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What happens when a parenting journalist becomes a parent and the plan falls apart mid-pregnancy? Julia Dennison joins us with a story that’s equal parts raw and reassuring: an affair discovered while expecting, a divorce before the first birthday, and a co-parenting journey shaped by clarity instead of control. We dig into what it takes to raise a nine-year-old in a world that still expects moms to be invisible, how to split the mental load without weaponized scorekeeping, and why the best logistics often look like a simple shared calendar and a face-to-face check-in.

Julia opens up about her daughter’s recent ADHD diagnosis and the reality behind the buzzwords: late recognition in girls, after-school meltdowns, masking in class, and the heavy lift required to secure an IEP or meaningful support. We talk costs, waitlists, neuropsych evaluations, and the painful equity gap that leaves too many kids behind. Along the way, she shares how a thoughtful step-parent can become an ally, why power dynamics deserve attention, and how to keep curiosity alive when one partner has “all the research.”

This conversation is a reminder that expertise only goes so far. Parenthood is less about perfect scripts and more about small, honest moves: meowing a kid to bed, eavesdropping on Barbie diplomacy, and choosing connection over control. You’ll hear practical ideas for co-parenting structures, advocacy in schools, and village-building that actually lightens the load. Most of all, you’ll feel a grounded kind of hope: the hard parts shift, the good parts deepen, and joy has a way of sneaking back in when we make room for it.

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