They call me the baby whisperer. Well, actually no one does, but that sounds better than simply saying I’m good with kids. So naturally you would think my reaction to finding out I would be interning at Parents magazine over the summer would have been a positive one, but to be honest, I thought it was a mistake. How was I at all qualified to write about children for a magazine for women who actually have children when, in reality, I know nothing about kids and what it means to be responsible for someone other than myself? But here’s the thing, and I don’t like to often admit this, I was wrong: Parents was where I was supposed to be. There was something warm about the Parents floor in the Meredith building on 3rd Avenue although the cold air pumped profusely from hidden vents. Everyone smiled as my supervisor circled me around the cubicles—the kind of smile where the skin wrinkled around their eyes—as though they were genuinely happy to have me in the office. I could have been naive and their smiles could have been forced, but my impression was confirmed when I sat down at my desk and logged into my email where several messages from editors waited to be opened.

   Despite its exaggerations and intensities, I imagined my internship to be somewhat reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada: Delivering mail, opening packages, scanning manuscripts, getting coffee. And yes, while I have done all of those things—except get coffee—I have also been given research, pitching and writing opportunities. My research has varied from stalking follow worthy families on Instagram to confirming how many women have abortions in America. I’ve pitched ideas for the magazine’s Kid frontis and our Parents Perspective blog. I got to interview olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes—and eat breakfast with her at an event, a glorious perk of the magazine industry—about her partnership with GoGo SqueeZ for an online story and even contribute small pieces to the print magazine.

   As the sole editorial intern for Parents I’ve gotten to work closely with several editors from different departments: Articles, beauty, food and home. While I hope to be a lifestyle and relationships editor one day, a department that Parents doesn’t really have, I was happy to gain insight in other areas and see how all departments operate. Not only did it open my eyes to more possibilities but it also solidified my desire to write about and edit relationship content.