“There’s been a shift in the world, in the way in which we treat one another. No longer do we see the common threads that bind us.”
‘I see people making grand declarations on their Facebook pages: ‘If you voted for So-So, unfriend me now!’: Woman urges ‘acknowledge differences and let love lead the way’
‘That night led to a heated conversation. She finally looked at me and said, ‘What do you need?’: Couple struggling with new normal says ‘we must take care of each other’
“She was fried. She hadn’t slept much. I felt invisible. She looked at me and said, ‘This isn’t you, or the parent you want to be, so you need to tell me what you need or snap out of it.’ We sat in that uncomfortable place for a good 45 minutes.”
‘Dear mom, you’re never a bother. I love you, and what we have will always be special.’: Woman urges ‘tell your mom you love her’
“‘I’m sorry,’ I said when I finally sat down on the couch across from my mom. Already, I could feel my nose start to sting. ‘What happened? We used to talk every day.’ My mom shrugged, and I caught her looking down to the ground. ‘Growing up happens.'”
‘I didn’t know there was a problem. If she’d been honest and said, ‘Hey, I don’t like you hanging out with my ex,’ we could have worked it out.’: Woman navigates adult friendships, boundaries after friends’ break up
“My friends Tina and Conner broke up. I won’t go into detail, but we all know the saying, ‘There are 3 sides to every story — his, hers, and the truth.’ Is it wrong to want to remain friends with a friend’s ex? He and my husband were friends, and honestly, we missed hanging out with the guy.”
‘His family kept up appearances and cared what people thought. Everyone knew mine was a hot mess. We’d never seen a relationship we would want. We had to go find it.’: Woman claims the ‘communication’ is the key to a healthy relationship
“We were too young, too inexperienced, too still in college, too poor… I was 18 and he was 20. Nobody wanted us to get married. His family got quiet, tiptoed, and avoided.”
‘The therapist looks at him. ‘Well?’ she asks, ‘what do you feel when she cries?’ He’s staring at the floor. ‘Not much.’: Woman reminds us ‘lack of empathy kills relationships’
“She cries and tears flood her face. She mumbles through broken sobs, ‘He doesn’t love me anymore. He isn’t the man he used to be.’ The therapist leans in. ‘Look at her face. Tell me what you see, tell me what you feel. Ignore what your mind tells you, and listen to your heart.'”
‘Say you love them and mean it. Life is so short. Stop hinting around about what you want and just say it. Be happy with your person or don’t get married.’: Woman reminds us ‘love happens not only in the sunshine but also in the shadows’
“‘Girl, run the other way!’ My husband told me a story tonight about a couple who’d been together many years and decided to divorce. ‘They still loved each other, but have become different people.’ They were together for 22 years. This made me so so sad.”
‘I was 13 when an older friend said, ‘I’m out of condoms but it’s fine, I know what I’m doing.’ I believed him.’: Woman says the key to a healthy sex life after a ‘past’ is communication
“At 13, I began to let boys put their hands on my sacred spaces, but my permission still didn’t gain their respect. I was just a goal conquered as he walked past the football team. I saw the smirks and yet I continued to endure the degrading behavior. Sex is so much more sacred than mankind has treated it.”
‘He may not always hold my hand, or say the words ‘I love you.’ But he always leaves me a plate of food on the counter.’: Woman says ‘it’s the little things’ after 21 years of marriage
“I read an article about hitting the marriage jackpot if your husband ‘does these 10 things.’ My husband of 21 years does none of them, but I still hit the jackpot.”
‘My 16-year-old was upset over a fight with a friend. When I really listened, it turns out this friend has been making her feel ‘less than’ for months.’: One mom’s approach to ‘listening’ vs. ‘action’ conversations helped relationship with teens
“What I’ve learned after trying it for a couple of months is that it’s much harder for me to shut up and not shove my opinion down their throats or try to solve their problems for them than I thought. I figured they’d be the ones unable to play by the ground rules, but it was a big lesson for me as well.”
