There are a lot of twins in my family with some on both sides. Interestingly, they’re all fraternal male/female twins. No identical twins, no sets of twin girls or twin boys—all fraternal sets of one boy and one girl. My paternal side has three sets in the last three generations. But my maternal side has […] More
Parentification is getting more notice in the wake of reality TV shows featuring large families where the older siblings take on the parenting role for their younger siblings. Parentification—also referred to as parent-child role reversal—is when a child is expected to take on responsibilities that are usually reserved for adults, such as providing emotional or […] More
Sibling rivalries can either be discouraged or enabled by parents. There are healthy rivalries in life—around inherently competitive activities like sports. But siblings constantly pitted against each other is toxic. There’s always a winner and a loser. A self-described black sheep in a rivalry with the golden child turned to the “Am I The A**hole” […] More
Prom—short for promenade—has been around probably longer than most people might think. Similar celebratory events for young people go back to ancient civilizations, but modern prom is an offshoot of 18th and 19th century debutante balls. Those high-society gatherings were an introductory parading of adolescent girls or young women who reached the age when courtship […] More
The hardest thing about being a parent is knowing that everyone has an opinion on how you’re doing it. Nothing can be more infuriating or humiliating than a fellow parent raising eyebrows at what you allow your child to eat, watch or play. Perhaps the only thing that could possibly be more irritating is when […] More
Siblings often don’t get along. It’s so common there are a multitude of books, programs and studies about sibling dynamics. Sometimes, there are clear reasons for the animosity. But sometimes, no one—even the siblings—can explain why they clash. How parents respond to sibling rivalry can have a major impact. One parent trying to navigate these […] More
Who owns an idea? There are ways to protect them, like trademarks, copyrights and patents, but if you don’t have that, is an idea yours? If you tell a friend or family member your idea and they use it, is it theft or a betrayal or just bad luck? A woman struggling with lingering resentment […] More
When a person has gone no contact with some or all of their family, are they required to forgive and forget, let go of the past, and mend fences? Or is it OK to permanently cut people out of their lives, regardless of their familial connection? A woman is wondering that after an estranged sibling […] More
Infertility and difficulty with bringing a pregnancy to full term is heartbreaking for anyone trying to have children. When people in their circle conceive without any problems, it can be a touchy subject. A woman who—with the help of her family—hid her pregnancy from her sister with fertility issues, turned to the “Am I The […] More
Share and share alike sounds like good advice, but there has to be limits. For example, at some point siblings need autonomy. Small children might be asked to share everything, but that needs to end at some point. It definitely shouldn’t continue into adulthood. A woman dealing with being asked to share her engagement party […] More
When people have big news, they want to share it with the people they love. But what if more than one person has news to share? Is it OK for everyone to share their news at the same family event? A woman was left wondering that after her sister got upset with her for making […] More
Weddings are events that have entire books devoted to the etiquette for the couple getting married, their families, and guests. But is there etiquette for wedding gifts? You betcha! What about wedding gifts for a couple that divorced but then decided to get remarried? Yep, there’s wedding etiquette for pretty much everything that might happen. […] More
