There is absolutely nothing wrong with not having kids, but being an actual parent (with all the boring/irritating/painful bits) is still qualitatively different from being a helpful, loving maternal figure who’s not actually obligated to change diapers and pack lunches.

This. She sounds like the 3rd best aunt in the world. (The first two being my aunts Barbara & Nancy.) but she’s not a parent. She’s a mentor. That’s awesome. Still not a parent.

Modified for “real mothering” because I didn’t mean to imply there are “fake mothers” but there certainly is a significant difference that should be taken seriously between being a secondary or tertiary parental figure and actually being the primary caretaker.

Ugggghhhhh, this ridiculous, hair-trigger outrage is exhausting to me. Kim probably has done more for her “children” than my father ever did for me, and yet, people don’t get angry when he calls himself a parent. So she’s not a biological parent. Why does it matter? I’m baffled that this is even a story.

I nursed my sister through her high-risk pregnancy and helped raise my nephew. I did it full time (raised my nephew) from 6 months when my sister had to return to work to 3 yo when we enrolled him in preschool so she wouldn’t have to worry about a stranger raising her child. I contribute in financial, emotional and…

Her sentiment I agree with and she has the right to it. She means something motherly to people and that has added meaning to her life. For the most part, she expresses it beautifully — we can be maternal without reproducing. And I think that is the only thing she meant to imply, not that she has the responsibilities…

Right I have all of those but I wouldn’t say I’m a parent. I know what she means, I think all reasonable people do. I don’t think we need to burn her at the stake here but I can kinda just a little bit see why people are mad about it. BUT I think it has more to do with resentment of her being childfree and enjoying…

Yeah. I mean, I see what she’s talking about, and I love it that she takes this leadership position with younger people, but “parent” and “mother”... those are some very specific words.

Yeah, I agree. The sentiment is correct (I hate that people equate being childless with being cold and unnurturing), but being motherly and being a mother are not the same.

I’m not seeing what’s so terrible about this, either. It’s not even that new of a concept. It’s not such an uncommon idea that a woman who doesn’t have biological children might take joy in raising nieces and nephews, or mentoring young people, or being a stepparent. For all the people who fret about family values,…

I think the problem with this is that she equates being motherly, and being a mentor, with being a literal mother. And no, no it is not the same.

Yayyyy my tip!

I like the idea of Yelp but it’s just awful in practice. It would be useful for traveling but I don’t trust it based on its business practices.

My God, he literally has not changed. He’s like a cursed kid in a fairy tale that gives the heroine valuable info but has to stay in his cottage forever.

He and Liam Neeson were so dang sweet together.

Nerd alert: He played Jojen Reed on Game of Thrones.

And now he’s a mystical seer haunted by visions of his own demise.

We once had a blatantly racist and offensive “review”—a specific, named attack, no less—which was up for well over a year.

Literally nobody can touch what Stewart did for the show. Still, he deserves the chance to make his mark on the show. He probably won’t last 10 years, sure, but I’m sure he isn’t going to burn it to the ground.

I agree, but she had no intention or desire to be the new host.