: Keeping holiday traditions — and starting new ones

6:01pm December 09, 2023

by Marielle Segarra

NPR's Life Kit offers lessons on how to get through new and old family traditions during the holiday season.

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National

A big brother reflects on what his younger brother taught him

7:47am December 08, 2023

by Jey Born

Rob Rigano lives in New York; his brother Phil lives near San Diego. During their once-a year-visit, StoryCorps' trailer was parked near Phil's home. He came back recently to remember the conversation

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A man wearing an Israeli flag looks toward ambulances outside a hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, on Nov. 24.

Some Israeli hostages are coming home. What will their road to recovery look like?

7:01am December 02, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Dozens of women and kids held hostage by Hamas for nearly two months returned home to Israel this week. Experts say reacclimating is a process — and there are ways professionals and parents can help.

Marine Corps veteran Ed O'Connor is seen outside his home in Fredericksburg, Va. He is among tens of thousands of veterans who took a COVID forbearance on a VA home loan. But the VA's program ended abruptly in October of 2022 and many veterans were asked to either pay all the missed payments or face foreclosure.

Veterans fear the VA's new foreclosure rescue plan won't help them

6:06pm December 01, 2023

A pause in foreclosures after an NPR investigation may be of no help to many vets. They were already pushed into costly loan modifications after a move by the VA stranded them in a tough spot.

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A child from the Mbendjele people, a hunter-gatherer community that lives in the northern rainforests of the Republic of Congo. A new study found that children in this society have on average 8 caregivers in addition to the mother to provide hands-on attention.

Health & Safety

Bringing up a baby can be a tough and lonely job. Here's a solution: alloparents

10:27am December 01, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

"Allo" is Greek for "other." Alloparents are helpful relatives and neighbors. In a study from Congo, babies had 8 alloparents on average. Perhaps the self-reliant nuclear family is a societal misstep.

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Leslie McIntire, 69, is part of the baby boomer generation that is entering older age amid a historic affordable housing shortage and rising wealth inequality in the U.S.

Millions of seniors struggle to afford housing — and it's about to get a lot worse

2:55pm November 30, 2023

by Jennifer Ludden

Baby boomers are entering older age amid a historic affordable-housing shortage and widening inequality. A new study warns many won't be able to access the kind of housing or caregiving they need.

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It took two years for Joyce McMillan to be reunited with her children after they were removed from her care nearly 25 years ago. The experience propelled her advocacy for child welfare system reforms.

National

'Deluged' child welfare systems struggle to protect kids amid calls for reform

5:13am November 30, 2023

by Olivia Hampton

More than 3 million U.S. children were involved in an intervention for suspected abuse or neglect in a single year. Advocates say a disproportionate impact on families of color makes reform urgent.