These Are the 50 Best Kids’ Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

It’s never been a better time to be a family that loves new kids’ movies. The proliferation of streaming services like NetflixPeacockDisney+Paramount+Apple TV+ and HBO Max means there are plenty of studios out clamoring for new and interesting films to entertain families  and streaming them at home means they’re even easier to watch. Or, if you’re a family that values the cinematic experience, 2023 looks like it’ll be even better than 2022 when it comes to the number of movies hitting theaters. The best kids’ movies of 2023, listed here in order of release date, are set to stun you with their animation, thrill you with their grand adventures, make you dance to their original songs and, of course, laugh at all their silly jokes. And we can’t wait!

One note: Because the situation around the pandemic is still in flux, movie studios are still apt to change things at the last minute, putting more movies in theaters when COVID numbers are good, and sending them straight to streaming services when they’re bad. It’s worth it to check your local listings, because release dates and platforms are likely to change up until the last minute. But one thing’s for sure: No matter where or how you watch, movie fans are in for a big treat this year.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

These Are the 50 Best Kids’ Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

AMAZON STUDIOS

Release Date: January 14, 2022

Pushed back from last Halloween, the newest Hotel Transylvania film really flips things around: Dr. Van Helsig invents a machine that turns the monsters into people, and turns Johnny into a monster! They have to figure out a way to switch back before they get stuck that way. It’ll stream on Amazon Prime Video.

WATCH ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

Belle

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

These Are the 50 Best Kids’ Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

GKIDS

Release Date: January 14, 2022

This anime follows a shy girl named Suzu who lives in a rural village. Online, however, she becomes a different person: Belle, a globally beloved singer. Maybe you have some too-into-social-media kids who can relate?

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON HBO MAX

 

The King’s Daughter

GRAVITAS VENTURES

Release Date: January 21, 2022

This family adventure movie has everything: secret princesses, mermaids and … King Louis XIV? The King wants the mermaid’s life force to achieve immortality, but a young woman, who has familial ties to the king, wants to save the creature.

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON ITUNES

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild

DISNEY

Release Date: January 28, 2022

It’s been half a decade since we checked in on the Ice Age universe, so we’re due for another Paleolithic adventure. This one centers on the weasel Buck Wild, who teams up with possums Crash and Eddie to stave off dinosaur domination.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Home Team

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2022 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

These Are the 50 Best Kids’ Movies of 2022 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

NETFLIX

Release Date: January 28, 2022

Kevin James returns! In this movie, he plays an NFL coach who gets suspeded from the sport, so he goes back to his hometown and winds up coaching the local Pop Warner team. Taylor Lautner co-stars.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Child of Kamiari Month

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
NETFLIX

Release Date: February 8, 2022

Kanna is a tween who loves to run, but never expected where her hobby would take her. After the death of her mother, Kanna must run to the annual gathering of gods in the sacred land of Izumo, hoping she could reunite with her mom there. Along the way, she meets fantastical creatures and learns more about her family.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Turning Red

DISNEY/PIXAR

Release Date: March 11, 2022

The first Disney movie of the year comes courtesy of Pixar. It follows a 13-year-old, Mei Lee, who has a rare affliction: Whenever she gets too excited or emotional, she turns into a giant red panda. (So. Awkward.)

WATCH ON DISNEY+WATCH ON AMAZON

Cheaper By the Dozen

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2022 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
MERRICK MORTON/DISNEY

Release Date: March 18, 2022

Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff in a remake of the classic comedy. When a blended family equals 10 kids, two parents and no extra help, chaos (but the heartwarming kind) ensues.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood

NETFLIX

Release Date: April 1, 2022

This Netflix movie tells the story of the moon landing through two points of view: an astronaut’s, and a 10-year-old boy watching from Earth. Director Richard Linklater uses his own childhood as inspiration.

