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One evening when I was about six, my “recovering-Catholic” (his term) dad taught me the Lord’s Prayer. I recited the meaningless-to-me words as an obligatory chant nightly for the next year or so. Then, when my Lutheran-raised mom later taught … Continue reading →

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Sometimes, in couples therapy, I end up inadvertently crushing the souls of eager young couples. To begin the initial session, the wife offers some banal reason for making the appointment; she may add how many years they’ve been married and … Continue reading →

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A friend (who shall remain anonymous) recently asked me, “Hey, have you written about how to get a lazy husband to change a diaper once in a while?” And then she went on an on about how she drowns herself … Continue reading →

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It’s almost Thanksgiving 2016, merely weeks after the most divisive election in our country’s history… And let’s face it:  You’d rather plant your face in the gravy dish than listen to Cousin Mary’s ramblings about how-will-I-afford-my-foot-surgery-after-Drumph-impulsively-nukes-healthcare-and-makes-late-term-bunion-removal-illegal-and-also-I-found-an-Internet-quiz-that-proves-everyone-is-“sexracist”-even-cats. And if Uncle Frank … Continue reading →

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Someone in my office apparently quit her job several months ago without telling any of her coworkers. In fact, we have heard nothing from her in seven and a half months. Today, on the day that she finally came to … Continue reading →

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Whether or not you have a mood disorder or ADHD, juggling all of life’s demands can be difficult sometimes. Here’s a version of a scene that I hear about in therapy all. the. time, and especially in fall and winter. … Continue reading →

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If you’re a parent to multiple kids, or were ever a sibling yourself, you probably intuitively know something about birth order and personality. Wait. Scratch that. Let me begin this post instead with: If you are married to someone who … Continue reading →

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I still think about something I secretly witnessed one winter afternoon in 1989, to this day, almost every day of my life. That day, during what was supposed to be a board-game-filled indoor recess, I peered through a crack in … Continue reading →

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If Biggie was a parent to my kids, the lyrics to this song would be a little different. Behold, the Kid Crap Commandments: Uhh, it’s the kid crap commandments. Whaat, uhh, uhh. Motha can’t tell me nothin bout this mess, … Continue reading →

Hey, mom and dad. It’s your kid here, and I have something important to say. I know I’m only 11, and you always say I shouldn’t tell other people what to do, but, mom and dad, pleeaaaaase listen up, just for … Continue reading →