You know the cringe-worthy old married people who openly bicker about each other in front of other people? Perhaps one of them is telling a story "for the millionth time” or the other remembers it differently and jumps in to correct the details. The first one takes offense and says something snarky. Meanwhile, everyone else […]

When I first met my step-kids' dad, I asked him his parenting philosophy and he said, "expectations." I think many if not most parents would say the same. That was also the answer my dad gave to the same question. (By the way, I consider both of these men pretty good fathers in many ways.) […]

In primitive times, if you were rejected by your tribe, you would probably die Being loved by those in your tribe is a deep human need with an important survival function. It is deeply embedded in our DNA to do everything we can to be accepted. In an eternal sense, we understand that the loving […]

These are my thoughts on dating (written by Jeff as a mid-single in 2013): Dating is far easier in my 40s than it was in my 20s. (If you married in your 20s and have remained married, chances are that you are scratching your head.) I am far more comfortable in my own skin now. […]

When I graduated from law school, my first job was as a law clerk for the Chief Justice of American Samoa. In some ways it was the best job I ever had. I'll never forget the first morning I woke up there after arriving in the night. I walked outside and saw paradise. It was […]