Yep, people often marry their “second choice”

I'm starting off this week with some professional news: After editing HuffPost's relationship coverage for the past decade, I'm now also overseeing HuffPost Parents. I'd like to thank my two kids for preparing me for this new role 🤪

For any readers who are parents, I wanted to spotlight a new series we launched this month called Enjoy The Ride. It really embodies my new vision for HuffPost Parents. To sum it up: There's so much information out there about how to be a "good" parent — Instagram, blogs, books, you name it. Some depict parenthood as martyrdom, in which giving all of yourself to your kids is expected and celebrated. Others fixate only on the hard stuff, beckoning parents to wash down their stresses each night with a massive glass of wine.

No doubt, raising good kids in this world is hard work. But I want to help parents figure out how to handle the tough moments of raising children while also enjoying these short years when the kids are little. And that's what this new series is all about.

Xo, Ashley Rockman

A word about social media

In case you missed it

If you're like me, you cringed your way through the second season of "Love Is Blind" — not because it wasn't entertaining, but because of awkward moments like Jarette getting engaged to Iyanna after failing to secure a "yes" from his first choice, a contestant named Mallory. Ending up with a "second choice" is actually more common than you think, and Senior Reporter Brittany Wong spoke to people in this same position.

Yes, they admitted it

FYI

Fifteen years ago, writer Stefanie Elliot met her BFF Aimee in a Yahoo chat group for aspiring writers. Their friendship took off, despite their different ages and life experiences — Stefanie even thanked Aimee in her book's acknowledgements. But when COVID hit, Aimee disappeared without a trace, taking down her social media accounts, shutting down her blog and changing her phone number.

Here's what happened when Stefanie tried to find her

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