We’re in the thick of the last Mercury retrograde of 2025. Our planet of the mind and mouth, communication and commerce began its retrograde journey on November 9. Mercury will station direct on November 29 but will not clear its post-retrograde shadow until December 16. When Mercury goes retrograde (i.e, when the planet appears to move backward in the sky), it disrupts all manner of relationships and communication, not least of all in the precarious exchanges between parents and children. “I’