The generation raised on sugar rations – and what their health reveals 70 years later

From blood pressure to ageing, research suggests the first 1,000 days of sugar exposure could leave a decades-long mark on health

‘I’d like to explain why I was such a monster back then’: six writers on the apologies they wish they’d made

From making life hell for a young teacher to doubting the motives of a caring foster mother, Olivia Petter, Derek Owusu, Annie Lord and other writers repent for past bad behaviour

‘My ability to cope was unravelling’: how I navigated ADHD and childbirth – and seven things I learned

Neurodivergence can make an already challenging process far trickier — and in the UK support isn’t automatically available. A new book aims to help mothers prepare

I was abused as a child – and thought I had healed. Then I began drinking in lockdown

Decades after being sexually abused, the author and doctor Frank Spinelli believed he had moved on emotionally. But alcohol destroyed his sense of security. He describes how he confronted his shame

Amid the social and political panic about falling birthrates, why not ask new mothers what they think?

Medals and cash bonuses have been mooted as incentives, but the priority is for policy that addresses women’s real concerns, says author and journalist Lucy Jones

Dutch children are unusually happy and healthy. Is it because of this walking ritual?

Once a year, Dutch kids, parents and teachers take part in a walking festival, heading out for four nights in a single week to explore their neighbourhoods, exercise and make friends. It’s a tradition that seems to be genuinely transformative

A third of Britons believe they have changed social class, survey finds

‘Polyclass’ of 6 million people consider themselves to belong to more than one social category, researchers say

US teens getting less sleep than ever, new report finds

Homework, social pressure and jobs still keep teens up but now screen time and social media rob their sleep

I yearned to be a mother. Why did I feel nothing when my daughter was finally born?

I had presumed I would love her instantly – but a traumatic birth led to devastating numbness

My son is getting glasses for the first time. He’s fine about it but I’m an emotional wreck

Fortunately, he doesn’t have the childhood insecurities that led to me picking glasses that I hoped would make me invisible, writes Stuart Heritage – he’s happy to look like Prue Leith

‘It’s the most urgent public health issue’: Dr Rangan Chatterjee on screen time, mental health – and banning social media until 18

The hit podcaster, author and former GP says a failure to regulate big tech is ‘failing a generation of children’. He explains why he quit the NHS and why he wants a ban on screen-based homework

‘We almost lost you in the night’ – the life-threatening rise of measles in the UK

It is one of the most infectious diseases around, and can cause blindness and hearing loss – and can also be fatal. Why are cases now soaring and what can be done about it?

Schools that cultivate the mind but neglect spiritual education leave children unanchored in a challenging world

Young people are hungering for meaning. A lack of spiritual education in childhood can reverberate across a lifetime

Coroner calls for circumcision safety measures after baby’s death in London

Six-month-old Mohamed Abdisamad’s death from infection prompts concern at lack of training for circumcisers

Victoria could become first Australian state to ban unnecessary surgery on intersex children

Exclusive: Legislation would prohibit deferrable, irreversible procedures until child can give informed consent, bringing state in line with ACT