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WATCH ON NETFLIX

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Better Nate Than Ever

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2022 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

These Are the 50 Best Kids’ Movies of 2022 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

Release Date: April 1, 2022

Nate is just your average seventh grader — except with a burning dream to be a Broadway star. He goes on an adventure to achieve his dream when he finds information about an open audition in New York City.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Release Date: April 8, 2022

Fans of the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog already know who appears in the second film: Tails and Knuckles! In it, Sonic and Tails must team up to help stop Doctor Eggman from taking the Master Emerald — and Eggman has Knuckles on his side.

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

WARNER BROS.

Release Date: April 15, 2022

The third Fantastic Beasts movie sees some changes — Mads Mikkelson replaces Johnny Depp as the villain Gellert Grindelwald — but Newt Scamandar is still the same Newt. In this film, Dumbledore sends him and his friends on a mission that leads them into the path of Grindelwald’s army.

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON HBO MAX

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The Bad Guys

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Release Date: April 22, 2022

This Dreamworks movie follows some classic bad guys: Mr. Wolf, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Shark, Mr. Snake and Mr. Piranha. Only they’re tired of being bad, so they try to live life on the up-and-up for a change. The voice cast includes Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina Anthony Ramos, Marc Maron and Craig Robinson, so there’s lots of comedic talent in there.

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON PEACOCK

Bubble

NETFLIX

Release Date: April 28, 2022

For anime fans, this Netflix film is sure to be a visual delight. It takes place in an alternate version of Tokyo, where bubbles have appeared that bend the laws of gravity. As a result, the city is a battlefield for young players of parkour-like competitions. When one player falls, he’s saved by a girl with mysterious powers

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Marmaduke

NETFLIX

Release Date: May 6, 2022

Marmaduke is known for one thing: his insatiable appetite. Can the world’s best dog trainer tame him? Pete Davidson provides the Great Dane’s voice.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Sneakerella

DISNEY/ROGER ERICKSON

Release Date: May 13, 2022

Yeah, yeah, Disney’s done “Cinderella’ stories before — but never like this! This pop/hip-hop musical takes the fairy tale and sets it in New York City, where El dreams of becoming a sneaker designer. Things change for him when he meets Kira, whose dad happens to work for a big-deal sneaker company.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers

DISNEY

Release Date: May 20, 2022

Those two famed chipmunks are back — but not like you’ve ever seen them before. In this Disney+ film, Chip and Dale live among humans and other cartoons in Los Angeles. Chip has retired from acting, but Dale has gotten “the CGI surgery” and continues to be a Hollywood presence. When one of their former castmates goes missing, they have to learn how to work together again. Oh, and did we mention their voices are done by John Mulaney and Andy Samberg?

WATCH ON DISNEY+

The Bob’s Burgers Movie

20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

Release Date: May 27, 2022

The Belchers are headed for the big screen! And, even better, they’re in a musical! During the San Diego Comic-Con, creator Loren Bouchard described it as “a musical, comedy, mystery, adventure and a kind of coming-of-age story,” and assured fans it would be in movie theaters. (Note: This is PG-13 and better for your older ones.)

WATCH ON HBO MAXWATCH ON HULU

Hollywood Stargirl

DISNEY

Release Date: June 3, 2022

The sequel to the 2020 Disney+ live-action Stargirl, this movie picks up the story of quirky, free-spirit Stargirl Caraway. When her mom is called to do costumes for a movie, she heads to Los Angeles, where she meets a new set of friends and neighbors.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Lightyear

DISNEY/PIXAR

Release Date: June 17, 2022

No, not that Buzz Lightyear — except kind of. This movie follows the adventures of the real Space Ranger character who inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy in Toy Story. “In the Toy Story universe, it would be like a movie that maybe Andy would have seen, that would have made him want a Buzz Lightyear figure,” director Angus MacLane explains to Deadline. It comes out in theaters Father’s Day weekend, for all the Toy Story dads out there.

WATCH ON DISNEY+WATCH ON AMAZON

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

A24

Release Date: June 24, 2022

Audiences were introduced to the can-do attitude of Marcel the Shell, and his signature footware, through a stop-motion animated short that debuted way back in 2010. Now, Marcel’s adventures are full-length, and his movie is a mockumentary about him trying to find his lost family. Just like in the short, comedian Jenny Slate provides the voice of Marcel.

