Boomerang kids "down under"
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
There's a fascinating new reality show on Australian TV in which the camera follows three families whose adult children still live with their parents, for better or worse. Are baby boomers to blame for our kids' failure to launch? That seems to be the spin...
Funeral for a Fish
Thursday, June 19, 2008
For every empty-nester who remembers gathering around the toilet to bid a solemn fairwell to the family fish, I offer this too-cute-for-words video of a goldfish named "Lucky" who, apparently, wasn't.
A belated Father's Day goodbye
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Dear Dad, This is so weird. For the first time in 52 years, I can’t call to wish you a happy Father’s Day. I’d like to think I had a direct line to heaven, but you and I both know my permanent record wouldn’t pass St. Peter’s speed dial criteria. (What can I say? I was a teenager in the ’70s. My permanent record never had a chance.)
A mid-marriage change in the rules may make sense
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
A friend telephones me with the news: She and her husband are back together. They were inching toward the edge of the divorce cliff, but now they are starting over. The news is the tool this 60-something couple used to reclaim their marriage: the post-nuptial agreement.
Parents almost can see finish line
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My daughter has graduated from college and, God willing, she will be on someone else's payroll soon. No matter what she is paid by any much-hoped-for employer, I will be getting a raise. One of my friends pointed out that my disposable income could double when Jessie gets a job.
Mother's Day has grown old
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Mother's Day was 100 years old this year. It will be two years before Father's Day celebrates a centennial. Which isn't to say mothers are more important than fathers because, obviously, each of us has both.
Marriages pay a price in faltering economy
Saturday, May 31, 2008
When the economy turns sour, so too can marriages. Financial woes are the second-most common cause for divorce, behind only abuse.
When an elder goes missing, seven states can trigger Silver Alerts
Thursday, May 29, 2008
When 83-year-old Helen Long left her North Carolina home without notice last January, her daughter called state police. The police alerted the community using automated road signs and radio and television ads that aired descriptions of Long and her truck and explained that she had dementia.
How couples drift apart
Monday, May 19, 2008
Life got in the way. Somehow, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, couples seem to forget about each other. The initial closeness they once felt has been damaged by focus on work, the bills, the kids, you name it.
Share your past? What do the experts say?
Sunday, May 18, 2008
While youthful misbehavior was by no means born with the baby boomers, it seems safe to say that women growing up before the 1960s had fewer temptations available to them, and usually married before they had a chance to engage in much illicit behavior.
Pets, vets and debts
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
In the bad-luck lottery for pet care, Jennifer Freeman, of Washington, D.C., hit the jackpot. Over seven bank-account-draining months, her four cats came down with several ailments: urethra blockages, gum disease, constipation. Before she knew it, Freeman had forked over more than $11,000 and was wondering just how much more she could take.
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