Everyone knows that a person can decide what the rules are in their own home, and it’s generally understood that those rules should be respected upon visiting them. But while some people technically know this, they still refuse to respect other people’s rules when visiting someone else’s house, cringed the members of the “Am I the […] More
In 1980 in the sixth grade, the girls in my class were taken to the library to watch a filmstrip cartoon created by Kotex sometime during the 1960s to teach us about the “miracle of menstruation” complete with flowers and rainbows. By that time, I’d had my period for years. I got mine when I […] More
Anyone who has dated someone with an emotionally imbalanced family dynamic can attest to how hard it can be to maintain that relationship, to feel fulfilled by it, and to even stay in it long-term, possibly while raising children. Because when the family is already emotionally imbalanced, it’s only going to get worse with more […] More
Hyphenated last names are not a mainstream choice in the United States, with only about 5% of women choosing to hyphenate their names and less than 1% of men. The practice is more common in marriages in the LGBTQ+ community than among heterosexual couples. Hyphenating gained popularity beginning in the 1970s and plateaued in the […] More
Empty nesters—parents whose children have left home—often downsize afterward. Who needs extra bedrooms anymore? But for people who don’t, those extra rooms can be repurposed into home offices or hobby/craft rooms. But what happens when they have houseguests? A father who repurposed the guest room and his daughter’s empty bedroom turned to the “Am I […] More
No one is perfect, and while we can honor and even appreciate that, we also have to understand that sometimes our imperfections can inconvenience or hurt other people. When what we do hurts other people, we either have to let go of the behavior or we have to let go of the relationship, pointed out […] More
Content Warning: Menstruation, Period-Shaming, Sexism Sometimes when people with children from previous relationships start dating, everything will seem to be going well, their kids will get along well, and they’ll have a good impact on each other’s lives. But then they might realize that they have fundamentally different beliefs about a key issue, which could […] More
Stepfamilies can be difficult to manage. Everyone may get along fine for the most part, but then major life events may happen, and the calm gets upended. Navigating everyone’s feelings in these situations can feel impossible. So how does one make the impossible… Possible? Redditor Agent_Bubbles7 wanted to discuss his experience and get feedback, so […] More
Baby announcements can be a very nuanced situation. People plan detailed parties to let everyone know a new human is on the way. It’s a huge moment in every parent’s life. That’s why when other people also announce their own huge moments near or around other people’s moments… the drama can hit the fan. Redditor […] More
Learning that your parents are getting a divorce is very difficult news to take in. While learning that your divorced parent is going to be remarried should be happy news, it is arguably equally difficult to process. As a parent remarrying more or less solidifies that your parents’ marriage didn’t work, and there is no […] More
Choosing a name for your child is never as easy as anyone hopes it might be. Not helped at all by the fact that everyone will share their opinion on prospective names, even though they have no say in the matter. Of course, when some people hear a truly ludicrous possibility for a name, they […] More
When you are hired to perform a job, it is the most basic of expectations that you simply fulfill what was asked of you. As that is the reason people are willing to pay you. If you don’t do what was instructed and expected of you, there are often severe consequences. Up to and including, […] More
