Justice is a dish best served clean

That's not safe

It's nice to do favors for your family now and again . It's what they're for. We all need each other in order to survive, and we have to come through for each other. For example, if your beloved sister just gave birth, you might offer to come over to her house and help clean, or take care of the baby while she goes and gets a massage. We do this because we love each other, and because we hope they would do it for us in return. But, as with anything, there is a line . It shouldn't interfere with…

Birthday parties should be all about the birthday haver. It's their day to do whatever they feel like doing. They get to choose what food they eat, what activities they do, and who is around them for it. It's the one day of the year when you get to be utterly selfish . But, you'd expect, that your wife is one person that you'd like to include in that selfishness. Not that you can't enjoy time with friends as well (you should), but it's probably not a sign of a healthy relationship if you want t…

Getting your child to school every morning is one of the top tasks of being a parent. It's part of the gig. You either have to do it yourself or rely on someone else in your community (a neighbor, a friend, a bus driver) to do it for you. That's why when they get to the age of being independent enough to do it on their own, it's a huge blessing. But what age is the right age, especially if the school is within walking distance? There's a Japanese show called "Old Enough!” that follows the journ…

Apparently, moms don't always know best.

Sharing the same as someone can be a huge form of respect . New parents often name their babies after a relative who has passed or someone in their lives who they want to honor. That way the child can carry on their legacy. However, having the same name as a peer can be confusing. I remember being in grade school with 4 different Olivias in my class. One of them had to go by Olive and the rest of them scrapped it out, using the first initial of their last name. It was a logistical mess, especia…

Please stop changing your costume idea

This was bound to happen

When you're staying at someone's house , you don't get much say in what they do with their space. They're doing you a huge favor, so you don't get to chime in about what they're doing or not doing. You're a guest in their space, and what they say goes. You may not love that Urban Outfitters tapestry they have hanging in their living room, but it's not your living room. You might hate the fact that they only keep one-ply toilet paper in their bathroom, but it's not your bathroom. And you might n…

This rule feels targeted

Favoritism is not something you want to get accused of as a parent. If you have more than one kid, you should do your best to love them and support them equally, since they're all your kids. And it's just a good example to set for them. But it's also incredibly common that parenting styles change from kid to kid. When you're on your first kid, everything is new and untested, and you have basically no idea what you're doing. By the time the second kid rolls around you're more of an expert, you'v…

Good for her

What's the magic word?

please don't tell mom

The self-esteem of a 14-year-old girl is always in flux , and usually in a bad way. It's around the age when you start developing insecurities about what you look like since your body is changing and the attention you get is changing along with it. You become more aware of your clothing choices, the way you wear your hair, and how others perceive you. And those insecurities can be very hard to shake, even into adulthood. What happens to us as children can shape who we become as adults, and if t…