Posts

So what’s preventing couples from taking those next steps to repairing their relationship? Plenty, actually. “There’s often a stigma attached to seeking help, particularly therapeutic help,” says Zach Brittle, MA, LMHC, a Certified Gottman Therapist, author, teacher, and speaker. “No one wants to admit that they’re in trouble.” Socially, we don’t want anyone to find out that our marriage is failing. “We’re conditioned from an early age, from our own family history and relationships, that when we bump up against problems, we feel like we should be able to solve them on our own,” offers Neil Venketramen, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist for The Family Institute at Northwestern University....

A lowered libido occurs naturally in some cases. After the birth of a child, men experience a drop in testosterone that increases empathy, love, and caregiving capacity. Oftentimes these hormonal and behavioral changes come with side effects like a lowered sex drive. And for some, this natural reduction in libido, or male arousal, is a welcome relief and something they seek through other means like anaphrodisiacs, and it’s often welcomed by partners on the mend due to childbirth....

Why is My Baby Grinding Her Teeth? Teeth grinding, or Bruxism as it is referred to by doctors, is typical in babies, with nearly 50 percent of them doing it at some point. Dr. Kami Hoss, the founder of The Super Dentists, finds most kids grind their teeth as a matter of exploration. “Simple discovery is one reason kids grind their teeth,” he explains, adding that this curiosity usually begins at about ten months when a baby’s top and bottom front teeth have come in....

“Having a newborn changes everything in your life, including your relationship,” says Taylor, a public relations director in San Francisco. “You and your partner are in straight-up survival mode, operating on no sleep and thinking about nurturing your relationship doesn’t even come into it because you are literally fantasizing about sleep the way people fantasize about sex.” As any parent knows, stress and sleeplessness can extend beyond the newborn phase and put strain on a marriage....

True parental teaching moments are rare. We utter statements to our kids about the right ways to think and act in situations, but how often do we get to demonstrate them in real life? Here were two men, acting selfishly, who needed to be aware of the consequences of their actions. So I motioned to my daughter and they understood. One of the men held up his finger and told us they were on their last level and would be done shortly....

So what is flurona? It’s not actually a distinct infection. Instead, it occurs when the stars align and you contract the flu and COVID simultaneously. And by all accounts, it’s pretty awful. According to Atlanta-based ER doctor Darria Long Gillespie, M.D., flurona is more officially called a co-infection, and it’s been around since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s “not new — while [co-infections are] more rare (simply because you have to catch both at the same time), we have seen co-infection since the beginning,” Gillespie told Fatherly....

There have, however, been some studies. Scientists narrowed down the basic points in a study published in Family Therapy back in 2001. They interview 15 heterosexual couples who had been married for at least 35 years, and found that, predictably, friendship and love were two consistent factors in highly functional marriage. But they also uncovered several fascinating trends in their review of the literature. The findings suggested there may be a concrete, measurable answer to what keeps some people together....

What to Do — and Not Do — When Your Partner Is Fighting With Their Parents 1. Be Patient So, you’re out to dinner with the in-laws, presiding over your chicken piccata in relative peace when, because of an ill-said phrase, comment, or opinion, a fight begins to brew. This happens. Families have a lot of history and a level of comfort that allows mild disagreements or old thorns to appear....

You want the crying to stop, but it won’t for a long, long time. At least it feels that way. You fear it’s extra loud, everyone is looking. You just don’t want this right here and now. Here’s the thing: “It’s not about you. It’s about your child,” says Dr. Gene Beresin, executive director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School....

“Though it may not be dangerous for your baby to have a little taste of ice cream once she is 6 months old and above, there are some potential problems,” Crosby says. “Ice cream could contain ingredients that are dangerous for infants like honey or some potential allergens, for example.” Babies aren’t supposed to have honey before the one-year mark because of the risk of botulism, a type of poisoning....

Unless you’re in New Jersey, chances are your state has let you know that it is officially reopening, on the march to “business as usual.” Lockdown orders are lifted, stores are reopening — bars and restaurants included — and everywhere, there is pressure to go out. It’s not explicit, of course. Most elected officials* are encouraging people to socially distance and to be cautious even as social spaces open up....

If left to their own devices, babies and toddlers would allow their curiosity to get them into any number of jams. They could be seriously hurt without proper guidance. That guidance “starts very early as a simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” says Dr. Michele Borba, author of No More Misbehavin’: 38 Difficult Behaviors and How to Stop Them. MORE: What is the Difference, Exactly, Between Crime and Punishment? It really is that simple....

Snow White is a pretty young princess who doesn’t have a care in the world until the Queen, her evil stepmother, decides she needs to die when a talking mirror tells her Snow White is hotter than her. Snow White then escapes to the forest and befriends a group of dwarfs and exists happily until the Queen, disguised as an old woman, gives her a poison apple which puts Snow White in a coma....

“That is hilarious. Because I need some Lizzie Olsen on my shoulder all the time. So it goes right back. I miss her madly,” says Hahn, in the midst of a media blitz promoting WandaVision. “I’m in LA in my garage. I keep asking everybody to stay off video games as long as you can for our, for our wifi purposes.” By day, Hahn is the meddling snoop who lives near Wanda (Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), trash-talking her MIA husband while helping Wanda plan a seductive date night....

Do toys have a negative impact on a girl’s self-esteem? These are the kinds of questions that were asked at the Building Our Future Conferences in New York (in conjunction with Women and Toys) and in Nuremberg (in conjunction with the Spielwarenmesse). The theme for the conference was “Girls and Toys,” and we aggressively questioned generally accepted notions of toys and gender. Is Pink A Girl’s Color? The idea for the conference arose from an interchange at a previous year’s meeting....

The shower beer originated from Swedish Craft Brewery Pang Pang, whose fascination with drinking beer in the shower led them to create a 6-ounce ale meant to be swallowed in three sips —just long enough for a quick shower. Although the initial volume was likely influenced by modesty (after all, the practice can smack of a drinking problem to some), today people have come to accept its practice, and volumes are no longer restricted....

My parents were wrong. They, white middle-class suburban Americans, let the good times that came with the recent injection of free-market capitalism ride and ditched the discussion of politics as an unnecessary remnant of the last generation. Signs serve a purpose. Politicking has a part in democracy and advocacy is part of politicking. This is true leading up to an election. Come election night, it’s time to take down that sign....

A Hairy Chest Might Mean You’re More Intelligent The hairier the chest, the smarter the man, at least according to one survey that found nearly 50% of medical students were considered “very hairy” compared to 10% of the general population. (We’d love to know exactly how they surveyed this, but data is data.) Although the research is dated, another study found that a majority of members of Mensa, or the genius club, had thick chest hair as well....

Just about a year ago, Walter was fond of telling me on a regular basis how much more he loves Mom than me. It stings a little bit to hear that you’re solidly in second place, but it’s OK. I think Lori is great, too. On days when I bought him candy or toys, I might temporarily climb the charts to #1. But it never lasted for long. I get it....

When was the last time you yelled? A few months back. What happened? I was about to board an airplane home to Florida from Salt Lake City. I was on a business trip. So I get a call from my wife, and she tells me that my son was playing and scratched up the laminate wood flooring pretty badly. Uh oh. Yeah. So, being far away from the situation, all I could do was start to fume....