Q. My 11-year-old daughter started her period and asked her mother not to tell me. So, she didn't. I found out almost two months later. Isn't this something my ex should have told me, even if our daughter asked her not to? What's good ex-etiquette?

A. This is a tender situation, and it sits right at the intersection of a child's growing need ...Read more

It happened at our oldest daughter’s place. I rang the bell, peeked in the side window and saw an ill-defined, furry mass lumbering toward the door.

My mind flashed back to my days in the Pacific Northwest when Bigfoot sightings were common. Was it a Bigfoot sighting? Here and now, in a sprawling suburb?

As the creature drew closer, I could ...Read more

The failure of colleges of education to teach behavior management is creating PK-12 schools that, through no fault of their own, are in chaos. This chaos is leading to schools churning out anti-social people.

Something must be done, and it must be done right now.

Behavior management isn’t something that you can just know about, it’s ...Read more

At the dawn of 2026, social media influencers at home and abroad proclaimed it the year of the "analog lifestyle," a call to reduce digital connectivity as smart tech and screen time dominate a person's attention span.

Selly Tan, an influencer from California, said people are "craving something real again," and vowed to print her photos, read ...Read more

MIAMI – When a man named Sergio messaged Pastor Jennifer LeClaire insisting she had promised him a personal phone call and prophetic counseling, she assumed it was a misunderstanding.

Though he was an avid follower of the South Florida pastor’s morning prayer broadcast on Facebook, LeClaire didn’t know him.

Sergio told LeClaire that he ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It took nearly a year, but the families of B'nai Simcha Jewish Community Preschool have found a permanent campus in Pasadena after the Eaton fire destroyed their site, a rebirth that has given hope to the battered child-care industry in the region.

Their move represents both the struggles of child-care providers and the strong ...Read more

If I started my own plumbing business, I would be like the Three Stooges, who played plumbers in one of their classic movie shorts and ended up flooding a house.

But if the drain in your shower ever gets clogged, I’m the guy to call.

Unlike Moe, Larry and Curly, I somehow solved that plumbing problem without turning our humble abode into ...Read more

ST. LOUIS -- Kelsey Miller trimmed her client’s long hair and started blow drying while keeping her eyes on the Olympic figure skater gliding across the phone screen.

Miller, who works as a stylist at 13th and Washington salon, helped perfect Olympian Alysa Liu’s signature “halo” hairstyle, those alternating rings of dark brunette and ...Read more

For the first time in history, the USA women’s hockey team and the USA men’s hockey team both won gold at the same Olympic Winter Games.

The men’s team last won gold in 1980, against Finland, shortly after defeating the heavily favored Soviet Union in a match that stunned and sustained a weary nation. The game against the Soviets, which ...Read more

The Garden Guy received quite a few comments and messages from a recent Facebook post picturing a Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea in partnership with a Pyromania Backdraft red hot poker or torch lily. This prompted me to ask Google to show me photos of hydrangea partnerships or combinations in the landscape.

The results brought back old ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — When my neighbor told me during last month’s snowstorm that I had to shovel the sidewalk around my house, I thought she was joking. It’s my first winter in the city. It didn’t snow much where I grew up, so the whole idea of shoveling snow was foreign to me. Call me naive, but I assumed the city would do it. Or my landlord....Read more

We’ve all heard the sayings “less is more” and “quality over quantity,” and in many ways, those phrases apply to the world of online dating, at least in terms of how many dating apps you should use. But with all the platforms available, it’s common for single people to be using more than one app at the same time… in fact, I ...Read more

Saving money in the current economic environment likely feels overwhelming. And the data supports how much of a struggle it is — only 46% of U.S. adults have enough emergency savings to cover three months of expenses, according to Bankrate’s Emergency Savings Report. With 24% having no emergency savings at all, finding ways to cut expenses ...Read more

Our garden is always at its best in mid-winter when I nestle by a cozy fire and linger over seed catalogs. I have yet to plant a single seed into the ground, which is now granite.

As of Page 3 in the catalog that arrived two days ago, I have visions of deep red tomatoes piled high in bushel baskets. Page 10 adds pole beans gracefully winding ...Read more

Q. My ex continually tells our 10-year-old the gory details of our divorce. Our child doesn't really understand what he's being told and comes home with wild stories -- some parts are true; other parts are completely off. How can I help my child understand what's real without badmouthing the other parent? What's good ex-etiquette?

A. Oh my. I ...Read more

If I had my own TV show, a sitcom like “Everybody Loves Raymond” that I would call “Some People Seem to Like Jerry,” the first episode would be about how I can’t work my own TV.

That was the sad situation when I had so much trouble with a faulty cable box that I wanted to fix it with a screwdriver. Unfortunately, vodka and orange ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — To be loved is to be known — or, better yet, to inspire a 3,233-piece custom Lego set.

Gene Gualtieri is devoted to Friday Saturday Sunday. Almost every Friday since 2022, the Filter Square resident has lined up at 4:30 p.m. to score the same seat at the first-floor bar of Chad and Hanna Williams’ acclaimed Rittenhouse ...Read more

DENVER -- The evidence is clear: Exercise has mental health benefits, although studies have come to different conclusions about how large it might be.

And yet, when February rolls around again, the gyms suddenly aren’t so crowded as New Year’s resolutions lose their shine. Nationwide, only about 30% of people meet the federal guidelines for...Read more

When Team USA bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor won gold, I let out a little cheer.

We had just watched a lovely segment on NBC about her path to the 2026 Winter Olympics, which included returning to the sport after her two sons were born — one of whom spent his first eight days of life in the NICU and both of whom were born deaf.

Meyers Taylor...Read more