Stealing is stealing

Not wanting to sit next to your sibling on a flight because they're annoying is an experience that most of us have probably had at some point—and one you've definitely had if you're my sister. It's an almost universal experience for anyone who isn't an only child. Still, you most likely experienced it when you were still a kid or a teen, and your parents probably swiftly put an end to the bickering and told you to sit in your seat and be quiet. It's far less likely that you had to suffer throug…

When talking to new parents, one of the biggest changes they would mention about becoming a parent is how they are no longer only living for their own sake. Having a kid means that your existence and purpose in life do not revolve around you anymore, but it revolves around this completely separate human being. This creates a firm distinction between good and bad parents – Good parents see this change as beautiful and meaningful, and bad parents teach themselves to resent their kids for it. It s…

It's generally accepted that you should let kids win at things there's nothing more embarrassing than watching a grown adult demolish kids in sports or games. (The iconic “Billy Madison” scene of Adam Sandler playing dodgeball with children comes to mind.) Of course, there are exceptions to this rule—like if you're an uncle—and there's more of a grey area around how long this should go on. When they're really young, it's more about maintaining their interest in the game you're playing together.…

We all have the idyllic When you grow up and realize that your kid's grandparents are also your in-laws, everything gains a new perspective. What's somehow even stranger, though, is coming to find that you're either “dad's side” or “mom's side” of the family for your sibling's kids. If a kid is telling you in earnest that they don't feel comfortable going to grandma's house, that alone is saying something.

As the saying goes, the punishment must fit the crime, and if the repercussions are too severe, no one is learning anything, and you're simply going to create a bad memory and lifelong resentment that will get brought up in 20 years at tense family dinners and when your kids attempt to talk to you about the trauma that you unintentionally caused them. Of course, as a parent, even if you have the best of intentions, you're not going to get everything right all of the time . And as teenagers, we'…

Giving gifts is a tricky thing and no simple task, there are so many pitfalls one can fall into with the act of giving. The gift needs to be representative of how you feel about the person and representative of the relationship itself. Not giving something thoughtful enough shows that you don't really understand, care, or consider them. Perplexingly, it's also possible to go too far, giving something that means and says way too much. Of course, the worst of all is simply forgetting about the oc…

Memories are a funny thing in that each memory is shaped and reformed every time you recall it, making them easily susceptible to suggestion. Essentially, every time you recall a memory, you destabilize it and partially “destroy” it with your brain, then completing a process called reconsolidation to re-store it with your current thoughts and emotions added. As a brief tangent, this one one of the reasons why witness testimony is so problematic. This fluidity and fallibility of memory and abili…

Regardless of whether or not you've achieved immaterial enlightenment or are neck deep in the current iteration of the social-media-fueled consumerist frenzy, it's more than likely that you possess things that are your favorite. Chances are these items have some sort of sentimental value—a keepsake from a loved one or photographs that are irreplaceable despite having no measurable value. They may have some monetary value, too, regardless of whether or not you'd ever want to sell them. Heck, may…

It really should go without saying that you can't just go around renaming people just because you don't like their name for some reason. Even if—no, especially if—that person is a foster kid under your care. Some things like this are so outrageously laughable and out-of-pocket that they would be silly if they weren't so cruel… This 16-year-old foster child found himself facing hostility from his new foster family's extended family, who apparently came to the decision that his name, “Nico,” was…

They left her everything for a reason.

Spending the holidays with your husband's ex-wife sounds like prime material for a straight-to-streaming holiday-themed romantic comedy, but the reality is that it's not nearly as funny when it is your reality. This stepmother turned to this online community for advice on a complex personal problem she was facing and wondered if she was in the wrong for encouraging her 19-year-old stepdaughter to speak up about ending their joint family holiday gatherings with the stepdaughter's mother, her hus…

Many parents have to beg their children to pick up a book, but some have the exact opposite issue: They can't get their kids to stop reading! When you get really into reading as a child , you want to read all the time. Whether you're reading under the table at dinner time, or sneaking a flashlight into your room to read under the covers, you'll find any scrap of time to read. It's addicting to be engrossed in a fascinating mystery or a horror book. It's also a lot better than playing endless vi…

We can all probably remember those peaceful weekend mornings, sun filtering through the basement playroom windows, curled up on the couch with our favorite bowl of way-too-sugary cereal that we had to beg our parents to buy. That cereal might as well have been gold; we certainly thought it was worth its weight in it. My parents, however, never showed an interest in eating this cereal themselves. Something about stale marshmallows and really overhyped Cheerios just wasn't all that appealing to t…

Siblings are a difficult part of growing up—even when you're an adult, you're going to be prone to troubles with them. But, during your developmental years, you're going to be constantly compared to them—both by yourself and others. This creates complex psychological interworking and can create complex disorders and issues. And this is just with normal siblings; I can't claim to have one myself, but I can only imagine that with twins, it's a lot harder. No longer are they only similar to you or…

All may be fair in love and war, but when it comes to family board game nights, you can expect the gloves to come off if you go for below-the-belt strategies. Nothing causes family arguments like a competitive board game—heck, even Candy Land games can get heated when someone draws that plum card at the end of a close game—or rockets ahead with a lucky snowflake draw early on. And that's before you get into games that have actual strategy Board games from the beginning of the “Board Game Renais…