Claire Gillespie

Even big-budget Hollywood blockbusters get it wrong sometimes. In fact, most films have at least a couple of minor discrepancies — and artistic license means filmmakers can get away with bending the truth at least a little in the name of entertainment. But sometimes a movie has a plot hole that’s just downright confusing. Here’s a recap of some of the most well-known plot holes, plus a few you might have missed.

The third season of Netflix’s sci-fi horror series “Stranger Things” is streaming right now — but if you’re a big fan, no doubt you’ll probably have watched the whole thing already, at least once. With the hit show at the forefront of our minds again, here’s a look back at our favorite scenes since we were first introduced to the crazy world of Hawkins, Indiana, back in 2016.

If you haven’t fostered or adopted a child (and weren’t fostered or adopted yourself), you’ll never really know what the experience is like. Which means that when it comes to portraying adoption on TV, it can be hit, or a strong miss…or somewhere in between.

Parenting has never been easy. And these days, it can seem like it’s more difficult than ever. Whatever way you decide to parent your kid (are you a helicopter parent, a tiger mom, or I don’t know, a panda parent or some other type of transportation/wild animal?) there’s someone out there who’ll tell you in no uncertain terms that you’re doing it wrong.

Dating is hard, whatever your circumstances. But dating as a newly single mom can suck the most. I say this as someone who’s been there and still has the emotional battle scars as a permanent reminder of how blind dates, swiping right and juggling mom life and dating life can take its toll.

Family movie night is great fun, and we all have our favorite films we go back to again and again. But it’s possible to enjoy bonding in front of the small screen and teach your kids some important lessons about diversity.

No matter how much you think you suck at dating, there’s always room for improvement. It’s like anything in life — the more you work at it, the better you get.
And the more efficient you are at dating, the more you’ll enjoy it, regardless of whether you class your dates themselves as successful. (But really, all dates are successful when you make the right choices, because saying no to a second date with the wrong person frees you up to find the right one!)

More than just “baby blues,” postpartum depression is a serious, potentially long-lasting mental health condition that affects an estimated 15 percent of women after childbirth. Some of the most common symptoms are feelings of overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, anxiety and trouble bonding or forming an emotional attachment with the baby.

No matter how you slice it, being called a “jerk” is not a good thing. Whether you define it as “an annoyingly stupid or foolish person” or a “cruel, rude or small-minded” person, the term is far-reaching. It applies to everyone from the person who cuts in front of you in the supermarket line or the schoolyard bully who makes your kid’s life miserable.

With the birth of the new royal baby, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on May 6, the entire world is celebrating this new descendant to the British throne. Where does he line up in succession? Seventh, after his father, Prince Harry.

Parents around the world had their kids’ safety and well-being at heart when they spread the word to warn others about the so-called Momo challenge, the scary-looking woman with bulging eyes who reportedly popped up on young people’s devices via the WhatsApp messaging service. But in a cruel twist of fate, it turns out that the widespread panic that ensued was potentially more harmful than the bug-eyed creature.

Becoming a parent for the first time is a pretty nerve-wracking experience for most people, and taking advantage of the wealth of information and advice out there can help ease those anxieties. Both current and expectant parents are most likely to turn to medical professionals for parenting tips — and it’s just as well. Some of the parenting advice of yesteryear is ridiculous at best, and downright dangerous at worst.

It’s possible to experience some of the most magical art in the world without setting foot inside a gallery. Paris has the Louvre. London has the Tate Modern. Barcelona has the Museo Picasso and Rome has the Galleria Borghese. But these cities also all have incredible street art, making a stroll through their streets a completely immersive art experience in and of itself.

Growing up in the early ’80s, I was spanked by my parents now and again. I’ve never considered this to be that much of a big deal — every kid I knew got the same treatment if they pushed their parents too far — and I doubt that infrequent spanking had any long-lasting effect on me. I have a healthy relationship with my parents. I’ve never been in an abusive relationship, or suffered from hyperactivity, aggression, cognitive difficulties or oppositional behavior.

My relationship with antidepressants began over 20 years ago. Back then, as an anxious teenager crying in my doctor’s office, I had no idea that they would become such an integral part of my life.
I spent a long time wrestling with my need for medication. But you can have as much therapy as you can handle and self-care yourself silly, but for some people, nothing gets rid of that big black cloud — or at least lifts it enough that you can take a breath — like a daily pill.