I've rediscovered my identity since my daughter was a baby The only person I love to hear call me Mom is my daughter. In fact, now that she's 6, I miss her calling me Mama like when she was a baby.

The great Taylor Swift calls her mom her best friend, and she is not the only one. From Justin Timberlake to Rashida Jones, ...

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with LaVina Hawkins. It has been edited for length and clarity. When I was 9, I got my first invitation to a sleepover. We had just moved from the ...