9+ min ago (948+ words) Rappler's Life and Style section runs an advice column by couple Jeremy Baer and clinical psychologist Dr. Margarita Holmes. Jeremy has a master's degree in law from Oxford University. A banker of 37 years who worked in three continents, he has been training with Dr. Holmes for the last 10 years as co-lecturer and, occasionally, as co-therapist, especially with clients whose financial concerns intrude into their daily lives. Dear Dr. Holmes and Mr. Baer, Lately, I can't help asking myself, "Why get married at all?" My thoughts on this stem heavily on my own experiences. I've had an ex who is curt, demanding, and brutally disrespectful to me. I've had another one that is basically loyal to her emotions and can't regulate her emotions and heal her wounds that eventually ended up becoming my own trauma! I've been hurt a lot by…...

15+ min ago (732+ words) These moments mark the beginning of a quiet revolution " one that Pope Leo XIV, elected on May 8, shows every intention of continuing. Female priests may still be a distant prospect, but women's leadership in Vatican governance is now a structural reality, not an experiment. To understand Pope Leo's papacy, one must first acknowledge the monumental groundwork laid by Pope Francis. His 12-year pontificate represented the most significant expansion of women's roles in the Church's central administration in modern history. Spiritus Domini(2021), which formally allowed women to serve as lectors and acolytes in Canon Law. The creation of thelay ministry of Catechist, amplifying women's authority in evangelization and teaching. Voting rights for womenat the Synod of Bishops for the first time in Church history. Two commissions studying the question of women in the diaconate, keeping discernment alive even without doctrinal change....

16+ min ago (1634+ words) The United States is the most expensive country to give birth in the world, but new legislative efforts could change that Why is it so expensive to give birth in America? The United States is the most expensive country to give birth in the world, but new legislative efforts could change that As a first-time mother, Charlene Covarrubias understood she had plenty to worry about over the course of her pregnancy: the brain fog, the emotional roller coaster from her body producing 100 to 1,000 times her usual concentration of hormones, the constant nausea that " contrary to its epithet " strikes not just in the morning, but any time of day. She had anticipated the mental and physical exhaustion of carrying a baby to term. What she didn't realize was that the actual birth would cost her thousands of dollars. Covarrubias is 32 and…...

39+ min ago (1320+ words) Mr Jerrold Hong and his wife Rachel Lim often play board games with their children, Zechariah and Esther. Published'Nov 30, 2025, 04:30 PM SINGAPORE " Parents, are you fed up with your bright-eyed toddler demanding his 12th reading of The Gruffalo " with voices, please " at 11pm? Are you resigned to your pre-schooler never knowingly eating anything with a leaf or your tween preferring to bond with her phone rather than her family? Chin up, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Here are 10 creative hacks for common struggles that worked for some parents interviewed by The Straits Times. Church worker Jerrold Hong and his wife, teacher Rachel Lim, both 36, have two children " Zechariah, seven, and Esther, four. Mr Hong says: "Sometimes when we have to be somewhere at a certain time, and the children are dragging their feet, I'll say, "let's race to the…...

41+ min ago (272+ words) Q. I am getting married in two weeks to a woman who is originally from the Dominican Republic and is not an American citizen." I am unsure if we have enough time to prepare a prenuptial agreement." My fianc's English is not the best and from what I understand, we would also need to have someone help her understand what the prenuptial agreement says. If we have time to prepare it in the next two weeks, would it be enforceable in the event of a divorce in Massachusetts, or would I be better off having a postnuptial agreement?" What if my fianc refuses to sign a postnuptial agreement after marriage? A. Your best option is to postpone the wedding! You will have trouble finding a lawyer who can prepare a prenuptial agreement for you in such a short timeframe especially given the…...

42+ min ago (760+ words) Israeli researchers have launched MiDRASH, a groundbreaking artificial intelligence project that will transcribe the entire Geniza collection, making a thousand years of Jewish history searchable, accessible, and alive for the first time. The post AI Unlocks 1,000 Years of Jewish History Hidden in Cairo's Sacred Archives appeared first on Israel365 News. For more than a century, scholars have pored over the Cairo Geniza'the largest collection of medieval Jewish manuscripts in the world'knowing that its 400,000 fragments hold secrets of Jewish life, learning, and law from a millennium ago. But until now, most of these documents have remained locked away, not by secrecy or censorship, but by the sheer impossibility of reading them all. That's about to change. Israeli researchers have launched MiDRASH, a groundbreaking artificial intelligence project that will transcribe the entire Geniza collection, making a thousand years of Jewish history searchable, accessible,…...

49+ min ago (354+ words) My ex and I constantly argue about our parenting styles. I'm structured; he's loose. I worry that the differences confuse our kids. Q: My ex and I constantly argue about our parenting styles. I'm structured; he's loose. I worry that the differences confuse our kids. He thinks I'm too strict. I think he's too laid back. What is good ex-etiquette? A: Most co-parenting battles are not actually about parenting styles. They're about assumptions. When you're in conflict with your ex, it's easy to believe they're trying to undermine you or that their approach is harming the children. But in case after case, I've found that parents with very different methods are often trying to accomplish the exact same thing. This is where the concept of parallel intentions changes everything. Parallel intentions happen when both parents want the same outcome for their children…...

57+ min ago (252+ words) Abby, all my feelings for my ex have come back, and he says he feels the same. We're different people now. We haven't taken it any further than talking and texting. I'm so confused. I don't know if I should end the relationship I'm in and give it another go with my ex, or leave it alone. " HOPELESS ROMANTIC IN TEXAS DEAR ABBY: While we were growing up, my father was abusive toward me and favored my younger sister. He said she was "too dumb to be successful," so he pushed me mercilessly (punishing me when I wasn't perfect) and mostly left her alone. As an adult, I finally found the strength to ask him to treat me right." DEAR ESTRANGED: You can try to get other family members who remember the dynamic between you and your father to vouch…...

1+ hour, 1+ min ago (580+ words) In a quiet village just outside the bustling town of Batu'where Dutch-owned flower farms dominate the landscape'23-year-old Alemu Baba has chosen a path that many of his peers have long abandoned: he has become a farmer. While most young men from his community embark on perilous journeys toward Yemen and Libya, gambling their lives for a chance to reach Europe or the Gulf, Alemu returned home. After months working as a construction laborer in Bishoftu for a wage he says "barely covered daily expenses," he faced a future that, in his words, "looked completely empty." "I didn't see a way forward in the city, and people my age thought farming had no future," he said. "But now I'm earning enough to support my family, and I'm even planning to expand into bee farming." Among the beneficiaries is Alemu's father,…...

1+ hour, 19+ min ago (610+ words) Parenting: Parenting is both beautiful and challenging, filled with countless moments of growth for both children and parents. However, there are some essential life lessons that every child should learn early to build a strong foundation. The social media parenting influencer "Gigi Parenting" shared 6 powerful lessons every kid should know by the age of 9. Gigi shared that children often struggle with the need to belong. Before age nine, they should be taught the importance of standing firm in what is right, even when it may seem unpopular. With this, parents help build early confidence, integrity, and independence. She said, "Kids need courage to say "No" and make choices that feel right, even if they are different from what their friends choose." Children must understand that harmful habits, whether screen addiction, sugar addiction, or unhealthy behaviors, can begin to control them…...