The approach of a new year is an opportunity to reflect on time spent with friends, family, and partners who have played a role in your life—and how you can improve these relationships.
For parents, 2025 might have been a year that felt fraught with questions about what it means to raise a child today. In 2025, Atlantic writers explored the challenges that can come with finding child care, the debate about whether to avoid ultra-processed foods, the questions of when—or where—kids should gain access to technology, and more.
Dating, a once classic rite of passage, is also changing, Faith Hill wrote this year. Yet even as fewer young people are getting into relationships, they do believe in love: According to one study that included more than 5,000 Americans, 60 percent of single adults said they believe in love at first sight, a nearly 30 percent increase from 2014.
With a new year comes the hope of change and betterment—so let these writers help you nurture and strengthen your relationships in the year ahead.
On Dating
Teens Are Forgoing a Classic Rite of Passage, by Faith Hill
Dear James: The Men I’m Dating Keep Leaving Me Numb, by James Parker
The Agony of Texting With Men, by Matthew Schnipper
The Great Ghosting Paradox, by Anna Holmes
The New Singlehood Stigma, by Faith Hill
Three Rules for a Lasting Happy Marriage, by Arthur C. Brooks
On Parenting
Avoiding Ultra-Processed Foods Is Completely Unrealistic, by Olga Khazan
One Obvious, Underused Child-Care Solution, by Marina Lopes
Being a Dad Is About More Than Being Around, by Stanley A. McChrystal
A Tech Rule That Will ‘Future-Proof’ Your Kids, by Rheana Murray
Parents, Put Down Your Phone Cameras, by Russell Shaw
Bring Back Communal Kid Discipline, by Stephanie H. Murray
The Most Useless Piece of Parenting Advice, by Olga Khazan
