A few weeks ago, we published a story about alloparents-- "other parents" who help mom and/or dad. Alloparents can be grandparents, siblings, friends, neighbors, even random strangers in a pinch. Reporter Michaeleen Doucleff wrote about a study of a hunter/gatherer tribe in Congo where, on average, a family had eight alloparents.
But in many countries in the West, there's an idea that mom can do it all.
We asked our readers to share their own stories about alloparents and got over 100 submissions from around the world -- and one gentle poke noting that, duh, of course it's helpful to have alloparents.
The stories are so lovely. One of my favorites is from a mom who was haplessly trying to change her baby in an airport restroom in Italy when a housekeeper came to her aid. They didn't share a language. But the woman who lent a hand (and an empathetic gaze) was clearly an alloparent.
Captive in a chicken coop: The plight of debt bondage workers India outlawed this form of forced labor: An employer pays a cash sum in exchange for weeks of labor and extracts penalties if terms are not met. But it persists — and appears to be on the rise.
India has devised a portable field hospital that can be air-dropped into disaster zones. The Guardian has the story.
Cats, rhesus monkeys and cows strike a pose on the streets of Dhaka. They're subjects for photographer Ashraful Arefin, whose work is showcased on This Is Colossal.
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