Sometimes parenting sucks, but sometimes it’s the most glorious part of being human. In holiday gift-giving expenditures, Mother’s Day ranks fourth behind Christmas, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. Father’s Day falls a sad sixth in spending, coming after Easter. This may be only a rough indication of the involvement of mothers versus fathers, but we tend to put our money […]
This is pay-back, pure and simple. A version of “you hurt me, so I’m going to hurt you.” Be very careful if you’re thinking along these lines. I totally get that having a mate–the person closest to you–cheat on you hurts like hell. In that distressed moment, you want to lash out, to make your lover […]
We live in a very complicated world and sometimes we get depressed. Many choose to take medications to help with this, but a recent Harvard study showed that depression medication–for those who are mildly to moderately depressed–has no more impact than that of a placebo. For the severely depressed, medication was found to have more effect.For some […]
Being a teen is tough.Yes, parenting teens is really tough, but if your kid is a teen–particularly a late teen–think about what they’re facing. Most kids are sheltered and some are pampered. If the child is lucky and life is working out as it should, she’s been looked after and encouraged to prosper.When children come into this world as tadpoles […]
Everyone has moments they’re not proud of–mistakes they made or bad choices they regret. Some, though, have secrets they hide in shame. Clients sometimes tell me about these, confessing in hushed, halted voices to sins they can’t forget or forgive themselves for.They fear the consequences of these secrets ever becoming known, but more than this, they […]
Whether or not you leave a dysfunctional relationship is completely your decision. No one has the right to tell you what to do, no matter how close they are to you or what kind of degrees they have.Not long ago, I was contacted by a man who was angry because his ex-girlfriend claimed that I’d […]
What do you do when it doesn’t seem like the person you’re talking to is listening?Every one of us has had a situation in which we didn’t feel heard. People often talk of communication problems, but what we normally do when we don’t feel understood or when we’re angry is to raise our voices. We […]
Infidelity rips relationships up and recovery is difficult. Some people walk away from situations where someone has cheated, unable or unwilling to continue once trust has been broken. Others stay for a variety of reasons. This is a very personal choice and no one but the parties involved get to vote on whether the relationship continues. […]
“My husband and I have a happy healthy relationship for the most part, but it changes when he goes to work. He works out of town every other week and it seems like every time he leaves we start arguing. The minute he gets home we are as happy as can be. I don’t know […]
“I spent 3 years in a verbally abuse, mentally exhausting, chaotic relationship. The thing was, I loved her. She broke up with me in October of last year, but has been living in my house until today (March 1st). I am having trouble getting over her. She was an awful partner, didn’t appreciate me, never did […]