SWF seeks an out-of-shape, weekend-binge-drinking man-child who still goes to KISS concerts and cannot kick his comic book habit even though he's well into his 40s. Must be choked by the umbilical cord of a domineering mother and live in a state of perpetual Catholic guilt that flares up when he misses Mass on Sunday or lingers too long on at a nasty corner of the World Wide Web. Lasting three minutes in the sack mandatory; five minutes a plus. 

Good God.

My elder daughter, who's 12, is just beginning to show an interest in boys, and since it's every man's … Read More

In Bad Mother, author Ayelet Waldman encourages women to aspire to be "not bad" mothers and resist the pressure to meet the extremely high standards of success that society has for women and motherhood. Waldman wants women to stop trying so hard and just be. She argues that mothers can and should be honest, flawed, and, yes, selfish sometimes—your ability to care for your children will not suffer. Discuss: Which is harder: marriage or motherhood?

Waldman's book is a welcome change from the usual motherhood self-help nonsense that lines the shelves at Barnes & Noble. The book … Read More

So you married your soul mate and are about to walk down the aisle towards the start of something special. Don't be alarmed if there's a tugging at your sleeve as you link arms with Mr. Wonderful and head off into the horizon.

That's not an overzealous bridesmaid biting at your heel; it's your husband's mother.

Before becoming your husband, the man of your dreams was the center of someone else's universe, his mother's. Mama's boy or not, your husband's mother had first dibs on your guy even before you were old enough to walk, let alone say "I … Read More

In 1983, legendary Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown released a book called Having It All, in which she outlined tips for women hoping to find success in the workplace, at home and in bed. The past 25 years have left women's plates increasingly—some might argue, precariously—overloaded, as they try to maintain healthy portions of career, love and family. In her upcoming new book, In Her Own Sweet Time: Unexpected Adventures In Finding Love, Commitment, And Motherhood, New York City journalist Rachel Lehmann-Haupt explores the expanding buffet of choices that exist for women hoping to "have it all" today. … Read More

This is the story of Alissa Torres and her graphic novel, American Widow, illustrated by Sungyoon Choi, which describes her personal experience as a 9/11 widow and single mother. For more on Alissa Torres and American Widow, click here.

This is a story about a dysfunctional relationship. It was between me and my bedroom closet, and I know you know what I'm talking about.

The closet was full and I was empty. Every time I opened the door, I encountered someone I no longer cared about, an outgrown, repetitive personality. Like most of us, I had the requisite work stuff in there, which fell into the category of more (summer wool suit) or less (brocade sheath) mandatory and was therefore defensible in some way. But the play clothes, the rows and piles of stuff that I relied on to reflect … Read More

Blogger Crush: AAG LoveStage: Divorced & Starting Over

AAG, aka Always Aroused Girl, is the blog of a midwestern mother, recent divorcee and sexpert. At the end of this month her blog will be three years old, and if you visit before September 15 you can enter her contest to win a bevy of sex toys from Babeland.

But it's not just sex toy giveaways that have us crushing on AAG (although she does give away quite a bit of swag). We love her blog's down-to-earth mix of sexuality, motherhood, and general … Read More

Expectant mothers have enough to worry about before giving birth: prenatal vitamins, home vs. hospital delivery, whether to become a stay-at-home mom or go back to work. Teen mothers have their own set of additional concerns, and now, it seems, so do mothers giving birth via Caesarean section.

Via Jezebel: a recent Yale University study found that mothers who gave birth naturally have higher levels of brain activity in areas that signal motivation and emotion than those who underwent a C-section.

While the study was small (12 women), the lead researcher said the results support the theory that C-section … Read More

Here's a new kind of reality dating show: three single moms looking for love.

TLC's Must Love Kids stars three hot mamas -- Kristin (3 kids), Vanessa (2 kids) and Tracy (1 kid) -- hoping to fall in love. TLC sets the bachelorettes up with suitors one-on-one -- and then adds the rugrats. Will the kids like the men? Will the men like the kids? Drama ensures! Why didn't a network think of this years ago?

It's totally a great concept for a show because single parenthood is bursting. In 2005, America had … Read More

According to the Huffington Post, one in three moms have had or are having an affair. That's crazy talk, right? Nope. They got the numbers from a study. A legit one.

The article makes an interesting point: "As the Hook-Up Generation grows up and gets married, chances are affairs may even go mainstream. It's hard for us to believe that this won't lead to hurt feelings and collateral damage (remember the kids)..."

Uh, can you say open marriage? People can’t seem to get enough of them these days.

My question: When do these moms have … Read More