| Avoid 'nonversations' with your teens and Women to ask moms about sexuality |
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Editor's note: Vanessa Van Petten is an author who writes on parenting and adolescents on the blog RadicalParenting.com. Her next book, "Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I'm Grounded?" comes out in September.(CNN) -- Do you ever feel like conversing with your teen is like talking to a slouching, eye-rolling, well-coiffed mute? If so, you are not alone.Mom of three, Gabby Long laments, "Sometimes when my son gets in the car on the way home from school and we try to talk. It's really just me asking him a string of questions and getting one-word responses. Actually, on a bad day, I am lucky if I get a monosyllabic grunt."Many parents can commiserate with Gabby and frequently have their own one-way conversations with their children. Most of the time parents are trying to engage their teens or tweens in conversation, but the discussion is one-sided. [Read the full article] Editor's note: Annette Bernhardt is policy co-director of the National Employment Law Project, a national advocacy group for the rights of lower-wage earners. She was lead researcher on NELP's recent report, "A Year of Unbalanced Growth: Industries, Wages, and the First 12 Months of Job Growth After the Great Recession."(CNN) -- We are starved for signs that the economy is picking up. So when McDonald's threw its doors open to hire 50,000 workers nationwide, media networks scrambled to film applicants lining up across the country for that increasingly elusive piece of the American dream -- a job.The hirings were billed as a boost to the economy, and for a fraction of the country's 13.5 million unemployed, landing one of these jobs will be a huge and welcome relief.But let's step back from the McDonald's public relations bonanza for a minute and recognize that nothing is great about low-wage jobs, even when they flood the economy by the thousands. [Read the full article] (CNN) -- What are the essential ingredients for a successful marriage? To mark William and Catherine's marriage, we asked you how you keep the flame alive through thick and thin.Anne Williams, who's been married for 31 years, emphasizes laughter and shared responsibility -- particularly when it comes to money: "Don't separate bills. Make them OURS not YOURS and MINE" she advises.Mary Hudnall, from Texas, has been married for over 26 years and attributes her success to a few key ingredients, including "freedom of self-expression," and plenty of "alone-time."Chad Tew, meanwhile, says he's boiled it down to three lessons that have sustained his marriage over the years: "Be mindful of each other on a daily basis; grow together over time; and stay passionate."David Mitchell, who lives in Nova Scotia, recalled how, after his third child was born, it was difficult for he and his wife to find time for each other. [Read the full article] 
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