Love Takes a Hit on Facebook

By the time Liane Kiar went on a first date last year, she knew everything about her prospective new boyfriend, from his favourite TV shows and hobbies to where he vacations and details of his past love life. She didn’t ask him. She didn’t need to. Like millions of others worldwide, the 27-year-old Orleans woman stumbled across the information on Facebook, the social media platform some experts say is causing a visible shift in how much more publicly we conduct our private relationships. Splitting with your boyfriend? Just change your relationship status to say so, as South African socialite Chelsy Davy did recently when she privately dumped Prince Harry then publicly broadcast it on her Facebook profile. Looking for someone new? You can display that too, along with the kind of liaison you’re into. After all, it’s nothing you wouldn’t tell your closest personal friends. But what about your 500 Facebook pals?

Posted in Internet on 02/09/2009 - 0 Comments

Get the script on your marriage

It’s 7 o’clock on Tuesday night. You’re home alone. Do you know where your husband is? He may be working late, like he said. Or, if he is part of the estimated 35 per cent of men who stray, he may be with someone else. If you’re in doubt, says Liz Landers, author of a disturbing—and brutally honest—book about how to tell if your partner is cheating, there are clues. But not just any clues. According to Landers, they’re the same clues every man who has ever strayed, in the modern history of cheating, has ever said to his significant other.

Posted in Family on 12/04/2008 - 0 Comments

The (Im)Perfect Christmas

“Anyone want another glass of wine?” Judging by the shouts of approval and laughter, the answer was yes. I scanned the beaming faces. Crammed into my brother Mike’s beautifully renovated old farm house in Dunrobin, outside of Ottawa, were my 22 immediate, extended and honorary family members, gathered for Christmas dinner. It was noisy. It was chaotic. And it was the best Christmas we’d ever had.

Posted in Family on 12/04/2008 - 0 Comments

Love Lessons

You remember the man you married: Mr. Right made you laugh, looked glorious in a tight t-shirt and left you humming Katrina and the Waves’ “I’m walking on sunshine!” as you bounced out the door each day. Has he been replaced by Mr I-Don't-Want-to-Talk-About-It? Ah, wedded bliss. It isn't (sadly) a thorn-free bed of roses, but a lifelong commitment requiring effort, sacrifice and teeth-gritting patience. Not to mention love.

Posted in Relationships on 11/30/2008 - 0 Comments

Love by arrangement

For most of her childhood, Reva Seth was the girl with the exotic parents. Sure, they had darker skin. And they were Canadian. But even on a good day, her American friends in the New Jersey suburb where she lived would be hard-pressed to consider those things really exotic. What's more, her parents didn't behave

Posted in Family on 11/30/2008 - 0 Comments

Be a better sister: Do's and don'ts

Sisters -- Love them or hate them, you can't, as they say, live without them. But whether she's your best friend or your worst critic, Canadian psychologist Vikki Stark says your sister is the most powerful influence in your life. She can affect your career choice, your body image and even how you handle

Posted in Family on 11/30/2008 - 0 Comments

The Pain of Parenting

“I hate you and I’m never going to speak to you again!” You might hear those words once—if not several times—from your teen before she hits adulthood. But what happens when she really means them? According to US parenting expert Dr Joshua Coleman, you’re not alone. “I get a letter a day from parents whose adult children literally abandon them, cut off ties permanently or temporarily, or are in their lives but are so critical and harsh, they’re hurtful to be around,” he says. “In Western culture, it’s more common than uncommon for teens to be rude to their parents—and it’s becoming more common for them to grow into adults who want nothing to do with their parents.”

Posted in Parenting on 11/20/2008 - 0 Comments

When Mars and Venus Collide

Sixteen years ago, the title of John Gray’s runaway bestseller said it all: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Men are action-oriented warriors who want solutions, he said, while women are caregivers who just need to be heard. But according to Gray’s latest book, Why Mars and Venus Collide (Harper Collins, $31), there’s much more to the story.

Posted in Psychology on 11/20/2008 - 0 Comments