A fedora wearing dad whose kid played baseball on the same team as mine literally said to me and a group of other parents, “If Hillary becomes president she will implement Sharia law. Mark my words.” I started laughing loudly because I was positive he had to be kidding. The death glare he gave me said otherwise. It’s…

Love it, it also makes me think, what are the personality traits that work best for relationships other than friendship? Just because someone is a good friend doesn’t mean they are a good as a roomate, or co-worker, or boss, or even parent. I guess each of those have different personality traits that help them work…

After eight years of Uncle Joe playing with his model trains all night, I’m sure the neighbors are used to noise.

Oh, naturally. I agree with all of those points, which is why I said “one of the warning signs” rather than “the only surefire sign!” Comprehensive anti-DV (and hell, just “how to be a good partner/spot a bad one) should be inclusive of everything and everyone and every type of relationship.

So joyless, that one. “That’s a throat lozenge, not a hard candy, Auntie Pence!”

You left out this nugget from The Guardian’s report:

He totally is that spinster aunt you hated having to visit as a kid because the only tv she’d watch was the Christian channel and she cared very much that you actually be seated quietly on the couch where she could keep an eye on you.

Omg, he is the pursed lipped, pearl clutching spinster aunt isn’t he?

No, it’s not time yet young grasshopper. You must wait until she is 14 and you must do all of your practicing at home when her friends are over.

He’ll be my real dad when I see him in socks and sandals.

I thought they get mailed to your house along with a bottle of Tide and a Frampton Comes Alive album.

You didn’t find a harmonica in your pocket and knowledge of how to play harmonica in your heart the second your child uttered its first cry? I thought that came standard for each New Dad™.

“At least take it the Naval Observatory, guys. I have to get up early tomorrow to negotiate with Iran about implementing Sharia law here!”

He’s such a dad, but he thinks he’s the fun uncle. Better than Pence, who thinks he’s the strong patriarch, but is really the judgmental spinster aunt.

You know how we’re always going on about there needing to be healthy relationship advice and stuff for teenagers, like teaching them DV warning signs and stuff? “Has rightwing political beliefs” should be one of those signs at this point.

Empty?

I think that’s covered by “conscientiousness”. Of course a good friend will disagree with you in the service of maybe preventing you from causing harm to yourself and/or others. “Agreeableness” here is probably more refering to a certain awareness that sometimes being “right” is less important than being kind.

This sounds more like a “how to be a cool person to hang out with” but does not sound like a “how to be a good friend”. Being a friend often means not agreeing. A friend has your best interest at heart and will risk making you mad if it means it will help you in the long run. People who simply agree with you often…

Decades ago, when I worked in the field, I was at a seminar and we were discussing how folks with special needs could find a peer group, other than others with special needs. My suggestion: find a common devience. I talked about making work friends on the smoking patio, and likewise meeting folks at trainings, etc.…