Do we ever outgrow our desire to have “one big happy family”? When I was a kid, we always had really big Thanksgiving celebrations—loud, crowded dinners where aunts and uncles and distant cousins five-times removed would eat too much and tell dirty jokes that went right over my head. I loved the noise and the […]
This originally appeared on The Frisky. Republished here with permission. I feel pretty good about my path toward a forever-partner. I dated a lot of guys, had numerous long- and longish-term relationships and a lot of premarital sex. I don’t believe that marriage is “the end” of your emotional or sexual growth as a woman, […]
This originally appeared on Mamamia. Republished here with permission. My fiancé proposed with a cubic zirconia, or as some people might say, “a fake diamond.” I said yes and let him slide the $500, 2.5 carat extravaganza on my hand. It was a balmy summer evening and the sky was washed in pink as the sun […]
This originally appeared on The Daily Telegraph. Republished here with permission. Honey, I love you, but I want my name back. They’re not exactly the words a husband wants to hear on the eve of his 10-year wedding anniversary. But, after a decade together, three children, and a career forged under the surname Connolly, I […]
Emily Shepard stepped out of the social expectations for what a woman is supposed to do. And it was awesome. Ever since I proposed to my boyfriend, people have been calling me a badass. I’m not sure I’ve ever been called a badass before. I don’t particularly live life on the edge, as it were. […]
This originally appeared on The Daily Life. Republished here with permission. “It’s not that I don’t believe in marriage,” my 96-year-old great aunt confided. “It’s just that my life got a lot better after my husband died.” Marriage, for my great aunt, was simply too much work. And based on the endless lists of marriage […]
Commitment is not a circle of diamonds or a bouquet of peonies or a fancy ceremony in a chapel. And what we invest in symbols can easily disappear, says Wendy Fontaine. The salesman brings a ring that isn’t at all what I want. It’s too big, too expensive, and sticks up too high on my […]
This originally appeared on Mamamia. Republished here with permission. Apparently, we women have a problem. Something so insidious it’s stopping us from “keeping a man.” (Yes, I loathe that term too.) Just last week I encountered yet another strong friend I admire in distress, her relationship almost over. The problem, her partner had explained to […]
Khadijah Costley White never wanted to get married. But as she enters the third year of a healthy relationship—and watches countless wedding announcements fill her newsfeed—she’s begun to question her stance. I’m in a good relationship. Actually—dare I say it—a great relationship. My guy and I respect each other, enjoy our own company, laugh at […]
True commitment doesn’t require a ring and a set of legal documents, says Traci Foust. For 16 years my mother was romantically involved with a married man. Frank was good to our family. He loved our mother. We all knew about his “situation.” Sometimes Frank gave us birthday cards with 50-dollar bills inside them. Sometimes […]
Rachel Odell Walker designed and paid for her own engagement ring, but everyone insisted on giving her fiancé the credit. The night before my 30th birthday, I was my best friend’s maid of honor at her wedding. I tackled the role with gusto—held the bouquet, posed for the pictures, and toasted her and her great husband […]
Is the Affordable Care Act perfect? Of course not. But for women who have been systematically discriminated against for decades by health insurance companies, it’s a victory, says Laurel Hermanson. A couple of weeks ago I visited the doctor twice, once for lab work and then for a follow-up with my doctor. Both times, I […]
