Some parents are paying to avoid the hard parts of raising kids, and they don’t know what they’re missing. A viral Wall Street Journal article recently sparked controversy over wealthy parents who have outsourced as much as possible of their children’s lives to experts. Titled “When One Nanny Isn’t Enough, ‘CEO Parents’ Hire a Whole Team,” the article described parents who have hired nannies not only for the daytime hours, but also for the evenings and weekends. Some of these parents have retained experts to potty-train their children or teach them to ride bikes. According to Jordi Lippe-McGraw, who researched and wrote the piece, one mother said that she had never clipped her own children’s toenails because it made her too anxious. That same mother also usually delegates bath time to the nanny. Another mother said she was a “max-three-hour mum,” preferring to spend only weekend mornings with her children before moving on to other things. This mother believed she could outsource much of the drudgery of parenting, and, per Lippe-McGraw, rely “on a household team of nannies, cleaners, a chef and a chief of staff, which helps afford time for ‘high-impact, core memories’ like vacations with her children.” The author also reached out to me for insight, reporting my concerns over the this trend. She wrote that I worry “about what children might absorb from arrangements with hired help, whose presence they register and whose they miss.” In a fascinating coincidence, this reporting hit the headlines at the same time that Ben Sasse, a former Republican senator who is facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, was providing some hard lessons to the public. Sasse recently told CNN that his biggest regret was not spending more time with his kids. Reflecting on how much he traveled for work, Sasse said at the end of his many trips he would take all his hotel keys and throw them on the floor of his home office closet. “All of a sudden,” he said, “it became thousands and thousands of keys.” These boxes of keys in his office, according to Sasse, represented “a hell of a lot of missed dinners.” In thinking about his kids, Sasse regretfully concluded: “What the hell was I doing instead of being with you?” Without weighing in on the ideal work/life balance ratio for other families, I think Sasse’s words of wisdom should cause us all to think hard about what we are prioritizing over family life. It might seem attractive to outsource the difficult or annoying parts of parenting, and skim off only the joyful memories. But ultimately, this parenting approach fails to grapple with the fact that the hard parts of parenting are sometimes the most important and meaningful. I’m currently teaching my third child, a little girl, to read. I homeschool my three of my four children (the youngest is a toddler). I know from experience that literacy is a very long process. It begins with a child sitting on your lap as you read story after story. We started with board books, and now we’ve moved onto fairy tales, Doctor Seuss, and “Angelina Ballerina.” Until she learns to read for herself, my husband and I will read aloud hundreds of books to her, answering her many questions along the way: Do bears eat people? How does the baby kangaroo pop out of his mommy’s tummy? Why did the Little Ren Hen not share her cake? We are also working on letters now, slowly identifying all the capital letters (which she calls “Mommy” letters) and the lower case letters (which she calls “Baby” letters). She’s learned how to write the first letter of her name, which she does with significant pride. Eventually, we’ll start on blending sounds together, and eventually — probably in two or three years, if she follows the pattern of her older brothers — she’ll be reading her first books. This multi-year process is a lot of work for me. It’s not always delightful either. I know from my older sons that sometimes there are tears of frustration as we struggle through the difficulties of literacy in the complex English language. And don’t even get me started on teaching kids to spell. Once, when one of my older children and I were mutually at the end of our ropes over a spelling lesson, I printed out and read him “Our Strange Lingo,” a 1902 poem by Lord Cramer. The first stanza of the poem reads: When the English tongue we speak Why is break not rhymed with freak? Will you tell me why it’s true We say sew but likewise few? It would certainly be much easier to send the kids to school and let professional teachers handle the annoying job of correcting handwriting, making a child write comprehensible paragraphs, and insisting, yes, really, you must memorize your multiplication tables. Even the “eight times” tables.  And yet, there is something really special about all the hours I’ve logged teaching my kids. I’ve learned about my own characters, including my own need to develop more patience, more empathy, and also, sometimes, more firmness. I’ve learned a ton about our children as well. I’ve become deeply acquainted with all the areas in which they need more help, and those in which they naturally excel. I’ve had a front row seat to the explosion of this child’s incredible creativity, and witnessed the slow development of maternity and responsibility in that child. To be sure, I’ve sacrificed a lot as well. In particular, we would be much wealthier if I had kept my job as a corporate lawyer, rather than becoming a homeschooling mom with four kids. But I don’t regret it! The trade-offs have been well worth it. I’m certainly not trying to say that every parent needs to homeschool her child. Every family is different, and parents have different needs and gifts to offer. However, I can testify first-hand to the joys of thinking hard about “in-sourcing” when it comes to family life. To give another example: I’ve seen numerous hard-working fathers who dedicate many hours each week to coaching their children’s baseball or basketball teams, giving up relaxing time at home in order to instill the values of hard work, being a team player, and being a gracious loser. These dads could certainly have outsourced that job to another parent, or even to a professional (in the case of travel teams), but they find working hands-on with their children to be worth it. In my neighborhood, there are also several families that take a lot of pride in having the kids work (at least a little) in the family business, learning how to paint houses, do landscaping, or handle a business budget. Will all these kids end up working in construction or lawn care? Probably not, but the lessons learned from hands-on from their parents are invaluable anyway.  