Relationships

Relationships

Being a couple is all about working together as a team, having each other's backs, and doing your best to help each other build the lives you want. But there will be clear snags and challenges-different priorities or perspectives, or feeling bothered by what your partner is doing. Just like building a house, you start with a solid foundation. Or think of it as a thermostat that helps maintain a steady emotional temperature.

If you are in an unhealthy marriage that has been dysfunctional for years, it may be hard to accept the reality that your marriage and/or your spouse is not going to change. You've invested time and energy into this relationship and don't want to give up now. Maybe you keep thinking that once life settles down, or you get that new job, or the kids are more independent, then things will get better.

I met an incredible woman on a random outing to London while I was living life in slow motion, alone in a quiet English seaside town. I fell in love in a way that surprised me, both in its speed and its certainty. I knew it was her. The relationship unfolded across train rides, weekends, and the growing realization that what I thought was a temporary chapter in my life was quietly becoming its center.

When you're with the right person, it's effortless (wrong). Never go to bed angry (also wrong). Relationship advice is often centered on the idea that we shouldn't experience frustration with each other, a sentiment that sounds nice, in theory. In reality, that goal keeps us repeating the same patterns and wondering why we keep having the same fight; why our partner still doesn't understand us; or why we feel alone.

Siblings usually grow up together in the same house, with the same parents, and sharing the same cultural background, yet they still become remarkably different people with distinct interests and divergent life paths. This is a widespread occurrence in families, but in immigrant families, the phenomenon becomes even more pronounced, as cultural expectations, adaptation pressures, and family roles provide additional layers of complexity. Children raised in such environments must navigate between the customs of their ancestors and the practices of the dominant culture,

It was his aside that spoiled the secret identity of Santa Claus; he who laughingly revealed the mechanics of sex; he who gave me my first sip of beer. Yet, when he found out I was sneaking cigarettes from my dad's stale dinner party supply, he chastised me before either of my parents could, and when my mum was diagnosed with cancer and I was just 15, he was already a 22-year-old medical student.

As the fiduciary of my parents' estate, I followed their trust directives as written, with no exceptions. My son received a nice check, but not as large as he had expected. He was upset and blamed me for taking his money. Then he declared that we would never see our grandsons again unless he received what his grandmother had promised. He refused to understand the concept of a trustee's fiduciary duty and has ghosted us,

You didn't just lose a husband-you also folded yourself into his family's grief and stood beside them through their darkest moments. Those ties don't simply disappear because life moves forward. Knowing that firsthand, I want to acknowledge the very human dilemma you are facing. You're balancing loyalty to someone who has been family for a long time with the commitment you are now making to a new partner. These are not simple emotional shifts. They require courage, clarity, empathy, and a whole lot of heart.

My husband and I have a great sex life that I love. He gets me off consistently with his fingers on my clit, and my orgasms are body-shattering and euphoric. However, ever since I first had sex, I've always been a little surprised and disappointed by how little sensation I feel in my vaginal canal. I can feel a penis, fingers, and toys go in, but once they're in, it's sort of a vague sensation of fullness, and nice, but not much.

Prenups have gone from a tool of the ultra-wealthy, carrying a whiff of scandal, to a more widespread request for aspirational young couples with few assets. The staff writer Jennifer Wilson spoke with the celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser, and found that generations who grew up in the era of universal no-fault divorce "just don't trust marriage" as their elders did; "they want it in writing," and they have developed apps that make it easy.

She passed away three months ago from heat exhaustion. She was only 2 years old. I was driving while my boyfriend held her as we drove to the vet. She died before we got there. I am now in grief therapy. I expressed my grief to my boyfriend, and he has expressed his to me. I'm adamant about not wanting another dog.

Dear Eric: I recently pet-sat for somewhat new friends. I had been invited on a weekend trip with them but had a work commitment that meant I couldn't go. I offered to pet-sit for them, which is something I've done for other friends from time to time. During the weekend there was an incident which wasn't really anyone's fault that resulted in some minor property damage. I let them know via text what happened and explained the situation and offered to cover any damages.

These patterns are what dating coach Frances Kelleher refers to as "micro-compatibilities." Since we don't have access to the big picture all the time (and mostly in retrospect), we have to rely on the tiny patterns for clues about how we're really doing in our relationship. These micro‑compatibilities are rooted in decades of social and health science. They shape emotional co‑regulation, perceived responsiveness, fairness, and even shared physiological states.

Emotional labor is the work that underpins our lives. It's the thought and care that goes into everything, from what meals to make to what discipline style to use to deciding the best time to have a hard conversation. Emotional labor is what creates and nurtures communities and connections, and it's present in every interaction we have. What is emotional labor? In 1983, Arlie Russell Hochschild, the same sociologist who defined "the second shift," also coined the term "emotional labor."

I don't know how 2025 treated you in the love department, but personally? It's been... a journey. And by journey, I mean I've reached the point where I'm fully open to trying rituals if there's even a chance they might help. So naturally, I went down a rabbit hole and found a bunch of unhinged (in their own way) love rituals. And then it hit me-if I'm already relying on vibes and hope, I might as well make it fun.

A popular social media trend in 2025 was the celebration of social isolation. Reels, posts, and memes abound that celebrate rebuffing social invitations, giving up on dating, doing the bare minimum at work, and even lamenting the loss of social distancing as though it was the silver lining and not an unfortunate consequence of the global pandemic. People seem to have really had it with other people.

Most of us grew up with that familiar Irish awkwardness around sex - the blushing, the whispering, the pretending none of us have bodies or desires at all. But what happens when you meet someone who simply doesn't have that embarrassment? In this episode of Just Between Us, Jennifer Zamparelli is joined by comedian and sex-positive icon Bláthín de Burca, who talks about sex the way most Irish people talk about the weather: openly, casually, and without shame.

