Staying Together For The Kids? When casual sex might trump true love

Dear Duana, Stuart and I parent well together…and that’s it. Our kids, adopted from abusive backgrounds, are doing well, but I’d like to find a way to conquer my loneliness while maintaining their stable homelife. Would an open relationship work, where we each pursue real love elsewhere but stay together for the kids? Dear Jeffrey, many might say you’ve hit on the perfect compromise~but I wish you’d just asked if casual sex would work out okay. Here’s why…

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Q&A from "Stepmarriages: Keeping love alive when they're somebody else's kids"

Wise Readers, Bioparents and biokids need alone-time—but why might stepdad/stepkid alone-time be dangerous? What if you know you don’t like the kid—should you get married anyway? Is there an evolved psychology behind Evil Stepmothering? How long does it take to make Steps feel like Family? And how many baggages can you carry? Read on!

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Stepmarriages: Keeping love alive when they’re somebody else’s kids

Dear Duana, I love my wife, but we argue about how to discipline her kids; she often sides with them in front of me, and they’ve learned I have no traction. I feel like I’m last in Anna’s affections and priorities. I don’t want to give up—but I won’t live with brats who’ve got their mom’s backing. Dear Scott, Just two years into a stepmarriage, most men are no longer supervising, disciplining or interacting much at all with the stepkids. And the divorce rate is literally 50% higher for remarriages with kids. Don’t give up; step up. Here’s how to save your marriage—and what to avoid.

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Q&A from "Masturbation + Marriage = ?"

Wise Readers, did we evolve to masturbate? Why are we so uptight about this, anyway? Can you become vibrator-dependent? How do we change our own feelings about The M-Word—and how do we tell our kids about it? And how much self-love is too much? Read on!

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Q&A from "The Ex Files: How and why to get along with your former mate"

How and why can Exes *avoid* the expense and pain of court for custody issues? How can you set boundaries without legal involvement? Or handle things when the other parent is a no-show, or the child doesn’t want to see him or her? Do kids *really* need two parents—and how to make that happen? Do the rules need to be the same at both houses? Read on!

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