Dear Kid Whisperer,

My 4-year-old was having a good day at preschool, but when I arrived to pick her up, she had a meltdown. After getting her to calm down and talk with me, she walked out fine, but it was only a matter of time -- she had another meltdown.

Then, when I got her in the car, her boot fell off. This began a massive power struggle ...Read more

Artist Joel Coplin has spent the better part of three years painting what he sees through the window of his studio:

A woman showering with a hose beside barbed wire; a body lying still at an intersection under a streetlight.

Then there's an unfinished piece he calls "The Land of Nod," an homage to the men and women who seem to defy gravity as ...Read more

The physical changes of impending motherhood are stunning. Though new curves and nausea can be dramatic, physical changes are only the beginning. The changes that create the deepest imprints happen in the heart.

The first change you notice is a depth love you never knew existed. You cradle that newborn in your arms and a deep swell of wonder ...Read more

Q. Each Mother’s Day I am faced with a dilemma. Now that I am in college, I can easily say I love my mom, but I also have a very close relationship with my bonus mom and each year I like to acknowledge her as well. My mom and Jessi get along just fine. We often have brunch together each Mother’s Day. But my family gets even more complicated....Read more

Most people would say — especially in the winter, when insects are vacationing in Florida — that they wouldn’t hurt a fly. Not my wife.

Sue wouldn’t hurt anything else, including me, even though I’m the biggest pest in the house, but she doesn’t like flies.

Or ants. Or spiders. Or any other winged invaders or creepy crawlers that ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Meagan Culberson, 32, was on a third date with a guy she met on Hinge when she decided it was time to ask him a make-or-break question: What are you looking for?

They'd gone on fun dates and she was interested in getting to know him better, but only if they were on the same page. She wanted a long-term relationship.

When she ...Read more

My phone would not talk to my car. They were miffed with each other because of a software update. "Don't look at me," said the car, "I didn't install some new code." "No, I suppose not," said the phone, "you haven't gotten a proper firmware update since 2019."

I went online to find a solution, and of course the first 10 options were videos. I ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — On Saturday morning, I told my husband I was heading to the park. Be careful, he told me.

His concern wasn’t totally ungrounded. I was heading to Clara Muhammad Square in the 4700 block of Lancaster Avenue in West Philadelphia, the site of a shooting that took place only weeks ago. At what was meant to be a joyous occasion �...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — On Saturday morning, I told my husband I was heading to the park. Be careful, he told me.

His concern wasn’t totally ungrounded. I was heading to Clara Muhammad Square in the 4700 block of Lancaster Avenue in West Philadelphia, the site of a shooting that took place only weeks ago. At what was meant to be a joyous occasion �...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In 1987, a fire consumed an old house on Grosvenor Avenue that like many in Lexington had been carved into a warren of student apartments.

The house was a shambles, but the destruction proved what many had suspected: Underneath the new doors and tiny rooms was a masterpiece residence designed by America’s first architect ...Read more

CHARLESTON, S.C. — When he recently walked into the dental clinic at the Medical University of South Carolina donning a bright-blue pullover with “In Our DNA SC” embroidered prominently on the front, Lee Moultrie said, two Black women stopped him to ask questions.

“It’s a walking billboard,” said Moultrie, a health care advocate who...Read more

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column that stressed you grow containers in a mono culture style and cluster them together to create a garden look, when designing mixed containers. This week we’ll take it up a notch and say keep it ‘"all in the family." To be taxonomically correct, I should say keep it in the genus, but you will easily see what I...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The City Mission in Washington, Pennsylvania, doesn't look like a mission, with its handsome dark-red buildings trimmed in white.

Across the street, inmates from the Washington County Jail hang out on a fenced-in balcony and look down at the hub of activity. Some of those inmates will make their way to the mission after their ...Read more

Every once in a while John Pavlovitz drives by the Starbucks where he was fired from his church.

He was a pastor at the time, and leadership at his North Carolina congregation didn’t appreciate his progressive views, particularly on sexuality. Pavlovitz was less concerned about keeping elders happy than he was about making the world safer for...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Every day on the well-worn steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphians and tourists alike take their turns pretending to be Rocky. But if you make the climb on the right afternoon, Mark Nicholson can make you feel like you really are the champ.

Off to the side, Nicholson sets up his speakers and displays a ...Read more

Dear Anna,

This isn’t about dating or sex so hopefully it’s OK! I’ve been having an issue with a friend who often agrees to plans but becomes unresponsive when it’s time to finalize the details. It’s left me feeling quite confused and a bit hurt. We’ll start discussing meeting up, and she seems enthusiastic, but then she suddenly ...Read more

DETROIT — Detroit's NFL Draft extravaganza may be over, but the materials that made it happen will still be put to good use.

Turf, fencing, set pieces and other materials used for the draft are being donated to local nonprofits, including Detroit Dog Rescue, a Detroit dog rescue.

The stage materials are being donated to help build the group'...Read more

Online dating is a tool, but like all tools, it has to be used correctly to get the results you want. You might have a fancy, expensive screwdriver, but it still won’t help you chop wood.

If dating apps and websites aren’t quite working for you, make sure you’re utilizing every item in your toolbox correctly.

Mistake #1: Messaging “...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, home to nearly 4 million people, making friends is no easy feat. Especially if you're an adult. Research shows that people over 21 are more likely to face extra hurdles in forming friendships. The building blocks — time, proximity and scheduled opportunities to socialize — are ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Olvera Street, adorned with brightly colored papel picado (perforated paper) and teeming with lively puestos (food stalls), did not always look as vibrant as it does today. While the historic pedestrian street and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument attract about 2 million tourists annually, many don't know how the area ...Read more