How to Have Complicated Vaccine Conversations

June 26, 2021

A roundup of new guidance and stories from NYT Parenting.

Golden Cosmos

A programming note from me: I'm going to be starting book leave on Monday, so this will be my last newsletter until September. I will be back and ready to rumble when the school year starts, and over the summer you can find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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My fantastic editor, Melonyce McAfee, will be taking over for me while I'm out, and she has lined up a group of incredible guest columnists who will give you all the parenting information you need. If you have topics that you'd like to see me or another reporter cover, drop us a line here.

One issue you may be confronting over the coming months is vaccine status. Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan has an informative piece about how to talk to people you may work closely with — like babysitters and nannies — about whether they are vaccinated. These are difficult conversations, and Elisabeth has helpful guidance about how to approach this thorny topic.

Also in The Times, Corinne Purtill has an interview with Daisy Dowling, the author of "Workparent: The Complete Guide to Succeeding on the Job, Staying True to Yourself, and Raising Happy Kids," about how moms and dads can navigate the fallout of the pandemic on their professional lives. Imani Bashir has a lovely essay about why it was so important to her to teach her Black son to swim. Our readers share their stories about what it was like having a baby during a pandemic. And finally, Alisha Haridasani Gupta has everything you need to know about the child tax credit, which may be sent to you starting on July 15.

See you back here in the fall!

— Jessica Grose, columnist, NYT Parenting

THIS WEEK IN NYT PARENTING

Rose Wong

How to Have the Hard Vaccination Conversations

Asking someone if they've had a Covid shot can be tricky. Here's how to navigate the new norms of health disclosure.

By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

Sol Cotti

in her words

Being 'Always On' Has Reached Its Limits. For Parents, It's Time to Reset.

What crisis-acquired habits should working parents break? Daisy Dowling author of "Workparent" weighs in.

By Corinne Purtill

Elena Fedorova for The New York Times

Teaching My Black Son to Swim

A mother's determination to end a legacy of racial trauma started with mother-son swim lessons.

By Imani Bashir

Shaina McCoy

We Were Promised a Village: A Year in the Life of Pandemic-Baby Parents

Readers share life lessons from an extraordinary year.

By Alexandra March

Allison Zaucha for The New York Times

Will You Get the Child Tax Credit?

If you're the parent of children under 17, you may start receiving monthly cash payments.

By Alisha Haridasani Gupta

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Tiny Victories

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We gave our 2-year-old a jar of dried beans and a bunch of kitchen utensils and pans. He will spend 30 minutes or more daily with those beans. His 6-year-old sister got jealous and now they each have their jar for daily bean time while we're cooking or drinking our coffee in the morning.— Rachael Harnish, Singers Glen, Va.

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