I know! And the employer isn't really even paying for anything anyways, because they write off their share of premium contributions on their taxes. The only thing happening here is women are getting a worse compensation package. :(

This is a fascinating theory. With the couple we know the mother is ostensibly approaching parenting as some sort of socio-political project, which is backfiring badly. I think that, really, she decided awhile back that parenting wasn't her thing and thus doesn't put much energy or effort into it. She is the…

Sure, but popular culture representation matters. When the hegemonic cultural standard changes, so do the opinions and perceptions of the general public. Magazines and Hollywood are effective in changing said perceptions, even if we don't like it. For that reason I don't see this as *entirely* bad for women.

Yeah, I know. Again, I can see it both ways. Everything you said makes sense, but traveling without children requires having someone to take care of them, which can get expensive and logistically complex. Attending a wedding is way more involved than going on a date night. I felt so bad for my cousin and his wife, who…

I know that this will be an outlier opinion here, but I do sorta appreciate that Esquire is doing some work to move the goalpost? I'm 35, work out a lot & wear cute stuff, and enjoy looking/feeling conventionally hot and feeling like others are checking me out. I know it's shallow, but it makes me happy. Feeling…

Ugh, adult picky eaters are my pet peeve. My brother always chooses partners like this. My SIL is the worst with picky eating. She will openly complain and reject food people cook for her, and make my brother demand that whoever is cooking make her a special meal. Family gatherings that involve food devolve into…

Agree. There is a fine line to walk here. I dislike the extreme lenience, but the alternative is problematic. My husband was raised in a strict, authoritarian household, and all he really learned was how to follow (or navigate, or break) rules. That style of parenting didn't really instill values in him, just how to…

Truth. We know a Ph.D. couple who are raising their son in a "democratic household" where parental authority is next to nil. The kid is a total tyrant, ironically.

I can see both sides. Young children can definitely be disruptive, but there is something off putting about being told that your loved ones aren't included. I think kids at weddings are cute in pictures, actually.

Ugh, I wish I lived in a state where weed was legal. Also, awesome wedding!

I really wanted to do a big over the top Halloween wedding, but my mom nixed most of that on account of numerous conservative, Catholic relatives who would think it was Satanic LOL. We settled for various light Halloween touches, Halloween music at the reception, and a general Halloween color scheme for cake, decor,…

I waited until the baby was born so that I could drink and generally not be pregnant at my wedding. I'm sure that there was some silent judgment from my more conservative/traditional relatives, but fuck it. Also the baby was listed as a groomsman on the program, which was cute. :)

Similar thinking here. We are not wealthy, but refused to go into debt for the wedding. Mom kicked in 3k, FIL 2k, I taught 2 summer classes for an extra $4800. That plus the extra money we could scrape together from our salaries (we had already bought a house, so savings was gone) led to a budget of around 11k, and we…

Probably budget. I wondered if it could have counted as Aggressively Themed (Halloween, but no costumes), but the threshold for that seems pretty high.

What is a "kid friendly wedding?" Does that mean dry? Anyone who thinks that their kid(s) can't be around alcohol is far too precious for my taste.

Agree. Our caterer actually talked us OUT of an open bar: lots of wasted booze and excessive drunkenness. We opted for 2 free drinks for each person, and cash bar after that. Non-drinkers gave their tickets away, so everyone got as much booze as they wanted without spending a ton of cash.

I was so glad that I researched the different types of snakes native to this region. I think it prevented me from having knee-jerk reactions based on ignorance and misinformation. When my husband sees venomous snakes, his immediate response is KILL IT, so I take it upon myself to try to educate him. :)

Something does sound strange from her description, though. The cat just sounds so unusually large and fierce. I was wondering if it could be cross bred with a bobcat or ocelot or something. Perhaps that is a thing now?

I was wondering that too. I have been doing a lot of research on snakes since moving to the south, and the pattern on the toilet snake does not resemble that of a cottonmouth. Perhaps the folded back fangs could have been regular teeth, which these types of snakes have?

It does seem like some sort of trend going on. I have no judgement-my now husband and I had our son before we were married-but this does seem like a pattern.