Eva, my eldest daughter, got married before the summer and, if I were still writing The Worst Mother in the World, I would have liked to explain the impact and the emotion I felt seeing her take that step. I would confess that I cried like a baby. Perhaps soon it will be your turn to write The worst grandmother in the world.

The afternoon is very hot in Washington DC, but that is not the reason why you do not see children or elderly people. The city is usually like this. As the seat of the federal government, Congress, and so many companies and institutions around it, the American capital is a magnet for recent graduates and young professionals who lower the city's average age and turn its landscape into almost that of a TV series. Retiring here is not the most common thing, but Carmen and Ralph Van Roy wouldn't change it for anything.

Maria (40 years old) barely remembers how many years she has been living in Burkina Faso, a West African country. “About 15 or 16, I don't know anymore,” she tells me now, from the house where she lives in the capital, Ouagadougou. Axel, her eldest son, is restless because he wants to play, and the youngest, Jordi, who is not yet a year old, has taken his first steps these days. Her husband, Thierry, also lives at home with them, and they have a dog. The family, however, like almost all African families, is extended and within the four walls of the house there is always someone visiting. A cousin, a brother, a niece, or a sister-in-law. “You can wake up one day and have people sleeping in the living room, it’s very common,” Maria tells me.

Born more than 25 years ago as a non-profit social initiative associated work cooperative, DELTACOOP has consolidated its own model of support for children, adolescents, and families based on proximity, quality, and commitment to the territory. Currently, the entity is made up of professionals who actively participate in a horizontal, democratic, and people-centered organization.

“At first I was afraid of everything: of the food, that something might happen to them, I was even afraid of them sleeping away from home. But after the first experience, the girl came back very happy and the fear has passed,” explains Nabila, mother of three, about the summer camps. Her daughter Yosra, eleven years old, has already been to camps twice, once with school and once in the summer. Her son Marouan, 16 years old, has also been – this year will be the fourth time – and the youngest, Omar, hasn't dared to go yet, although Nabila has hopes.

At just fifteen days old, Bruna spent her first weekend in a house that, not long before, her parents and a dozen other families had jointly rented to share time and leisure. She is now twenty years old and, although she doesn't go as often as before, she is happy to have it available. “I remember the excitement of Friday afternoons, when I knew we were going,” explains Bruna, “we had a great time, we went on excursions and we had a cabin”. 

“Children don’t just feel conflict, they breathe it”. Psychologist specialized in mediation and conciliation Javier Wilhelm highlights that when two families go through a conflict situation and their children share a class, this has a direct implication on the minors’ well-being. The school can play an important role as a link between the parties, but the key factor that will determine the extent of the consequences are the families involved. The way they manage their disagreement –with the emotions it entails– can lead to a serious estrangement between the children and, among adults, open a communicative abyss.

A few days ago, a news story broke in the media that chilled us. It was, presumably, one of the most harrowing cases of violence against a baby by its parents that has been disclosed. As soon as it became known – and in the supposed search for context – several media outlets emphasized an aspect of this context that immediately aroused my indignation as a social work professional for 30 years. The greatest surprise of pundits and supposed 'experts' was how this situation had occurred, given that it involved a family they described as 'normal.' In this context, 'normal' referred to the fact that they lived in a neighborhood not designated as an area at risk of social exclusion, the father and mother worked, and furthermore, the mother was a nurse. In short – and without calling it such – it was defined as a family that had no financial problems. Thus, when reference was made to a "normal" family in these terms, it follows that all families with a situation of economic precariousness are not normal and, on the other hand, I also deduce from the context that what is said without being said is that, in families where there is no poverty, it is not usual for violence to occur or we have no way of explaining it. It seems particularly interesting to me to emphasize what is the mental framework that underlies half-said words. These frameworks can often determine people's lives without express intent. In this case, we are talking about stigma towards poverty, now called aporophobia. Under this classist premise, we understand that children in economically vulnerable families are always at risk and, therefore, under observation, control, and suspicion. On the other hand, those children for whom – due to the economic situation of their living environment – there are no mechanisms that allow the alarm bell to be sounded, may be experiencing situations of neglect or physical, psychological, or emotional violence without any protection mechanism being deployed, except in cases of extreme severity like this one.Although, in general, there is a high level of professionalism in the various public systems for child and adolescent protection, as well as in the health system, stigma can operate and does operate both at a structural level and in the specific area of individual perception. Stigma leads us to accept as a society a system where all children who attend only private circuits (especially educational and health) do not receive the same level of control as in the public sphere. Precisely because we think that in “normal” families all this does not happen. And, on the other hand, we have also accepted that the places where families go to request economic aid for situations of economic vulnerability are analyzed from top to bottom. Everything is understood and explainable from a particular analysis, but the final result is a structural classism and often racism that presents a bias in the social perception regarding the relationship between violence and economic inequality.

The growth of the economy translated last year into the lowest level of household and business debt in 25 years. And, on the other hand, household financial wealth, resulting from the difference between assets held and debts, reached a record of 2.645 trillion euros, representing 156.8% of GDP, compared to the average of 149.1% since 2022, according to data from the financial accounts of the Spanish economy published by the Bank of Spain.