You've picked the venue, argued over the guest list, and made peace with the cake being vegan. But have you thought about what happens after the confetti settles and the honeymoon photos start collecting likes instead of memories? Wedding planning is often romanticised, but smart couples today are treating it as something more serious: a launchpad for long-term partnership. In Britain too, where tradition still carries weight and expectations run deep,

On TikTok, creator @madelinemariejg said, "Something we need to bring back as a society is having people over to your house." And it doesn't necessarily mean hosting a major party or fancy dinner, either. Instead, the vibe for the new year is all about "inviting people over for tea, for coffee, for lunch," she said, and not making a big deal about it.

I was in my early 20s when I met him. Initially, we sort of had a fling, but then we kept talking and fell in love pretty quickly and intensely.

"We develop close relationships with many coworkers, but there is still that boundary that needs to be respected," she told BI. "It's inappropriate to spread any rumors about other people at the office."

"When you don't say what needs to be said in the moment to spare somebody else's feelings, first of all, like, you're rejecting the truest part of yourself," Paltrow said. "And then it's going to come out another way. And that's like, you'll end up being dishonest. You'll end up not saying what needs to be said. You'll end up stringing out some lame relationship for eight extra months and treating them not so nicely because you have stuck yourself in something, you know, you just make a mess," she said.

"If one partner protects their creativity and rest and ambition or joy because the other partner is holding the system together, that joy is being heavily subsidized," she explains. "Not by money, but by someone else's nervous system."

The short answer is that I don't know whether there's a way to get past this sudden gag reaction, or why it's happening now. I do, however, have some follow-up questions that might help. Did absolutely anything else change at the time that you abruptly went from easily swallowing to immediately gagging? Your stress levels, diet, or environment?

My husband and I are celebrating our six-year anniversary soon, and I've been reflecting on our first date. He took me to a restaurant, where I ordered a dinner salad. While enjoying this salad, a piece of lettuce fell from my fork onto the table. What would have been the proper way to handle this circumstance? Leave it on the table? Scoop it into a napkin? Place it on the corner of my plate? I've always wondered about this.

I emailed her dad, asking when would be a good time for me to come over to talk. He sent me a bunch of Bible quotes. I told him I'd like to have a conversation with him and her mother. He sent me an email lecture about sex outside of marriage. OK, I thought, maybe I need to be more explicit. Next email: Subject: I want to marry your daughter. His reply: We can't bless that union.

I never wanted kids. I got involved with someone who had a child, and then, without warning, we got full custody of that child. I've been raising them since they were 5 (they just turned 20), and there is a layer of resentment that has built up because of everything I had to sacrifice and things I had to miss out on to raise someone else's child.

He has supported me through tough life events, and I have supported him through his own. Wilson has encouraged me to stand up to my abusive mother and given me the strength to set boundaries. He shows me his love not in big flashy gestures, but in the quiet, meaningful moments when I need him. We have had conversations about our future and how we want our lives to look. In every conversation, it seems like we are on the same page.

One of the most confusing aspects of conflict in intimate relationships is how quickly a misunderstanding can escalate into something dramatic and feel like an attack. A sigh feels like dismissal. Silence feels like rejection. The intensity of a door closing feels like an invitation into combat. Couples often say some version of the same thing: "I know they didn't mean it that way, but it felt awful."

I thought he would remain simply "first," but we're happily in love nine years later. Yet, there's one big milestone that we haven't reached: our first time living together. Unlike most couples, we've never shared a space for more than a few weeks. People are always shocked when they hear how long we've been together. The first question they usually ask is, "Why hasn't he proposed yet?" Their eyes widen even more when they find out I'm not going home to him.

After yet another dreary comment about my tits, I kind of rolled my eyes and yawned, and he said, "If you're bored, sweetie, we can always go back to mine." I just replied, "Ew." He replied, "If you Googled me, you'd be dying to come with me." That's when I whipped out my phone and said, "Sure, do I search for the world's biggest douche or is it the world's tiniest dick?" He completely lost it and had to be removed from the premises by the staff at the event, who threatened to call the police.

What if, instead of relying on the consumption of media, you relied on your imagination and your memories? You could reminisce about particularly enjoyable sex you've previously had with your wife, fantasize about sex you might have with her in the future, and use embodiment and mindfulness skills (specifically, the ones that focus on being present in the moment and noticing all the details) to soak up the experiences of the weekly-or-so sex you do get to have with your wife (and bank that for future wanking).

It's a very easy date to miss altogether in the shadow of December and New Year's celebrations. Growing up, I often received combo holiday and birthday presents. I was taught to thank relatives and friends and not complain that it wasn't fair. Nowadays, an e-card can be scheduled for auto-delivery to someone's inbox months in advance, so it's not even necessary to remember someone's birthday.

Attorneys Brent and Andrew met in South Bend, Indiana, while Brent was clerking for a federal judge and Andrew was studying law at Notre Dame. Three years after their first date at a local Irish pub, they got engaged on campus. The pair describe their May wedding-decorated in greens, navy, shades of white, and gold-as "traditional, masculine, formal, and joyful." Hydrangeas in the floral arrangements gestured to Brent's grandmother, whose summer yard, he recalls, always burst with the blooms.

Empathy flourishes in relationships that feel safe and nonjudgmental. The human brain resists large demands but cooperates readily with small, manageable ones. When the goal is too big, motivation collapses under the weight of expectation. But when the goal is tiny, the nervous system relaxes long enough to try. When a relational goal feels too big or too inauthentic, the nervous system can perceive it as a heavy load and shut down in response.