I’m excited to have a piece on the new site Motherwell, edited by the talented Lauren Apfel and 
Randi Olin. I think Motherwell stands out from other sites about parenting, but you have to click through their articles to see why.
My essay, “Call Me Mrs. Badzin,” is about how I used to insist that other kids call me Nina, but as my kids (and their friends) are getting older I find myself preferring Mrs. Badzin.
There’s a poll at the end of the essay asking what other parents prefer. In my social circle almost all the adults go by their first names. It’s not like me to go so out of the way to be different, but that’s where I’ve landed. I’m Mrs. Badzin. Why?
See you at Motherwell for the full story!
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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.
Latest posts by Nina Badzin (see all)
- #186 – The Friend Who Copies You: Flattering or Frustrating? - March 1, 2026
- #185 – When Career Success Strains Your Friendships - February 22, 2026
- #184 – Socially Connected, Emotionally Unsettled: The Friendship Paradox - February 15, 2026
- #183 – Are You Mad at Me? Friendship Anxiety and the Need for Validation - February 8, 2026