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON ITUNES

Minions: Rise of Gru

SONY PICTURES

Release Date: July 1, 2022

Poor Minions fans: This movie was scheduled to be released in July, 2020 and has been pushed back two years so far. When finally comes out, it’ll follow Gru in the ’70s, when he’s starting on his rise to villainy, and how he crosses paths with the Minions.

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON PEACOCK

The Sea Beast

NETFLIX

Release Date: July 8, 2022

As its name suggests, The Sea Beast is a seafaring tale that takes place in a world where ocean monsters reign. Jacob Holland is a famed monster hunter setting sail for a new adventure, but he gets more than he bargained for when he discovers he has a stowaway, a young girl named Maisie.

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WATCH ON NETFLIX

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2022 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

These Are the 50 Best Kids’ Movies of 2022 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Release Date: July 15, 2022

The bitter rivalry of cats and dogs, the fun tradition of Kung Fu movies — Paws of Fury has everything. Michael Cera is the voice of Hank, a hound dog ready to train to be a samurai and save a town from a ruthless villain determined to destroy a village. The problem? The whole town — including his teacher — is cats! Parents might recognize this as an homage to Blazing Saddles, with animals.

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

Zombies 3

DISNEY

Release Date: July 15, 2022

Fans of the Disney Channel’s Zombies franchise will thrill to a third entry, coming straight to Disney+. This time, the students of Seabrook have a new threat to contend with — aliens.

WATCH ON DISNEY+\

DC League of Super-Pets

DC League of Super-Pets

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Release Date: July 29, 2022

Uh-oh — the Justice League is in trouble! It’s up to Krypto, Superman’s dog, to convince other super-charged pets to help. He reaches out to Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel to form their own heroic squad. Dwayne Johnson stars as the voice of Krypto.

WATCH ON AMAZONWATCH ON HBO MAX

Luck

APPLE TV+

Release Date: August 5, 2022

This Apple TV+ movie follows Sam, the “unluckiest person in the world,” who somehow gets transported to the Land of Luck. Can the magical creatures there help her turn her bad juju around?

WATCH ON APPLE TV+

LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation

DISNEY/LUCASFILM LTD.

Release Date: August 5, 2022

For those who love the zany, mash-’em-up humor of the LEGO Star Wars series, this 48-minute special comes just at the right time. In it, Finn arranges a vacation on the Galactic Starcruiser called the Halcyon (IYKYK, theme park fans), but of course things don’t go as planned.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie

NETFLIX

Release Date: August 5, 2022

To long-time Turtles fans, the plot of this Netflix movie will sound familiar: A person from the future — named Casey Jones — returns to warn the TMNT that the Krang are coming. New fans will recognize the designs from the Nickelodeon series.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Secret Headquarters

PARAMOUNT

Release Date: August 12, 2022

Owen Wilson stars in this film, about a superhero who has a hidden lair beneath the house he lives in with his son. When it gets attacked, the kid and his friends must go on the defense themselves. It’s based on an original script by The Mandalorian‘s Christopher Yost — it’s not from a comic, or a YA novel or TV show, so the plot should be a surprise. It’ll come out directly on Paramount+.

WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

13: The Musical

ALAN MARKFIELD/NETFLIX

Release Date: August 12, 2022

Based on the Broadway show by Jason Robert Brown, know for musicals like The Last Five Years13: The Musical follows young Evan as he moves from New York City to small-town Indiana. All he wants is for people to come to his bar mitzvah, but, as with all things middle school, there are lots of social complications. This is a good one to watch with tweens.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Pinocchio

DISNEY

Release Date: September 8, 2022

This year brings us not one, but two new takes on the Pinocchio story. The first, coming to Disney+, features Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy and Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Drifting Home

NETFLIX

Release Date: September 16, 2022

This Netflix anime centers around an abandoned apartment complex. When two childhood friends, Kosuke and Natsume, set out to explore it (it was important to them when they were younger), something magical and mysterious happens the sets the building a drift in the middle of an ocean. Kosuke and Natsume have to work together to survive and make it back to their world.

