eHarmony Parenting – Becoming a Father: 10 Things They Don’t Warn You About

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Adventures in Post-Divorce Dating

As part of an article that I’m writing for eHarmony Parenting, I started to research dating for divorced parents. Interestingly, while there have been several studies on remarriage and step-parenting and the general effects of divorce on family- very few exist for dating while divorced.

“Where’s Your Common Sense?” Inside the Teen Brain

By Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

Why can’t she think before she acts? Why does he get so emotional so easily? How much freedom do I give her to decide how she spends her time? How do I give him the skills he needs for meaningful relationships?

Do questions like these ever run through your mind? If so, you might be interested in hearing about some cutting-edge science on the adolescent brain that helps shed some light on these questions.

What Kids Need Most

By Hal Edward Runkel, LMFT

In a couple of weeks I’m participating in a panel discussion at a local high school. There, in front of a very large crowd, I will join four other experts discussing the dangers, the patterns (and the strategies to combat) teenage drug use. The panel discussion is titled “Drug Awareness and Prevention Seminar,” and the PTA is marketing it through a number of channels. Hundreds of anxious parents can be expected.

Becoming a Father: 10 Things They Don’t Warn You About

By Anonymous

becoming father This continuing series on the joys and misadventures of raising twins is authored by an eHarmony employee who, for understandable reasons, has asked to remain anonymous.
A non-exhaustive list from your hapless correspondent from the trailing-edge of Generation X daddyhood.

Congratulations! You have decided to throw your genetic hat into the ring and commit the next 18+ years of your life to the creation, protection, education and gratification of CHILDREN. Or perhaps you’re simply weighing the options. In either case, here is a handy list of 10 things that may befall you that NO ONE will tell you about before you begin down the road to parenthood.

1. Just because you spent 20 or more years of your life diligently avoiding getting someone pregnant does NOT mean that GETTING someone pregnant will be easy.2. Having sex because you are told, “I’m ovulating, we NEED to have sex” may be less fun than you anticipated.3. When/if your wife does not get pregnant after 3 or 4 months, she may get depressed.4. Having sex with your wife who is depressed because she is not pregnant yet may be even less fun than sex was before.5. The “Fertility Business” is booming because people are waiting until they are older to have kids. On the plus side, you may actually have your act together (at least financially) if you wait until you’re pushing 40 to procreate. On the down side, it may cost you. a. The typical cost for a round of IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is about $13,000.b. The typical odds of success for a single round of IVF for a couple in their late 30’s is about 30%.c. The typical number of rounds couples undergo before successfully conceiving a baby is 3. d. Typically, HMO medical plans do not cover IVF.6. After 1 year of not getting pregnant, your wife’s menstrual cycle may begin to presage major arguments about things that you have never argued about before, and at volumes never before achieved in your relationship.7. If your wife says “Maybe we should just forget about IT.” At any time of the day or night, do not ask her “Forget about what?”8. After 18 months of not getting her pregnant, you may be jumping at the opportunity to pay someone $40,000 to help you knock-up your wife.9. Sitting in a small, heavily air-conditioned room with a stack of porn and a plastic cup may be less fun than you anticipated.10. Everything that’s happened so far may seem like the easy part if your wife actually gets pregnant.