Vocabulary gymnastics: What do I call my boyfriend’s girlfriend?
I’m polyamorous. So is my boyfriend. And so is his girlfriend. And while polyamory seems to be a frequent topic of discussion right now, society as a whole lacks the vocabulary and the social scripts to navigate poly relationships. This is all a long way of saying I still have no idea how to describe my relationship with my boyfriend’s girlfriend.
I’m adopted and have no clue about my heritage or race
“By the way, What are you?” I’ve heard this question, referring to my “race” so many times in my almost 30 years on this planet. When I was a kid it didn’t bother me. When I was a teenager, it made me sad. As an adult, it pisses me off to no end… and to be honest, it still makes me sad.
How can an introvert thrive at work?
I have been at a great job for six months and have just had my second employee review. What came up is that my boss thinks I need to be more confident and assertive and forge better relationships with my colleagues. I am finding myself getting more introverted as I get older (pretty sure I was never this bad in school) and I have trouble initiating conversations with people. Do any homies have advice for dealing with being the introvert in the workplace?
5 strategies for responding to or preventing body shaming
Let’s talk about how to deal when our loved ones participate in body shaming, either of themselves or of others. What do you do when you are determined to be positive about yourself and love your body, but the others around you bad-talk their own bodies or those of others?
On “getting wifed” after getting married
I’ve noticed something now that I’m married… I feel like I’ve totally been getting “wifed” recently, and not-so-much by strangers or friends, but by my family, who really should know me better. From my sister to my father, for some reason everyone assumed I would change because *gasp* “I’m a wife now!”
I dislike being a housewife: My struggle with being financially dependent on my spouse
Many women dislike the word “housewife” because of implications of feminism and the stigma of gendered domestic roles. I dislike the word “housewife” because I am one. Well, I don’t dislike the word itself but the actual role. I dislike being a housewife! My husband is not to blame for this; he even tries to mitigate the situation. Its all in my head. But I can’t be the only who feels like this. Whether you prefer the term “housewife/husband,” “homemaker,” or another term entirely, how do you deal with the discomfort of financial dependency on a spouse?
You’ll seeeeee: parental fear-mongering predictions that didn’t come true
It seems as though we tell each other a lot of scary stories about parenthood. I mean, of course people want to share their experiences with each other. But all too often this storytelling slips into fear mongering. It’s sort of a pre-emptive commiseration — an anticipatory sing-song of Oh, you’ll seeeee….
How can I balance being a parent and being an artist?
It’s very difficult to be faced with two options: be artistic on cue, or stop in the middle of my inspiration to fix dinner, help with homework, or do a bedtime routine. The end result of all this internal conflict is complete and utter failure at both my art and raising my children in a healthy clean environment. I am curious: has anyone else out there dealt with this conflict? Have you found a solution that’s healthy for everyone?