The core of their plan? Using a shared email account for all correspondences with future dates and potential love interests. It might not always be the most crowded inbox — they don’t swing constantly, it’s not some sort of compulsion — but it represents a commitment to full transparency. The email account is, in a sense, both the hall pass and the hall. It allows for visibility, which eliminates anxiety....

Figuring out how much protein you really need is a good place to start. There are a lot of variables that enter into that equation, according to Amelia Belmonte, R.D., a sports nutritionist in Chicago. The main one? Your activity level, and types of activity you typically engage in. “It definitely depends on a guy’s level of fitness, but overall, an endurance runner’s baseline protein recommendation starts slightly below what, say, a weightlifting athlete’s recommendation is,” Belmonte says....

Christine: It is hard with two toddlers. I don’t think that we had fully thought that through when we were trying for number two — they’re only 21 months apart. But Tom works from home for his company. So, since I’m at home with the kids, and he works from home, we actually see a lot of each other during the day. It’s not, you know, quality time. But we get to have coffee while he’s on a break, I get to say hi to him when I drop my dish off at the sink, and give him a hug....

“Nothing. He’s just going to fall forever.” Klorer understood the metaphor. Helplessness, inevitability. It made sense; the boy had landed in a residential treatment facility in Missouri due to family abuse and neglect. Drawing helped him convey the feelings his juvenile mind could grasp, if not articulate. Still, he was stuck. “I worked with him through the metaphor he chose,” Klorer recalls. “What else might happen? Could there be an ending?...

Now run by Larry Kivel and his son, Steve Kivel, the company prides itself on its exemplary customer service and expert watch repair. Located at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, the store has a state-of-the-art workshop with a team of expert watchmakers. Both Larry and Steve followed in their father’s footsteps by coming to the store as children and growing into the business naturally. Their love for timepieces is apparent, whether its finding old vintage pieces in random drawers or noticing the type of watches the characters are wearing in the movies they see....

In fact, it may help to have two plans going into the big reveal: One for an excited big brother or sister. And one for a grumpy, upset or confused child, says Alyson Schafer, a family counselor and the author of Honey I Wrecked the Kids. The third potential reaction, one of ambivalence, just doesn’t often last, she says. “We must always take the attitude that it’s a positive thing,” she says....

READ MORE: The Fatherly Guide to Divorce and Kids The divorce announcement, gentle in tone and positive in outlook, was certainly not the first of its kind to be made on social media. But it was an example of a document nobody ever wants or expects to write, though many will, unfortunately, have to. And it was a reminder that the Internet has wormed its way into every aspect of our lives, making public many of our most private moments — even if we’re not celebrities....

The words tend to freeze me cold. “Well, erm, um, sure buddy if it’s okay with Brayden’s/Gavin’s/Emma’s mom,” to whom I turn nervously, hoping this person is more adept at interpersonal communication. At this point, there is simply means by which to facilitate this playdate without straight-up asking for Brayden’s mom’s number. Technically, we could establish a time right there at the playground, or wait until we cross paths at kindergarten pickup, but at some point, we will have to switch over to synthetic communication....

The sense of fear and stress many are experiencing now is familiar for many families of military service members, as well as those who help them through crises. Faced with separation, dangerous deployments, and untimely deaths, parents and children can cope by practicing a resilient mindset. “We serve families who experience a loss, and put on resilience retreats for children, siblings, spouses, and others who have lost a service member....

A great way for anyone to start is with a step-by-step drawing. For the skilled artists or the kid that can’t color between the lines, following a practiced artist step-by-step as they build out a character or scene is a great way to see how a pro does it. It’s also the perfect way to practice and to come away with a drawing that is most likely beyond your skill....

But pollution isn’t the only problem lurking in the air. Homes that are too dry are a potential health hazard too. Along with causing cracked skin and nosebleeds and increasing the risk of dehydration, overly dry air keeps influenza aloft — and makes us more likely to get infected. But on the flipside, too-humid air encourages mold growth and attracts dust mites, creating a whole new set of health problems....

“For whatever reason, when we’re married we don’t think we have to or need to do the things we did when we were dating,” says Fran Greene, a couples counselor and author of The Flirting Bible. “Somehow when the commitment is there we feel like we can say ‘Thank God, I don’t have to do that anymore.’ But it’s the opposite.” Shadeen Francis, a marriage and family therapist based in Philadelphia, agrees....

Step 1: Find the right tree Look for a mature tree that looks healthy, meaning the canopy is filled with leaves, there are no cracks or hollows in the trunk, and it’s free of rot or pests. If you’re unsure about the health of the tree, have a licensed arborist give an opinion. Stick to tough hardwood trees like oaks, maples, and sycamores. Avoid evergreen and fruiting trees, which tend to be less sturdy, with limbs that snap easily....

“You might need to change your approach,” suggests Dr. Wendela Whitcomb Marsh, a board-certified behavior analyst. “Parents don’t enjoy being the bad guy; they just don’t know what to do. How can you get out of the endless cycle of reminding them, being ignored, and ultimately shouting or threatening to ground them for the rest of their natural days?” The first thing parents may want to consider is putting the phone away before engaging their kids....

READ MORE: The Fatherly Guide to Porn Fortunately, a new study in the Journal of Sex Research describes a simple test that can help anyone figure out if their online pornography use is healthy or on the verge of pathological. They tested their model on 390 women and 382 men, and found that 3.6 percent were “at risk.” Meet The “Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale” Yes, that’s actually what they call it (PPCS, for short)....

Here comes the impatience. You’re stuck behind a slow driver in the fast lane. Yup, feeling impatient. You made reservations for a very rare date night, but your partner isn’t out of the shower yet. Impatience strikes again. These situations are largely unavoidable. What isn’t, however, is how to deal with — and communicate about — the impatience that vibrates through your body and could easily result in anger or other unpleasant reactions....

Out today, on DVD and streaming, is a sequel to The Swan Princess called The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music. Do you need to remember what happened in the original Swan Princess to get into this one? Probably not, but, you also should be warned, in terms of Swan-canon, this is the ninth movie in this series released since the 1994 movie. Still, this little-swan-that-could might be worth your attention, for the simple fact that if you have a young kid who is into princesses, this is the perfect alternative to not watching Frozen for the five thousandth times....

“It’s like teaching a kid their first language, in that you start when they’re in the womb,” Kristin Espinar, an applied linguistics expert and owner of Activate Your IELTS, told Fatherly. “There are studies that say even after a month a baby can already distinguish between the sounds and intonations of their own language as compared to another language.” Espinar recommends that, even before a kid is born, parents expose themselves (and their growing babies) to the language of the culture they might like their kid to eventually learn....

Alyssa and Otis Noel just celebrated their seventh anniversary. They have two daughters, four and five years old. Alyssa had a tough pregnancy and birth and got pregnant almost immediately after their first, and ultimately, their communication failed. They felt they were so focused on their kids that it was only until Otis took a job as a truck driver and was gone for as long as six weeks at a time to realize that they had stopped talking to each other about things that weren’t baby-related....

After spending more than 20 years hiding my OCD from friends and family, I have spent the last 12-plus years engaged in a seemingly never-ending battle of exposing myself to my obsessions while subsequently resisting the urge to act compulsively in response to them. Professionals call this Exposure and Response Prevention. I call it hell. The practice involves mentally replaying my obsessions — include breaking various bones (most often my femur) or seeing my parents die in a car crash — over and over again, in all of their grotesqueness, until my brain becomes too tired to continue....