WATCH ON NETFLI

The Munsters

NETFLIX

Release Date: September 27, 2022

Wait, director Rob Zombie made a movie about monsters — and it’s only rated PG? Believe it! His Netflix movie delves into the origin of the family we know and love from 1313 Mockingbird Lane, and how a vampire came to marry a creature.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Hocus Pocus 2

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
DISNEY/MATT KENNEDY

Release Date: September 30, 2022

Okay, fess up: Who lit the black flame candle? The Sanderson Sisters are returning — as are stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy — for a sequel to their 1993 classic heading to Disney+.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

JAMES DEVANEYGETTY IMAGES

Release Date: October 7, 2022

Everyone remembers the charming kids’ book by Bernard Waber. Now, Lyle is on his way to theaters — and it’ll be a musical. Constance Wu, Javier Bardem and Winslow Fegley are set to star, and Shawn Mendes is the voice of Lyle.

WATCH ON AMAZON

WATCH ON ITUNES

Monster High: The Movie

PARAMOUNT+

Monster High fans new and old are thrilled at the return of the fashion dolls — but they can delve deeper into the world with this all-new movie. In it, Clawdeen Wolf, a new student at the school, has to team up with friends like Draculaura and Frankie Stein to keep the school from ruin.

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WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

The Curse of Bridge Hollow

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
FRANK MASI/NETFLIX

Release Date: October 14, 2022

Around Halloweentime, it always seems like small towns are being menaced by one supernatural being or another. This time, an evil spirit makes all the Halloween decorations in one town come to life, and a father (Marlon Wayans) and daughter (Priah Ferguson) have to team up and stop them.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

The School for Good and Evil

HELEN SLOAN/NETFLIX

Release Date: October 19, 2022

Based on the acclaimed book series by Soman Chainani, the film is about a school where fairy tale characters learn about everything from princess etiquette to henchmen training. Two best friends, Agatha and Sophie, star together, only one is sent to the School for Good and the other is sent to the School for Evil. Can their friendship survive?

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Wendell & WIld

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
NETFLIX

Release Date: October 28, 2022

This stop-motion movie is a collaboration between Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, and writer/producer Jordan Peele, the mastermind behind scary movies for adults like Nope and Get Out. It has horror chops! It follows a 13-year-old girl, Kat, who makes a bargain with demons who want to enter the land of the living.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Enola Holmes 2

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
ALEX BAILEY/NETFLIX

Release Date: November 4, 2022

Based on the YA book series by Nancy Springer, the Enola Holmes franchises follows the younger sister of the famed Sherlock. In this one, Enola, now a detective-for-hire, is asked by a penniless match girl to find her sister. Once Enola starts investigating, though, she realizes the case isn’t as cut-and-dried as it seemed.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

My Father’s Dragon

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
NETFLIX

Release Date: November 11, 2022

Based on the Newbury honor-winning book, this movie follows Elmer, a boy who’s recently moved and struggling to adapt to life in the city. When he heads to the mysterious Wild Island, he meets a young dragon waiting to be rescued. This movie comes from the esteemed Cartoon Saloon, the studio behind acclaimed animated movies like Wolfwalkers and The Secret of Kells.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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A Christmas Story Christmas

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
YANA BLAJEVA/HBO MAX

Release Date: November 17, 2022

Peter Billingsley revisits the iconic role of Ralphie. But this time, he’s all grown up, and he’s viewing Christmas from a dad’s point of view. You can watch it on HBO Max.

