If you’re just joining us here at True Parent... hi! How’s it going? Wait... what’s that? You’re super stressed about this whole “parenting” gig, you never signed on for all the crap you have to put up with, and if you have to pick up one more pair of filthy underpants you’re going to scream? Ugh! I hear ya, brother and/or sister! That’s why it’s a good thing you’re reading True Parent—because unlike those other cutesy, diaper-bag selling magazines, we KEEP IT REAL.

We offer pages and pages of honest, no bullcrap advice for working parents of all types and permutations who don’t like being subtly told they’re doing everything wrong. For example, in this issue we dig deep into the financial challenges of the working-class parent, figuring out how to tell nosy know-it-alls to mind their own beeswax, and how to communicate with your children about religion... particularly if you don’t believe in that sort of thing.

But we’re just getting started! We’re also offering up more true stories, including a sex researcher/mom who nearly came to blows over the abstinence education program at her teen’s school, how siblings may have wildly different personalities (and that’s okay), and a hilarious story from a dad who adds a wee bit of pot to playtime with his kid—with positive results! And, as always, we’ve got the city’s best curated list of kid-friendly events and restaurants, as well as stuff to do on your grownup night out.

But the real purpose of True Parent is to remind ourselves, as parents, to watch out for each other. We’re all eternally grateful to the PTAs who keep a close eye on the school system... but who looks out for us? Who looks out for the single moms, the gay dads, and the parents struggling to support their families?

As hard as we have it, rest assured there are those who have it much worse—and if we don’t look out for them, no one will. That’s why I encourage you to join us on “Team Parent” to help moms and dads who are less fortunate. How? By offering to give a single mom a night out away from the kids. By voting for and supporting parent-friendly legislation such as paid sick days, maternity/paternity leave, and livable minimum wages. Or at the very least, turning off that “judging” switch in our heads that critiques parents who do things a bit differently than ourselves. Think of all the parents you know... if we all came together for the good of parents everywhere, we’d be an unstoppable force.

And that, my friends, is what True Parent is all about—and it’s who you are... which is why you’re the perfect person to join our team.