My sense of worth can’t be derived from outside traits. — “Kevin’s parents sold their house and made $400,000 in profit,” my eldest son tells me as I drive him to school. Kevin is his best friend. Apparently, Kevin’s parents had bought their house for a million and sold it for 1.4 million. Hence, they made $400,000. I respond that their…

Life changes. Sometimes we can control these changes; sometimes we can’t. — Dogs often crap in the yard in front of the duplex where I live. No one cleans up after their dog even though this is the socially expected thing to do. One would think a dog owner would realize someone lives in this duplex — a family (two families, in…

Society views a man’s time as more valuable than a woman’s. — “I’m too busy to do that,” my ex-husband recently told me when I asked him to help our son study for his Social Studies test. Our son has a D in the class, after all. He has a learning disability and needs extra help to do well in his classes. …

Unemployed men have the option to do jobs traditionally held by women but often refuse. — A recession is a period of significant economic decline that lasts for more than a few months. The National Bureau of Economic Research has yet to formally declare the U.S. economy in a recession. But if our economy does fall into a recession, will we also see a “man-cession”? What’s a “man-cession”? During…

I only put up with it because I was insecure after my divorce. — Gerald gestured to me from his booth in the middle of the restaurant where he’d invited me to meet him for our first date. He gave me the international hand signal to “hold on.” I did what he said, and “held on” at the entrance of the restaurant. We’d matched…

Only by “loudly quitting” was I able to finally move on. — “We need to go to marriage therapy now!” my husband cried out. I’d just told him I was leaving him. He said I’d blindsided him, and demanded we go to marriage therapy right that moment. Actually, we ended up in the counselor’s office the very next day. My husband called…

A “sleep divorce” may save your relationship. — A woman took to Mumsnet, an internet forum for parents, to declare that she hasn’t slept better since she left the bed she once shared with her husband. She now sleeps in her son’s room on a fold-out couch. Instead of waking up all night to various disturbances from her…

If they’re financially irresponsible, you might want to. — With marriage comes the assumption that a couple will pool together their financial resources. New partners open joint checking and savings accounts together and then their assets become common property. New partners want to do this because they’re in love and because they’ve decided to build a life together. This…

As the parent of a “wild child,” I agree. — Mary Katherine Backstrom, a mom and blogger, wrote a now-viral post on TODAY Parenting Team Community about how some kids are just, well, “feral.” Parents can potty train and sleep train and teach manners until their brains are about to explode, but there are some children who, for some reason…