WATCH ON HBO MAX

Disenchanted

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
DISNEY

Release Date: November 18, 2022

In the years since Enchanted, Giselle and Robert have decided they needed a change, and they pack up and move to suburbia. But when it’s not all she hoped, Giselle uses some Andalasian magic to make her town more like a fairy tale — only it doesn’t go as planned. This one will go straight to Disney+.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Slumberland

NETFLIX

Release Date: November 18, 2022

Enter into the world of dreams! Nemo is a kid who, after the disappearance of her dad, is sent to live with her uncle. While she finds it hard to fit in at her new school by day, at night she enters the world of Slumberland and explores dreams and nightmares, and might hopefully be reunited with her father. Her Slumberland guide is Flip, an outlaw played by Jason Momoa.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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Blue’s Big City Adventure

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

These Are the 50 Best Kids’ Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

PARAMOUNT

Release Date: November 18, 2022

Paramount+ will get this Blue’s Clues and You movie, which sees Josh heading to the Great White Way to audition for Rainbow Puppy’s Broadway musical. Longtime fans will be excited to know that this movie reunites all the Blue’s Clues hosts: Josh, Steve and Joe.

WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

Strange World

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
DISNEY

Release Date: November 23, 2022

Disney’s newest animated offering promises to be full of adventure. “Strange World centers on the legendary Clades, a family of explorers whose differences threatened to topple their latest and most crucial mission,” Variety reports. In addition, the Disney Instagram says “the movie journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await.”

WATCH TRAILER

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
DISNEY

Release Date: November 25, 2022

This holiday special, coming straight to Disney+, finds Star-Lord bummed because of previous events that have happened in the MCU (no spoilers here). The rest of the team vows to band together to lift his spirits for Christmas — even if it means kidnapping Kevin Bacon.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

The Hip-Hop Nutcracker

DISNEY

Release Date: November 25, 2022

Even if you know the story, you’ve never seen it like this before. Dancers like Allison Holker Boss and Stephen “tWitch’ Boss, Comfort Fedoke, Du-Shant “Fik-shun” Stegall even the Jabbawockeez put a hip-hop twist on the classic tale for Disney+. There’s only a little bit of narration, but it comes courtesy of Rev Run of Run DMC.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

NETFLIX

Release Date: December 2, 2022

Just when you think you’ve seen every possible interpretation of A Christmas Carol, out comes another one. This one is a musical, with songs by Oscar- and Grammy-winner Leslie Bricusse, and features the voice of Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Jonathan Pryce and others.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Roderick Rules

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

Release Date: December 2, 2022

This animated adaptation of the second book in the Wimpy Kid series centers around Greg Heffley’s relationship with his older brother, Roderick. They have that special love/hate relationship that siblings often do.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
NETFLIX

Release Date: December 9, 2022

And here’s our second Pinocchio: Guillermo del Toro, director of Nightmare Alley and the Best Picture Winning The Shape of Water, directs a stop-motion animated version of the classic tale of the puppet who wants to be a real boy. Ewan McGregor is the voice of the cricket, and the whole thing takes place against the backdrop of rising fascism in Italy in the run-up to World War II.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again

20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

Release Date: December 9, 2022

Disney+ will release this animated follow-up to the Night at he Museum franchise. This time, Nick Daley, son of Ben Stiller’s Larry Daley, takes over as the night guard on patrol.

WATCH ON DISNEY+

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)
DREAMWORKS

Release Date: December 21, 2022

It’s been more than a decade since we checked in on Puss in Boots, but he’s still up for adventure. In this, the well-shod feline has torn through most of his nine lives, so he goes on a mission to find a wish that can replenish them.

WATCH TRAILER

Roald Dahl’s Matilda: The Musical

These Are the 50 Best Kids' Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

These Are the 50 Best Kids’ Movies of 2023 (Plus Where to Stream Them Online)

DAN SMITH/NETFLIX

Release Date: December 25, 2022

For families who didn’t get a chance to see Matilda when it was on Broadway, this Netflix movie brings the songs and staging to your home screen. The cast includes Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull, Stephen Graham as Mr. Wormwood and Andrea as Mrs. Wormwood.

WATCH TRAILER

Senior Parenting & Relationships EditorMarisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother.

 

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