Life Advice
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Is dating harder than it used to be?
Online dating has come a long, long way since its inception (I’m looking at you Match.com… which came out in the mid-90s!).
The online dating sites have evolved significantly (Tinder, the first major app that you only use on your phone, launched in 2012), offering new features designed with the hope of improving people’s experiences and ...Read more
Millennial Life: Just Work Trip Stuff
I'm sitting in a hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I feel the rumbling of a low-grade cold that soaked through my house this week, sparing me until now through intense efforts of arching away from uncovered coughs, cheek kissing the husband, and washing my hands like I'm going into surgery after I deposit a pile of snotty tissues in the trash.
I'm...Read more
Single File: Sexual Bill of Rights
Sexual/sensual expression is important to mental and physical well-being. Let's agree on that. And being unmarried, you also know how important it is for your satisfaction to feel a partner's caring. The truth is sexual union has the potential to be spiritual communion when it joins soul mates. But it takes a bit of doing for the unmarried to ...Read more

Redefining your 'type': Expanding your dating parameters can change everything
For years, I’ve worked with clients who come to me saying the same thing: “I just can’t find the right person.” When I dig a little deeper, a common theme appears — they’re clinging to a very specific idea of who their “type” is. (It often starts with a physical attribute, but it goes beyond that, too.)
And here’s the kicker:...Read more

Ask Anna: Making Valentine's Day work when one partner hates the holiday
Dear Anna,
My partner of three years absolutely despises Valentine's Day. He calls it a "commercialized scam" and refuses to participate in any way. I understand his perspective — yes, it's commercialized. All holidays are! And yes, we should show love year-round. But here's the thing: I genuinely enjoy having this day dedicated to ...Read more

Never married and never happier? How attitudes about marriage are changing among singles in America.
More Americans are getting married later in life—if at all.
That's according to a 2023 report by the Pew Research Center, which analyzed Census Bureau data to reveal that a record-high share of Americans over 40 have never been married. One in 4 40-year-olds had never tied the knot as of 2021, up from 1 in 5 in 2010.
Forty-year-olds ...Read more

Evacuated? Hosting someone who is? Try these 9 tips for harmonious communal living
LOS ANGELES -- Togetherness can be a mixed blessing.
As the Palisades fire raged, every member of the Cullen family — deeply rooted in Pacific Palisades since the 1960s — found themselves displaced. 10 family members from multiple households there were forced to flee the homes they owned as the inferno swallowed up their neighborhoods.
Six...Read more
Millennial Life: Live From the Trenches, It's Their Lives
There's something incredibly surreal about living through a moment that feels ripped straight out of a history book. But instead of thumbing through the black and white photos, now it's captured in high-def on TikTok.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, I found myself sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, just like I had as a kid during countless ...Read more
Single File: Online Dating -- Facts
A reader (bless her!) has passed along practical tips for your online hunt (that's what it is, no?) for a friend/lover/life partner. And, believe me, yours truly is paying close attention -- very close indeed:
CHOOSE A DATING WEBSITE: It's a good idea to try more than one because they vary so much in the number of members in your area, as well ...Read more

Help! I accidentally matched with my co-worker
Online dating can be a wild ride full of unexpected situations, awkward moments, and yes, the occasional cringe-worthy encounter. But you know what? So can face-to-face dating... and life in general. Whether you’re meeting someone online or in person, there’s no escaping the occasional bump in the road.
It happens all the time: Someone ...Read more

Ask Anna: Creative ways to celebrate love when you can't do Valentine's Day
Dear Anna,
I'm a florist, and every Valentine's Day I help hundreds of people celebrate their love while working 16-hour days. This year, for the first time, I'm actually in a relationship, but I'll be too exhausted to celebrate. My boyfriend is understanding but disappointed. How do I make Feb. 14 special when I'll be covered in rose thorns ...Read more

The underground Mom Chat helping Philly parents fight loneliness
PHILADELPHIA — The Chat, as everyone refers to it, started with just a handful of moms. It was for the terrifying, thrilling moments of new motherhood: for grappling with breastfeeding, venting about in-laws and partners and sex, tracking milestones. It was especially for 3 a.m., when even in a city of 1.5 million people, it could feel like no...Read more
Millennial Life: So Close to Being a Classic
I'm the wifely stereotype in one aspect: I'm the one in the relationship who lets their car decay and slightly hides it from their spouse for as long as they can. Just until we have to swap cars because his gets better gas mileage for a trip. That's when I have to spill the beans: My heater stopped working, the brakes have gotten squeakier, and ...Read more
Single File: The Sexual Bill of Rights
Realizing that sex is an integral dimension of well-being, I will incorporate sexual fulfillment into my singleness in ways that mesh with my personal morality.
Being of adult age and with a reasonable amount of life experience, I will aim toward being both sexual and autonomous, assuming full responsibility for my decisions.
I will adopt a ...Read more

How do I tell the person I'm dating to change?
As a dating coach, I sometimes have mixed feelings about what I learn in my job: On the one hand, I’m glad people feel comfortable enough with me to ask the questions they may not want to share broadly or ask their friends/family. And, on the other hand, well, sometimes I wish I didn’t know what goes on in the darkest depths of someone’s ...Read more

Ask Anna: Dating someone polyamorous? Here's what to consider before making the switch
Dear Anna,
I recently started dating someone who's polyamorous. I've always been monogamous but I find myself intrigued by the possibility of exploring this with her. However, I'm worried about jealousy and whether I'm considering this for the right reasons. How do I know if I'm genuinely open to polyamory or just afraid of losing her? — Mono...Read more
The Peace of a Desert Snow Day
I shook off the snowflakes and put the pumpkin roll in the Christmas gift bag in the passenger seat. The snow hadn't let up as I visited with a constituent whose daughter was a baker. Neither had the emails, but they were a similar sweet gift: meeting cancellations due to inclement weather.
It meant I had time to pick up the kids with my mom as...Read more

Ask Amy: Exiting with some well-worn wisdom
Dear Readers: Since announcing my departure from writing this syndicated column, I have heard from scores of people across various platforms, thanking me for more than two decades of offering advice and wishing me well in my “retirement.” I am very touched and grateful for this outpouring of support.
The thing is – I don’t think of ...Read more