Well, it depends on your cultural background because there are quite a few ethnic groups who believe cash is the best gift. I like those cultures. The point of a gift is to do something nice for the couple. If that something nice is writing a check then I'm happy to do it. If instead it's buying them some flatware, I…

Oh yes! Because TRADITION. And we have to make the fake ribbon bouquet for the rehearsal dinner, etc. etc. I'm someone who wants to get married at city hall and go out for a really lux meal with immediate family only and I'm constantly told that I'm nuts and "Don't you want to have a party with all the people you…

Bridal showers used to be about equipping a bride-to-be with all the gender related household items so that she could be a good housewife (i.e. iron, mixer, pots and pans, etc.). Also, I think the average age for women to get married in the U.S. at one point was around 20 so most women had never had their own…

Exactly. My sex ed programs (both the religious and the secular) both discussed the virtues of sex beyond procreation: it feels great, brings a certain level of intimacy, etc. BUT they stressed that emotional maturity is a great asset when you have sex. My religious middle school said to us that due to their values…

Did you go to my high school in SF?!

I had sex ed in 5th grade (mostly just the biology and how pregnancy/birth works), again in 8th grade (again biology but also about relationships and STDs) and once more my freshman year of high school (fully in depth about all aspects of sex, sexuality, STDs, pregnancy prevention, relationship issues, etc.). It…

Same here. No one lied about anything. They didn't even really discourage sex. It was more "You have to weigh the risks and benefits. When you are quite young the risks can be worse or harder to handle." My middle school was religious and gave me the same sex ed as my high school for the most part.

I like steamed broccoli tossed in a little sesame oil, salt and pepper. Delicious!

Ewwwww. Oh god that is hilarious!

I HATE raisins, too! Always have. You know why? They smell like tobacco to me and I find that scent to be sickly sweet. I love grapes, though! And wine, of course!

A couple of my friends' parents credit me with getting their kids to try new things. I was always welcome for dinner because I would eat whatever was served and usually ask for seconds. This often emboldened my friends to try new things because "Hey doubletrouble liked it and I trust her so I might like it, too". And…

This was my mom's approach. She never made me finish anything but I could not have other things (like cookies!) until I finished the first thing. She'd let me have input on dinner a couple of nights a week but what she made for dinner was what was for dinner. Most of my friends whose parents did it this way are not…

Yeah, I'm sure different methods work better for different personality types. I'm a procrastinator so assigned chores are just things I will put off. If someone says "I need you to go wash the dishes now" I'll just go and do it. It works better for me. Sure, sometimes I really didn't feel like vacuuming or whatever…

I never had chores but my mom frequently asked me to help out around the house. I have had roommates who have never cleaned a bathroom or cooked a meal. One roommate who was 26 at the time who asked me to show her how to clean things because she had no idea where to start or what to use- I mean even to just clean the…

I hated doing half the stuff my mom had me do but as I got older I enjoyed the time in the kitchen with her. And I think in the long run it is what made me think that I could learn to cook as well as her. Just keep having her do stuff- if anything it is good to learn to contribute to the household and not expect…

Your kid is already on the path to self-sufficiency! Here's hoping she gets into gourmet cooking by middle school and whips up meals for your family for fun!

I'm terrible but I see future kids as the perfect grunts to do the "busy" work in my cooking. They will be doing a lot of stirring.

So true! My mom always had me do simple stuff like stir the polenta (15 to 20 minutes- man is it a workout for your arm). I learned how to make a few very simple things as soon as I was old enough to safely use the stove and knives. It was great because I could feed myself if I wanted to and it made cooking much less…

My bitchy tone comes out in full force when I'm hungry which unnecessarily causes conflict where there is none. I have learned to say, "I'm hungry and my blood sugar is low. I need to eat something before we talk about xyz." It helps a lot.

One of the hardest things for me is to remember that conflict or disagreements do not necessarily mean disaster. My childhood was very volatile and my parents' disagreements quickly escalated to screaming, slamming doors, threats, and driving off and not returning for hours. Because of this it's hard for me to click…