by DrDeb Hirschhorn | Apr 14, 2016 | Marriage and Relationships
Let me tell you about Penny and Kenny. Living with Kenny would test anybody’s patience. How can Penny handle it? Kenny thinks he can voice his opinion in the strongest possible terms, even to the degree that he insults others. He also doesn’t think he has to...
by DrDeb Hirschhorn | Apr 11, 2016 | Parenting
My school-age grandson was filled with the importance of the story he was telling me. He paused as someone flew a paper airplane over our heads and their mother had to put a stop to that. She made a remark; I made another one back, and before you knew it, my...
by DrDeb Hirschhorn | Apr 7, 2016 | Mental Health
High standards are good, right? They help you set lofty goals and then you can achieve them, right? Often. But not always. Not when they are used as a whip for not reaching them. Not when they are used as a barrier to keep away people who — oh, no! —...
by DrDeb Hirschhorn | Apr 4, 2016 | Marriage and Relationships
Your marriage is in tatters. You cry nearly every day. Or you are just about ready to have an affair. You cannot stand it anymore. Your husband ignores everything and nothing works: Being nice, not being nice, being a listener, not being a listener, nagging, not...
by DrDeb Hirschhorn | Mar 28, 2016 | Marriage and Relationships
Mary Smith walked into the office of the Marriage & Family Therapist resolved to maintain her dignity. She would not cry; she would not allow herself to be put on the defensive, and most of all, she did not want to point fingers. She knew that being blaming never...
by DrDeb Hirschhorn | Mar 24, 2016 | Marriage and Relationships
Robert woke up grumpy. Why shouldn’t he? He and Evelyn went round and round til past 1 AM, not resolving the issue even at that late hour, and they both went to bed in a grouchy mood. Maybe she could get over it quick, he thought, but he couldn’t. Nevertheless, on...
by DrDeb Hirschhorn | Mar 21, 2016 | Mental Health
One time, I was having an argument with the speaker standing in front of a crowded assembly. The argument was taking place in my head rather than out loud as I didn’t quite have the energy to actually engage in a discussion right then. I thought that perhaps it...
by DrDeb Hirschhorn | Mar 17, 2016 | Marriage and Relationships
Forget about love being gone. You’re way past that. You hate your partner and you want out. You hate your partner because he/she: stifles your identity; you feel crushed; you no longer know who you are is cheating says things that really cut, often insisting he/she...
