Babyproofing Your Marriage

Help! My Husband and I Are Fighting Non-Stop Since Our Baby Came

Cathy — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:50:42 +0000

Q. I just stumbled across your site while almost weeping with desperation. Our baby girl is 9 weeks old and my husband and I fight nonstop. We are both so into our baby and are madly in love with her. And my husband does a lot … cooking, tidying up our home, picking up groceries etc....

Sex, Every Day. For A Whole Year. Could You Do It?

Cathy — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:01:10 +0000

We have an update from that married-with-kids couple who had sex every day for 101 days. Remember Annie and Douglas Brown? They wrote about their marathon bonk-a-thon in "Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On their Sex Lives for 101 Days"

Help! I Have The Mother-in-Law From Hell

Cathy — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:49:52 +0000

Q. My mother in law is causing me a lot of stress. My husband and I have two children.We have a very loving relationship, a happy marraige and a very happy home. When I returned home after having my second baby, my mother-in-law took over the house. She told my husband to say good bye to me and go stay with his father because he would be no use to me.

The “Sex Life” of New Parents: Coitus Non-Existus

Stacie — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 10:49:03 +0000

Same Story, Different Planets

Meet Janet and Kevin, parents of three young children. Janet stays home with the kids. Kevin’s job requires him to travel a few times a month. Here’s how they both described a recent evening at home: Kevin: “I was thinking about Janet on the flight home. I’ve been traveling a lot lately and we haven’t seen much of each other. And, of course, I’m wondering if she’ll be in the mood later on—after all, it’s been eight days, five hours, and twenty-eight minutes since we last had sex. When I got home, she gave me a big hug so I started feeling optimistic. But I hadn’t even gotten my tie off when she starts laying into me with my ‘assignments:’ ‘Can you get the kids bathed? Did you remember to call the bank? Did you pick up the dry cleaning?’ She didn’t even give me time to breathe. Who needs that crap? I should’ve flown directly on to Phoenix instead of coming home.” Janet: “I was so glad when Kevin got home. Finally, some relief! I thought that after he got the kids to bed we could sit down with a glass of wine. But what does he do? He rolls his eyes at me. I just needed some help. You’d think I’d asked him to rewire the house. And it’s not like I went and put my feet up—I was cleaning up the kitchen and doing yet another load of laundry.”

Help! Husband Says I Think He Can’t Take Care of Our Baby

Cathy — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:24:27 +0000

Question: I need advice! I’m 30 years old and my husband is 35 we just had our first child 3 months ago. Neither of us had any other children so it is a first for both of us. He is a person that experienced a hard childhood with his father and does not want to be...

Fighting Over The Grandbaby

Cathy — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:47:41 +0000

Sometimes grandparents have a funny way of welcoming a first grandchild into the fold. Specifically, they fight about it. It's a battle for dominance. Whose culture and traditions will take hold? Who will win the coveted position as uber-grandma?

The Great Sex Negotiation: How Much Sex is Enough?

Stacie — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:29:50 +0000

How much sex do the married parents of small kids have? What’s average? “I’m scoring like a third-rate British soccer team—once every fifth Sunday.” —Peter, married 8 years, 3 kids

Sex After Baby: Husbands and the Ten O’Clock Shoulder Tap

Stacie — Thu, 24 May 2012 03:41:29 +0000

Mothers of small kids, whether they work or not, often feel that their sense of self is consumed by the roles of cook, chauffeur, cleaner, and toddler entertainer. When sex is added to the list of things that others demand from us, we start to resent it. We start to feel like a rabbit in a cage—a rabbit that is being pursued by an oversexed male rabbit. Run rabbit, run! When a husband’s idea of foreplay is to use openers like “Hey, it’s been a while . . .” or to say nothing and just give us the Ten O’Clock Shoulder Tap, we want to run...fast. (Cue the "Jaws" theme.)

Everyone Wants a Piece of the Mom Pie

Stacie — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:31:58 +0000

“Everyone wants a piece of the Mama.” —Vicki, married 5 years, 2 kids

Married to a Did-Enough Dad? Taking Short-Cuts and Using “Convenience Cards” with the Kids

Stacie — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:34:14 +0000

Did-Enough Dads - These are the Dads who do just enough to get by. Domestic Shortcuts (skipping baths and teeth brushing) are Standard Operating Procedure, and they make liberal use of Convenience Cards (TV, McDonald’s, 1-800-Grandma).