What these parents know, and what my husband and I know, is this: The most meaningful times with kids are usually not the Disney World trip or picking out the Instagram-worthy nursery decor (although those things can be very fun!). Instead, they are being the person who will get up with a puking child at 3 a.m. and make her feel loved even though she’s violently ill.  Sasse is extremely gracious to provide us all with the lessons he has learned through facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. I’m grateful for the reminder that at the end of my life, I probably won’t be counting up the money in our bank accounts or my professional accolades, but rather asking deeper questions. I personally know I still have more to do to get the balance closer to right, including reassessing how much time I spend on social media and how often I am short-tempered with the kids. But I deeply appreciate his assessment of the importance of thinking hard about these questions; when given by someone looking hard at his own mortality, it’s a lesson worth heeding. *** Ivana Greco has several jobs, but her favorite is being a homeschooling mom of four. This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

The final Democratic Senate debate before next week’s Michigan primary was overshadowed Monday night by Abdul El-Sayed’s recently leaked comments about putting the head of an “ogre” on a pike, as rival Rep. Haley Stevens argued the far-Left candidate was more interested in national political fights than representing Michigan. The confrontation came just hours after leaked audio from a donor call thrust El-Sayed into a new controversy, giving Stevens fresh ammunition just one week before the August 4 primary.  Stevens opened the debate by accusing El-Sayed of pursuing political celebrity rather than public service. “Abdul is running for celebrity,” Stevens said. “Republicans are propping up his campaign, and Mike Rogers just the other day said in a secret phone call that he makes it easier for him to win, that he’s the one he wants to run against.” “Look, this isn’t about the D.C. or New York influencer crowd. This is about putting Michigan first,” she added. Later, moderator Roop Raj confronted El-Sayed about the leaked audio, noting that many Democrats had taken offense to his comments about putting an “ogre” on a pike. “Do you regret any of the comments that you’ve made?” Raj asked. El-Sayed declined to directly apologize, instead arguing he has consistently urged civility among his supporters. “I took to Twitter last week and said that the tone in which people talk about my opponent is unkind,” El-Sayed said. “I asked anybody who supported me to not talk about her that way.” He then sought to clarify that the “ogre” remark was not directed at Stevens but at Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. “I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who’s a senator from Pennsylvania, who has done terrible things, got elected on a set of values, and is now completely throwing those values in the mud,” El-Sayed said. El-Sayed quickly pivoted back to one of his core campaign themes, accusing Stevens of benefiting from millions of dollars in outside spending tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “When we talk about unkindness, I also just want to speak to the fact that, on behalf of my opponent, UDP — another name for AIPAC — has been running attack ad after attack ad after attack ad on my character,” El-Sayed said. Stevens responded by using the controversy to reinforce a broader critique of her opponent, arguing that his own recorded remarks showed he was preoccupied with national political ambitions rather than Michigan. “There was something else that was revealed in the phone call,” Stevens said. “He said that he’s not going to be able to get much done, that he’s not focused on policy for the first two years that he is in the United States Senate, that he’s going to be focused on national politics.” Pressed again on civility, Stevens pointed to El-Sayed’s past remarks about prominent Michigan Democrats.  “Only he can account for saying that Whitmer is ‘bought and paid for,’ or that ‘no one cares about Debbie Stabenow,’ or that Mallory McMorrow ‘isn’t smart enough,'” Stevens said. El-Sayed again argued the race should focus less on personalities and more on the influence of wealthy donors and special interests. “I told you at the outset that my opponent was going to make this race about me and her,” El-Sayed said. “But this is about you,” referring to Michigan Democratic voters. The sharp exchange briefly gave way to one of the night’s lighter moments after El-Sayed clarified the “ogre” remark referred to Fetterman rather than Stevens. “Thank you for clarifying that you didn’t call me an ogre,” Stevens quipped.  

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and CBS analyst Tony Romo refused to submit to an intoxication test after his arrest last week for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to new court filings. Court records first reported by the California Post show Romo was cited for “refusing to take test for intoxication after arrest” during his July 23 arrest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Authorities previously alleged Romo was operating a vehicle while intoxicated after being stopped on southbound Interstate 43 following a round at the Wisconsin Amateur Championship golf tournament. According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Romo performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests before being taken into custody, booked, and later released. The newly filed citation alleges Romo refused an intoxication test after arriving in custody. A copy of the citation has not yet been publicly released. Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office officials have said the case is being handled as a traffic violation rather than a criminal offense under Wisconsin law. Romo has not publicly commented on either the arrest or the newly disclosed allegation; neither has his attorney, Julius Kim. The 46-year-old is scheduled to appear in court on September 21. The arrest also appears to have affected Romo’s golf schedule. Over the weekend, he withdrew from the upcoming M&P Group Texas State Open, where he had been expected to compete. Neither CBS nor the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office has commented on the new filing. Romo retired from the NFL following the 2016 season after spending his entire 13-year career with the Dallas Cowboys, where he remains the franchise’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns with 248. Since joining CBS Sports in 2017, he has become one of the network’s top NFL analysts and signed a reported 10-year, $180 million contract extension in 2020.  

