It’s a well-trodden path for today’s first-time parents. They read all the latest parenting books, buy the trendy baby gear, and decide on the strategy: naturally birthed, breastfed, self-soothed, Montessori-schooled. All set.

The hardest part was not knowing what kind of humiliation would be in store that day—he always had to be on red alert.

Self-compassion research challenges the self-esteem movement while tackling the “inner bully.”