I've been married all of 11 days now and, as if on cue, the day my husband (still very much getting used to saying that!) and I tied the knot, he stopped putting the toilet seat down. I ignored it at first, but by our first weekend together as a married couple, I couldn't stand it any longer and said something to him about it. I made a jokey comment about his sudden change in behavior—more embarrassed than pissed at being such a cliché so early in our marriage. After over three years together, surely he must realize if … Read More

I was raised in a household that revolved around my mother. She was a narcissist, someone who, according to Wendy Behary, director of the Cognitive Therapy Center of New Jersey and author of Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed is "often self-absorbed and preoccupied with a need to achieve the perfect image (recognition, status, or being envied) and have little or no capacity for listening, caring, or understanding the needs of others." My mom hasn't been formally diagnosed—few narcissists seek treatment or even recognize that they have a problem—but growing up, the signs … Read More

Her eyes stared in listless reverie at the tiled floor of her room as a nursing assistant stopped in to empty the wastebasket. He chatted brightly with the silent woman as he straightened the bed; her glance never left the floor. Refilling her water pitcher, he left the room, saying he'd be back to bring her to dinner in an hour.

Her daughter Anne, my girlfriend, released the gentle grasp she had on her mother's hand, and fumbled inside her purse for the CD she had brought with her: a collection of songs that she and her mother had listened … Read More

Barack Obama has something in common with 5% of Americans over the age of 18. He lives with his mother in-law. Why Do Men Get Married?

And while the leader of the free world is not one to badmouth said mother in-law (who assisted with childcare duties during the presidentail campaign and who was brought along to Washington D.C. to do the same), he is obviously absent from an article in yesterday's New York Times about Marian Robinson's life in the White House.

The piece, which opens with a quote from the first mother in-law's son, Craig Robinson, … Read More

Last night I had a drink (okay, we had three) with my ex-fiance’s mother—she had called me previous to her coming into town and has asked if I wanted to meet up. I hadn’t seen her since about three weeks before our initial break/split/whatever, when she had come to town with her husband to meet my mom and see one of the spots we were considering for our wedding. Throughout the break process she was very kind and as supportive as she could be, given that I was in the middle of a relationship crisis with her son. … Read More

In the beginning of a relationship, most women look forward to the day their boyfriend pops the question that takes things to a whole new level. No, we're not talking about that question but rather, "Will you come home with me?"

Being invited to meet his parents is a big step that most girlfriends are happy to take. That is, until she meets his family.For some women, this changes nothing, but for most, meeting the loved ones of their loved one leaves them worried about a lifetime of holidays, birthdays, and other assorted gatherings with his brood. So, whether his … Read More

Ah the mother-in-law. She loves her son and wants what's best for him, which may or may not include you. The cliché, of course, is that you and your man's mother will have a rocky relationship. She'll critique your cooking, your taste in clothes, the cleanliness of your home, your child-rearing skills, your career choices. While this may not be true in all cases, a study by a British psychologist found that 60% of women felt tension with their mothers-in-law, compared with 15% of men.

Psychologist Terri Apter studied 49 couples and 156 individuals over 20 years, and … Read More

I lost my mother when I was 23 years old to leukemia. She was diagnosed in September; by May, she had passed. That was 10 years ago. I don't think I understood then just what had been taken from me at the time. Sure, no one to send me care packages, no one to call when I needed to know how long to microwave the baked potatoes…but I was, after all, 23. These were things that I could live without or find from another source. In addition to my very loving, very dedicated father, I also have five older siblings. … Read More

Nothing can strike fear into the most confident of women like a mother-in-law. A close second? A future mother-in-law (FMIL), or even more terrifying, meeting his mom for the first time (contain your shrieks of terror!) as she hosts you for the holidays.

Sure, most FMILs are warm-hearted, apron-donning rays of sunshine. But just in case you need to win her over, here are the perfect hostess (with a twist) gifts. With these in hand, you'll prove you're the one for her son.

Happy Friday!

A 30-year Springer study found that happy people are watching less TV and having more sex. Surprise, surprise.

Reuters Health reported a study this week that parents of a child with ADHD are almost twice as likely to divorce before the child’s 8th birthday. 

Also likely to divorce: couples with monstrous mother-in-laws. In Italy, a man was granted divorce for his nagging mother-in-law. He's seeking an orphan as his next partner, according to The Daily Times in Pakistan.

There’s even worse news … Read More