Minnesota schools and hospitals will provide dolls with removable genitals to children as young as four in order to allow them to express their sexual identities. MyGender Dolls were created by staff at the University of Minnesota, a publicly funded university. They are intended for use as an educational toy for children ages four through ten. The idea for the dolls came from University of Minnesota professor Rachel Becker-Warner. Associate professors Dr. Dianne Berg and Nic Rider then developed the dolls for a research project, later turning it into a commercial venture. MyGender Dolls website describes the toys as “a new play-based therapeutic approach for trans and gender diverse children — and the clinicians who support them.” “We make gender fun! Our award-winning dolls and services are community-informed, research-driven, culturally-attuned, and grounded in gender-affirming clinical practice,” the website said, adding that the dolls will be released to educators this year. The New York Post said the toys are “like a trans Mr./Mrs. Potato Head” and come with removable internal and external genitalia, and over 100 interchangeable pieces of clothing including underwear and skirts. “The concept is similar to classic paper dolls; kids can select bodies, genitals, clothes, and other accessories as a way to visualize their anatomy and genders,” according to a deleted summary of the project from the University of Minnesota’s Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health (ISGH) recovered by Fox News. “I think everyone should know that there’s diversity in gender identity and that what is ‘real’ is not what your body parts are, but how you think and feel,” Berg stated on social media and in a now-deleted article in the university’s Discovery Magazine. Berg also admitted that she and other medical professionals have been using the dolls on their child patients to help them explore their identity and get them to talk about their private parts. “We were able to explore and brainstorm not just what our bodies are able to do now but what we want our bodies to do and look like in the future,” Adjunct Assistant Professor Elizabeth Panetta said. The University of Minnesota Medical School’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Health paid the families of “trans and gender diverse children” between $20 and $60 to play with the dolls and “talk about gender and bodies” in groups. Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), who received the “Distinguished Sexual and Gender Health Champion Award” in 2023 from the University of Minnesota’s ISGH, has been giving $15 million annually to “increase the medical school’s research capacity” and “ensure its national prominence.” Dr. Quentin Van Meter, past president of the American College of Pediatricians, called the dolls a “grooming tool” that would likely only create anxiety and confusion. “The younger kids — many of them still believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. And you’re then presenting them with paper dolls that kind of look fun, and you can change clothing, hair, genitals … It’s well beyond their ability to sort out fantasy from reality.” “Until age 7 years, kids don’t really understand the immutability of the sexes,” Van Meter told the College Fix, adding that gender dysphoria is “emotional trauma caused by ideologues as parents or teachers or counselors.” A university spokesperson told The Post that no public funds were diverted “to support MyGender Dolls’ commercialization efforts,” but refused to mention whether taxpayer funds went into either the research and development of the dolls or to the salaries of the professors who worked on the project.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan suffered multiple broken bones and nearly lost an eye in a serious car crash earlier this month, according to the team and longtime friend, NFL analyst Chris Simms.  The 49ers announced Saturday that Shanahan will have a limited role during training camp after breaking his nose, hand, and three ribs while requiring 40 stitches to his face, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Statement from the San Francisco 49ers. pic.twitter.com/13ugQr94bQ — San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) July 25, 2026 The July 14 crash occurred near Shanahan’s Northern California home when his vehicle collided with an SUV. Authorities said the other driver was not injured, both drivers cooperated, and neither showed signs of impairment or was cited.  General manager John Lynch said the team will let doctors determine when Shanahan can fully return.  “Kyle basically is going to be like in the protocol. We’re going to let the doctors dictate how he comes back, when he comes back,” Lynch said. “He’s been in the building, so we’ve seen him. It’s kind of like we do with our players: a phased-back approach. Number one for Kyle and the Shanahan family is getting him back right.” Former NFL quarterback and current NBC Sports football analyst Chris Simms explained during a Monday appearance on “PFT Live” that his close friend Shanahan almost lost his eye in the accident. Simms said Mandy Shanahan, Kyle’s wife, sent him pictures of the injuries just after the crash. “When you first see it, and it’s fresh, and some of the cuts are still wide open, I mean, it’s jarring,” Simms said. “He was emotional about it, because he realized how close it was to being just a complete, you know, utter disaster,” he added. “He could have lost his right eye. It could have been a lot worse.” “You know, he’s very concerned about the woman he got in the accident with and how she is handling that situation. So there’s just a lot there. And I think it was a lot for him to process.” With no timetable for Shanahan’s return, assistant head coach Chris Foerster will take over as the acting head coach. Shanahan has coached the 49ers since 2017 after previously serving as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. He is the son of legendary head coach Mike Shanahan, who led the Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl victories.