Many men learned very early that love was conditional.

Cruelty from a parent does not just hurt in the moment. It trains the nervous system. It teaches a child what love costs and what survival requires.

There is a difference between honesty and emotional dumping. There is also a difference between authenticity and carelessness. When people confuse the two, they often end up damaging the very relationships they say they want to protect.

Divorce sends shock waves through a family, no matter the age of the children. We talk a lot about how it affects young kids, and that matters, but adult children often get left out of the conversation.

The problem is that we have elevated personal happiness to such a degree that anything less feels like failure.