Blog Posts by Redbook

My husband and I are close with another couple whose friendship I value very much. However, my husband seems preoccupied with the female half of this couple. He texts her numerous times a day; he also responds to her requests for assistance rapidly, while my requests are forgotten. I don't think he is actually cheating on me, but I am upset that he seems more responsive to her. Am I being too sensitive? - K.G., 30, Marion, OH

Related: How to Have a Better Relationship


No, but even if you were, don't fall into the trap that a lot of women do (I've been there, believe me) of blaming your feelings for the problem. Doing so is to reassure yourself that the conflict isn't really an issue - it's just you - and that if you could somehow talk yourself out of your sensitive feelings, everything would magically resolve itself.

Related: The 18 Most Annoying Male Habits Explained

But that's not how it works, especially within marriages. Regardless of whether your husband is on the path to

Recently, my boyfriend wanted to have sex without using condoms. I was afraid of pregnancy and told him so, knowing that we're not prepared now for a child. Finally, I went to my doctor and got on the Pill. I'd been taking it for a short time when my boyfriend and I spent the weekend together. He still didn't bring condoms - he always said he wanted a family with me, five kids! Two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. Now, he is pressuring me to have an abortion. My religious upbringing and personal morals just won't allow me to let abortion be an option. He says I'm forcing him to be a father. I am heartbroken that the guy I thought was a "keeper" is a fake. What to do? - D.S., 34, Oceanside, CA

Related: How to Have a Better Relationship


Your boyfriend is being a jerk, but I'm not sure he's a "fake." Bringing another human being into this world is scary business, and perhaps his bad behavior is evidence that deep inside he knows this. In some ways it's a good sign - guys who are

charlie sheenby Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

A lot of ink has been spilled on Charlie Sheen in the last few weeks, so consider this my obligatory blog post on the subject. Most of that ink has been dedicated to questioning his sobriety and sanity, and wondering if we should laugh at, cry for, or wag our finger at the man. Many have wondered if he's bi-polar, or suffering brain damage from a life of hard drug abuse, or whether he is just playing a game with the media. I'm not qualified to answer any of those questions, but I can acknowledge what I do recognize in the midst of this bizarre public spectacle:

Among many other things, the man is struggling through the mother of all mid-life crises.

Related: Vote for America's Hottest Husband

Let's just run down a mid-life crisis check list here:

1. Constant references to his age (incidentally, it's 45)? Check.
2. Raging at his father for continuing to treat him like a child? Check.
3. Lashing out at his boss for undervaluing his talent and importance?

by Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

DEAR WHYS GUY:

I recently read what you had to say about a guy watching porn is not a big deal, and I agree with you. Here's my question: Is it okay for your husband to look up the women he works with on Facebook? What about his exes? Is it okay for your husband to look up the women he works with on Facebook? What about his exes? -Sara

Related: How to Have a Better Relationship

DEAR SARA: It's interesting that you're equating porn with Facebook, but I guess I understand where you're coming from. Both porn and Facebook are about on-line voyeurism, since Facebook can be as much about sneaking a peek into someone life as it is about staying in touch.

Related: Vote for America's Hottest Husband

Do you think your husband is trying to stay in touch with these women? Does he want to interact with them online? And if so, would you be okay with that? Or, is he lurking on his female co-workers' and exes' FB pages for a bit of an illicit thrill- getting a kick out of

by Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

Raise your hand if you knew Charlie Sheen has five kids? Yeah, me neither. I can tell you about his love life (cohabiting with two "goddesses"/porn stars) and his alcoholism ("cured" with the power of his mind) and his work (um, fired) and even his ex-wives (remember when Denise Richards looked like the crazy one?) but something is getting lost in his media-saturated circle around the drain. What's going on with the kids?

Related: How to Have a Better Relationship

His toddler twins with ex Brooke Mueller made the news recently but only in the context of him losing custody of them and how well the goddesses are bonding with them. His daughters with ex Denise Richards are living with their mother and even farther from the limelight. And what of his other child? Apparently he has a 26-year-old daughter with ex Paula Speers. Who knew?

So how are his kids doing? People magazine has an article on stands today to answer this question with vaguely

by Aaron Traister, REDBOOK

DEAR WHYS GUY:

I have a dilemma. My husband and I have a Novia Scotia Duck Toller. He's 3 years old, and his name is Bosco.

My husband absolutely refuses to leave the dog home when we go out. On the rare occasion when we go shopping and leave the dog at home, it's like "beat the clock." My husband says that Bosco is a pack animal and he needs to be with the pack. The last time I checked, I don't pee outside, so I don't know what pack he's talking about. Bosco sleeps in our bedroom, and if I should get up to go to the bathroom (indoors) I'll come back to find Bosco with his head on my pillow sleeping next to my husband. "Do you want room service? Maybe a Mimosa?!"

Am I crazy?

-Vicki

Related: Vote for America's Hottest Husband


DEAR VICKI:

I used to have a weird animal thing. Every time my wife Karel went out of town in the spring she would come back to find a crate full of stray kittens in our small bedroom. It's not hard to find packs of stray kittens

by Ava Feuer, REDBOOK

Those who are convinced that their good dishes, throw pillows, and stationary are worth a fortune may be suffering loneliness and insecurity.

Related: Vote for America's Hottest Husband

Say what? A new study appearing in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that the stronger a person's sense that she is loved and accepted by others, the lower the monetary value she places on material goods. When researchers gave participants simple items like a pen or a blanket, those with weaker interpersonal relationships assigned the objects values up to five times greater than those with stronger bonds.

Related: The 18 Most Annoying Male Habits Explained

Researchers suggest that their study could be useful in understand people with hoarding disorders, and on a lesser scale, classic packrats.

It makes sense because to some degree, we all take comfort in their possessions. But, in your experience, do the findings hold true?

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by Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

On April 29, 2011 Kate Middleton will pull a real-life Cinderella when she marries her Prince Charming William What's-his-last-name. (Honestly is anyone that interested in the Prince? Will he be wearing a designer gown? Millions of pounds worth of diamonds? Then no.) Women the world over will be able to vicariously live out their dormant princess dreams as they watch a second princess walk down the aisle.

Related: How to Have a Better Relationship

I was only three years old when Princess Di wed Prince Charles in the "wedding of the century," so I don't remember much about the details (really poofy dress?) but one lesson made a huge impact on my little brain: Princesses are real. And I'm not the only one who was transformed, even if just for a night, by the fantastical vision. Whether they were tiny tots like me or old enough to stay up all night at a sleepover, women remember Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales.

"I was in middle school, a gawky