Relationships

Having a happy spouse might help you live longer, says new study

It's science.

Fatherhood is a huge identity shift, too—so why doesn’t society acknowledge that?

Too often, dads get a week (or less) of paternity leave before they are expected to carry on as if nothing has changed.

10 positive phrases to say when you get unwanted parenting advice

You can feel their spoken and unspoken judgments, and it's really putting you on edge, but you don't want to have uncomfortable conversations or tension. So what do you do, mama?

My co-parent is absent but the love in our home is not

One of the hardest things with this is the uncertainty—it's incredibly challenging when you don't fully understand why, let alone if, or when, he may return.

7 ways to ease the tension if you disagree with your parents on how to raise your child

3. Validate their concerns

Why I don’t mind if my daughter asks hard questions

I grew up wondering many things but was hushed quickly. My parents would try to nurture what they could but the school I attended and the society we STILL live in doesn't like children asking hard questions. They aren't supposed to have hard questions, especially little girls, who seem to have extra layers of nonsense to contend with when they give voice to deep thoughts.

Co-parenting with an addict means I am basically raising my son alone

As his former spouse, I know that deep down in there somewhere is a man who wants to do well in the world. Someone who wants to be reconnected to his son, who yearns to prove to the world that he's capable. But as a mom, I put up giant barriers and protectors.

Mama, my best advice for you? Let people help

What if we all admitted that motherhood can be so, so hard sometimes? What if, after we did that, then we asked for help from the people we love? Or what if we just took it when it was offered to us? Without fear or guilt or inadequacy or feeling like we owe them or beating ourselves up over it?

I need something totally different from my friends now that I’m a mom

Not someone who is just like me, but one who models who I hope to be.

Dear husband: Thank you for respecting my decision to be a SAHM

Every day I feel grateful to call you mine.

Our childcare is provided entirely by my parents + my in-laws—but part of me still worried

I felt like going back to work meant the end of my time being my daughter's mom. In that way, it felt like her grandparents were going to become her new parents and I'd be chopped liver.

My divorce taught me to say ‘yes’ to my kids—and myself—in a way I had never done before

I had to learn that sometimes the best thing you can do for the people you love is break all the rules.

Dear husband: I need more attention and affection from you than ever before

Maybe it's because I am somehow lonely even though there is literally another human attached to me at any given point in any given day. Maybe it's because I know that what I need from you is different than before, and I am terrified that you won't be able to give it to me.

Asking for help is the key to getting *all* the things done, mama

To be a truly great leader in your family, you need to slow down and be purposeful with your time.

Becoming parents completely changed who we are

But I love this version even more.

How ‘Friends’ saved my marriage

Discover how 'Friends' helped us bond as parents with laughter and valuable life lessons that saved our marriage.

Grandma + grandpa: Go ahead, spoil my kids this Christmas

When my kids receive a gift from their grandparent, it's the grandparents I watch, not my kids. When the presents produce squeals from the kids' mouths, I can't escape the glint in my parents' eyes. Who am I to stop that?

My best friend and I decided to move in together and co-parent our children

Our arrangement goes beyond that of roommates. We're genuinely leaning on each other; when one of us has more capacity than the other, she tags in.

Managing caregiving and work isn’t a woman’s issue—it’s a human issue

The conversation about caregiving and work must be more inclusive.

What a clinical therapist wants you to know about couple’s therapy

It is not about having a perfect relationship without difficult moments. Rather, it is about repairing the hurts and mistakes that happen so we do not keep repeating them.