The war in Iran has once again put inflation at the center of economic debate. As already happened with the invasion of Ukraine, the rise in energy prices is beginning to spread to the rest of the economy and is once again straining the cost of living. The OECD announced this week an increase in inflation of around 3% for this 2026.

Some families know exactly which school they want for their children, while others begin an intense research process after a positive pregnancy test. My first thought would be that the perfect school doesn't exist. Just like perfect parents and the perfect job don't exist. There will always be something that feels off, and you'll have to define your true red lines. I do think it's very important to consider different educational options and visit more than one school, whether at open houses or by having a personal interview. Let's be honest, if we go to different dealerships to buy a car, this infinitely more important task requires our time and a clear understanding of the school where we'll pre-enroll.

One of the major problems facing Catalonia's primary sector is the severe lack of generational replacement. Although the demand for labor in this sector is very high, bureaucracy and the difficult conditions in which they work Farmers and ranchers seem to be discouraging younger generations from wanting to dedicate their professional lives to agriculture. The succession of family farms is at a critical juncture. At least, that's what this confirms. a technical dossier prepared by the General Directorate of Agri-food Companies in 2024 The study indicates that farmers under 40 years old represent only 11% of farms in the European Union (EU), while in Catalonia this figure plummets to 7%. "A combination of social, economic, environmental, and cultural factors affects the health of the agricultural sector and puts many current farms on alert, as they do not foresee a natural succession," the same study argues. And what is this natural succession? It's the children, who don't follow in their parents' footsteps.

Catalan households allocate 43.5 out of every 100 euros of their income to basic expenses, such as housing, groceries, and energy consumption (electricity, water, and fuel). This amount, which represents an average of 1,342 euros per month, is part of the third Planeta Propietario Barometer. The analysis, prepared by the Mutual Association of Property Owners, reveals the highest figure since the study began. It shows that household bills, which consume a significant portion of the minimum wage (SMI) – €1,184 per month last year – mean that 3 out of 10 Catalans have difficulty paying for these basic expenses. Households where the family depends on a single minimum wage earner must allocate more than their entire net income to basic expenses, leaving no room for savings or unexpected costs. However, Catalonia is not the autonomous community where basic expenses consume the largest share of income. Ahead of them are the Balearic Islands, with 50.1%, Andalusia (49%), the Canary Islands (47.9%), and the Community of Madrid (46.2%), according to the same study, based on interviews and questions posed to 2,339 men and women over 18 years of age, distributed across autonomous communities according to their weight in the total. Housing, which limits rents in high-demand areas, is a key factor.

"I have a school very close to home, but there are so many vulnerable students." "I've found a high school with resources, good teachers, and attractive facilities, but it takes in too many immigrants and children from dysfunctional families." "I'm interested in a school's educational project, but it's extremely complex..." Now that school pre-registration is approaching, it's no surprise to hear phrases like these, which contribute to the continued high level of segregation in our education system. The problem is not solved, even though the [report/document/report/etc.] was published in 2019. Pact against School Segregation, signed by the Catalan Ombudsman, the Catalan Government, and several city councils.

Before becoming a mother, I had very firm convictions about who I was and what my path would be. I didn't imagine the extent to which motherhood transforms you completely, the extent to which I myself would become a different person. I thought it would be harder for me to stop prioritizing myself, and that I would sometimes experience it with unease or as a loss.

The stock market and capital markets have yet to fully capture the interest of Spanish families. The level of investment by Spanish households in these markets remains low compared to other eurozone countries. Currently, savings allocated to listed shares, bonds, investment funds, and other products represent the equivalent of 66% of gross domestic product (GDP), well below the European average (94%). This figure also differs significantly from economies such as Denmark (194%) and the Netherlands (164%), according to the latest report from the Association of Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), covering the first half of this year.

Rosalía is a name of Latin origin that the singer from Sant Esteve Sesrovires has popularized, but it's practically nonexistent in the census. It's not a name that families today choose when naming their daughters. We've gone from around 600 women with the name Rosalía (with and without the accent) in the 1950s to fewer than ten today. The average age of Rosalías in Spain is 61.5 years, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Zamora, Salamanca, Almería, and Ourense are the provinces where we find the most. Because it's such an uncommon name, "any fluctuation attracts attention, such as the concentration of several Rosalías in the municipality of Capçanes, in the Priorat region. Could they be from the same family?" wonders Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology CSIC-UPF, who adds that it's also a name that is sometimes spelled Italia (Italy).

"When I arrived with the foster family, everything was new. I had much more freedom, I could do many more things than in a center. Being taken in was like a gift, I will always say that," explains Laura Frau, a foster child for 12 years. Her biological family couldn't take her, so at the age of 6, social services referred her to a foster home run by the General Directorate for Child and Adolescent Care (DGAIA), an agency of the Generalitat (Catalan government) responsible for caring for minors who lack family members.

This Tuesday's Council of Ministers approved the extension of maternity and paternity leave, as well as childcare leave. "In this case, it's for a good cause," argued the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, at a press conference this Tuesday.

The net wealth of Spanish households grew by 8.1% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period a year ago, reaching €2.4 trillion, according to financial accounts published by the Bank of Spain. The same report shows a moderation in household debt, reaching 43.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), its lowest level since the first quarter of 2000.