Everyone has the ability to snoop around to find private information about their partner.  Technology has made snooping so easy with email, texting, Facebook, and tons of programs that can basically record anything that you are interested in recording.  Automatic log-ins and saved passwords give instant access to seemingly private accounts.  Even though the ability to snoop is sitting right in front of you, is the action worth risking your relationship?  When do you breach trust and when is it acceptable to invade each other’s privacy?  Unfortunately there is not a simple answer to these questions so I will discuss …read more

When your youngster goes off to college for the first time, they like to keep in touch with the family at home.  Also, mom, dad and siblings like to know all is going well with them.
Nowadays, there are so many ways to communicate and to let them know the ties with home aren’t broken:

Phone and cell phone
Text messaging
E-mail
Facebook or similar
Skype of similar
Postal mail
“Care” packages

I think our granddaughter has received all of these types of communications from her parents, brother, grandparents, friends and aunt.  We know her ups and downs and she knows we’re all here and care.
Nowadays the means of …read more

Sometimes you find yourself in a relationship that is thisclose to being perfect…but there is just one little thing that you want your partner to change about themselves.  The question of change is a BIG one in relationships.  Are you waiting for someone to change?  Are you staying together because you assume they will change?  Are you trying to change for someone else?
If you are in a relationship where you have asked someone to change something significant about their behavior or personality for you, then you know how difficult it is to move forward after this has occurred.  I’m not …read more

I was talking the other day about Rich Santos, a dating blogger over at Marie Claire. He wrote a piece sharing some insight into the male mind. I saw this quote and felt it deserved a post all it’s own.
 

Leave your baggage at the door. Guys are happy to help out their girlfriends with emotional issues. But if the baggage becomes apparent too early in the relationship, then a guy will probably bail. Also, baggage causes people to put pressure on or damage a relationship, so it may be doomed from the outset.
 
Why is assumed that women are the only …read more

It’s been widely encouraged for parents and children to communicate well with each other. But what if they just aren’t the talking type?

I’m inspired by one example from a friend of mine. She and her father are the quiet ones in the family. While perfectly articulate when in his corporate world, her father just couldn’t bring himself to talk to her. There was always hesitation from his end, she said. She mirrored this by not talking to him much either, though she did desperately want to build a bond with her father. She sensed he wanted to build a relationship …read more

When young people go off to college nowadays, there are so many ways to keep in touch – cell phone, text messaging, Facebook, instant messaging, e-mail and Skype (or a similar type of communication).
One of the enjoyable ways we keep in contact with our granddaughter is Skype. We all can see one another as well has having real time communication. Kara and her younger brother have great conversations over Skype. Even the dog sees Kara’s face and looks around for her in person.
“But I don’t know how to use Skype,” you say.
A great resource, we’ve discovered, is Skype for Dummies …read more

I write for a living, but sometimes I’m not a good communicator. I try to get my point across, try to ask questions when I don’t understand what the other person is saying, but still I might miss the point. Good communication is absolutely necessary. It’s impossible to build close interpersonal relationships without it.
I did some research and here are some tips for better communication:
*Pay attention. If you are speaking in person, turn your entire body toward the person you are speaking with. Look them in the eye when they speak. If you are on the phone, get rid of …read more

My family came through town for a quick visit yesterday. We went to the creek for a quick dip, then back to the house for lunch, dinner, then So You Think We Can Dance, because … well, Mom and I are hooked.
My sister and her husband have been married for 16 years. They have been a couple for about 21 years. In that time I’ve watched their relationship change – up and down, but never out. There are times when they can be a bit bickery, but my brother-in-law never stops doing goofy stuff like goosing my sister or asking …read more

My daughter, Sarah, is going into the 6th grade. We have lived in the same neighborhood for all but the first 3 months of her life. She has attended one school throughout this time. She is beautiful, unique, smart, creative, and she really picked up some skills on the basketball court this past Winter. She does, however, sometimes find it hard to get along with kids her own age.
She’s spent entirely too much time on the computer this Summer and not enough outside running around. I try to get her out there, but she’s back soon with “It’s too hot, …read more

A friend of mine gets asked out on a lot of dates. She is friendly, outgoing, good looking, but cute as she is, I think it’s her attitude that draws them in. Normally, a situation like a wealth of dates would seem like a good thing, but in her case, it can be overwhelming.
Frequently, she accepts a date and then immediately regrets it. That’s when the panic starts. How am I going to get out of it? Why did I say yes? I’m not really attracted to this guy, she will say. I tell her that she does not have …read more