“How was school?” (Shrug.) “Fine.” “What did you do?” (Shrug.) “Nothing.” “Anything fun happen today?” (Side eye. Sigh. And…Shrug.) If this sounds familiar, join the club! Not only do I have two teenagers, but I’ve interviewed and surveyed about 3,000 of them for For Parents Only and other books, and discovered that the condition homo teenagesapiens silenticus…
So ladies, imagine one morning during the holidays, your old refrigerator suddenly seems about to give up the ghost. Images of all that spoiled food start dancing in your head, and you find a one-day-only flash sale for a fridge at a fantastic price . . . but your husband says he needs to think…
Nate and Kathryn are working to improve their marriage, but Nate has a pet peeve that he can’t seem to let go of. Although Kathryn is a wonderful woman and a great mother, it drives him crazy how negative she’s become. She’s critical about the most insignificant things. If it’s not the laundry, he didn’t…
Even after years of being a social researcher and learning what is in the hearts and minds of men and boys, I just wasn’t ready when my pre-teen son began struggling with the same visual temptations as adult males. But why would he not? He is genetically programmed to be male. But just because he…
I know this might seem like it should be a Mother’s Day article… but I’m going to give a shout out to all the wonderful Fathers out there. Dads, you so often are not recognized as the strong, caring, protective, loving presences that you are. I’ve interviewed so many thousands of you over the years and…
At a recent marriage conference, a man sidled up to me and began talking while keeping an eye on his wife nearby, clearly trying to ask a question before she noticed. “So,” he said in a low voice, “I say ‘I love you’ a lot. But it seems to sort of bounce off. It’s like she…
