Tag: normal

Although it is most often in our relationship to our sexuality that we struggle to figure out what is "normal," the weight of normal also impacts other ways we perceive and think, often obliterating our ability to see all the good that is happening in our lives. For me, the beginning of autumn has always felt like the real beginning of the new year; with the last days of summer and the start of school, it’s time to re-think our connection to maintaining normality in our lives. Perhaps how we think about normal is really how we live it.

The second you hang your shingle as a sexuality resource, the questions start coming. Just ask anybody who sells sex toys, makes condoms or lubricants, writes a sex blog or book, offers sex therapy, hosts a radio show on relationships… and they’ll tell you the questions won’t quit. In my 15+ years of experience as a sexuality educator, I’ve fielded a ton of questions from passengers on planes and trains, websites I’m an affiliated with, publications I write for, and students during class and office hours.

"His expression pulls at that dark part of me, buried in the depths of my belly—my libido, woken and tamed by him, but even now, insatiable." ~E.L. James

The story that has shifted the mainstream consciousness of sexuality is about a young beautiful virgin, who doesn’t recognize her own beauty and a deeply troubled young man, that channels his childhood pain and extreme wealth into a fringe sexual lifestyle that verges on violence.

In reflecting on her feelings during this Coronavirus lockdown, author R. O. Kwon wrote in the New York Times that she is grieving, and chances are, we all are too.

Indeed, the Coronavirus crisis is taking a staggering toll on human life—but the loss we’re all experiencing does not stop there. Jobs, school, the comfort of visits with community and family, peace of mind… No wonder you may be having trouble focusing and sleeping or experiencing exhaustion, sadness and anger. That’s grief for you.

When I was in medical school, we had a lengthy class on abnormal dermatologic findings, spread out over the course of months and integrated across various body system courses. When we learned about cancerous diseases, we also learned about the ways those problems manifest themselves in the skin.

In the beginning, someone in the class would inevitably start to panic that he had some horrible illness whenever we learned about a new condition, convinced he should call his family and arrange for a memorial service on the spot.

While stay-at-home dads are not a new idea, it has only begun to gain significant recognition in the parenting world. For so long, our culture has easily accepted— even openly welcomed—stay-at-home moms as a natural role within the family structure. Well, it is now 2016 and moms are not the only ones staying home with the kids anymore. According to a Pew Research study, the number of stay-at-home dads has virtually doubled over the last 30 years. Estimates today place the number of stay at home dads in the United States at approximately 2 million—the fastest growing family type, according to Christianity Today.

Can you relate to the following statement?

"My in-laws call constantly, drop by unexpectedly, criticize the way we raise our kids, and manipulate us with guilt if we don’t do exactly what they think we should. They often put my husband in a position to choose between being a great spouse and an obedient son."

Most experts agree that the best way to handle destructive in-laws is to draw boundaries with them. The question is who should be the one to draw those boundaries?