Is “manliness” obsolete? I think it depends on how you define it. Sometimes I think people may confuse being “manly” with being “macho” and I believe that the latter is definitely obsolete. If you need proof, just dust off your…
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“I’m just a girl who can’t say no.” When songwriter Oscar Hammerstein first penned this phrase back in 1943 in an original song for the musical, Oklahoma, I wonder if he had any idea what a painful truth it would…
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In this world of passwords, PIN numbers, security cards and voiceprint identity verification I think what many people crave is genuine human contact. They want to be known. They want to feel real. They want to be appreciated. While that…
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You’ve got mail! I can still remember the rush of excitement I would feel upon hearing those words shortly after I obtained by first personal email account many years ago. Even though I was a devoted fan of “snail mail”…
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Is patience needed to communicate effectively? Absolutely! Many communication courses and programs tend to focus on the “sending” part of the communication equation, such as how to speak clearly and concisely. Writing courses too are designed to help us in…
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Whatever happened to the “Generation Gap?” Does it still exist and if so is there a way to effectively close the divide? When I was a kid growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s I can remember much…
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In the movie, “A Toy Story” the character Buzz Lightyear finally accepts that he can’t really fly; what he actually does is best described as “falling with style.” When I hear people express fear about public speaking I often wonder,…
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December 5, 2014 Communication
Should you settle for a less than perfect relationship? On the surface this sounds like a fairly simple question but still one that individuals (usually women) have wrestled with for decades. But like many seemingly simple questions it actually becomes…
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December 5, 2014 Communication
We know them by all sorts of names: Rescuer, White Knights, Florence Nightingales, Mr. or Ms. Fix-It. But no matter what moniker is assigned the problem is the same; sometimes people in relationships mistake a need to be needed for…
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March 6, 2014 Marriage and Divorce
Psychologist and author J. Bailey Molineux says that there are two types of unhappy marriages: those that are troubled by constant conflict and those that experience little or no conflict. Somewhat surprisingly, Molineux believes that the second type of unhappy…
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Do nice guys really finish last? Unfortunately, I think there is some truth to this rather dismal view of “how the world really works.” But I also think that with a few minor adjustments, the legions of lonely nice guys…
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August 10, 2013 Marriage and Divorce
When I married the first time at age twenty-four, I briefly experimented with using my maiden name and my new husband’s name in hyphenated form. It was 1987 and hyphenated last names were decidedly in vogue. To many younger women…
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Is there anything more annoying than a chronic complainer? Perhaps, but it is often hard to imagine. Even the humorous Saturday Night Live (SNL) characters, Doug and Wendy Whiner, portrayed by Joe Piscopo and Robin Duke from 1982 to 1984…
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