Family

Parenting: Two clingy kids won’t let Mom be

A. Thank you for this great note. I talk to many parents about this issue, so rest assured, this is…

January 21, 2016

Family

The hidden dangers of ‘shake it off’ parenting

“Shake it off! We need you out there!” The words, from the mouth of a mother I don’t know at…

January 21, 2016

Family

Baggage check: How do I stand up to my mother-in-law when my husband is a mama’s boy?

A. I’ve typed it before and I’ll type it again: Being the mediator when someone from your family of origin…

January 21, 2016

Family

What to wear? Six first-date style tips for women

What you wear to coffee, cocktails or dinner at that hot new restaurant shouldn’t add to your stress. As stylists…

January 21, 2016

Family

My ex-husband’s mom is still my mother-in-law

To my surprise, I immediately felt at home. She delighted in seeing my engagement ring that had been designed using…

January 21, 2016

Family

Even Facebook can’t help you have more than 150 real friends

An Oxford anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist who is one of the leading experts on those questions decided to take a…

January 21, 2016

Family

On a third date, she said: ‘You can’t afford me, Trotsky’

Sure, it was getting late, and I still had students’ papers to grade. But I selected a bottle of wine…

January 21, 2016

Family

Resolving to set a better example for kids in 2016

The next 1.3 seconds inside my head went something like this: “Noooo way I haven’t stepped on that in forever…

January 16, 2016

Family

Britain’s Cameron proposes state-backed parenting classes

One of Cameron’s new policy prescriptions, unveiled Monday with an announcement that England will pour 70 million pounds (nearly $100…

January 15, 2016

Family

Keeping them grounded when the sky’s the limit

A few years ago, we had the Tiger Mom, who raised gifted musician daughters using methods that struck many readers…

January 14, 2016

Family

Dating as a single mom: I want to, but I can’t

When my friend suggested a baby sitter who was a male, I hesitated. I finally called out of desperation, hoping…

January 14, 2016

Family

I know how to use a hammer. So why do I let my husband do everything around the house?

Before we married, I kept a tool kit, drill and ladder in a storage closet. The contents of the kit…

January 14, 2016

Family

‘Should we let her fail?’ might be the wrong question

A: There are a couple of key facts I am missing here. No. 1, I don’t know if this is…

January 14, 2016

Family

How to help middle schoolers living in a sometimes scary place

This was back in the 1980s, an era with its share of terrorism and social difficulties. We read the paper…

January 13, 2016

Family

I don’t need a boyfriend – I need a BFF

This woman wasn’t my girlfriend. She was my friend. And she was only the first in a long line of…

January 13, 2016

Family

Love on the spectrum: How autism brought one couple together

With that one syllable, Dave Hamrick can tell how his wife is feeling. It might be a confident “pssst” if…

January 13, 2016

Family

It might take you 121 first dates to find the love of your life

The 48-year-old San Francisco-based dating coach reveals her dating low moments and how she ultimately met her current partner, Dave,…

January 13, 2016

Family

Baggage check: Friend is a major flake, and a sister’s children are ‘nightmares’

A: She is a good friend; not only can you be honest with her, but you really need to. Who…

January 13, 2016

Family

The smart economics of Norway’s parental leave, and why the U.S. should consider it

Enjoying nature with a sleeping babe wrapped in wool feels like a luxury. But the ultimate luxury is not having…

January 13, 2016

Family

Are modern forces ruining my child’s manners? Maybe. Or else it’s just that he’s 9.

That’s not all: If a box of tissues is not in immediate reach, he blows his nose into his shirt.…

January 13, 2016

Family

White mother of black son makes impassioned plea

She and a friend had been talking about Tamir, and the friend asked: “What can we do? How can we…

January 9, 2016

Family

A traumatic first birth carries over to a new pregnancy

I had never thought of myself as the home-birthing, no-pain-meds, birth plan type. But two years earlier when our first…

January 9, 2016

Family

What does it take to go from ‘single’ to ‘in a relationship’?

Getting into a relationship takes more than just creating an online profile. You have to use it – a lot.…

January 9, 2016

Family

Getting creative when you can’t afford child care

“Everything’s OK,” he said. “But did you forget it’s Thursday? And she apparently gets out of school an hour early…

January 9, 2016