Dear Kid Whisperer,

I want my kids to be responsible people. They are 1 and 3 years old. I know that chores need to be a part of their lives. Obviously, they are too young now, but I want them to be ready for life. I want them to learn about money, but I have no clue how much to pay them for their chores once they are old enough. Thoughts?

...Read more

Q. My recent breakup was a big one. I spend most of my time trying not to let the kids see how broken-up I am that their mother left. Valentine's Day is right around the corner and they're buzzing about it. The teacher is bringing in special treats, they're talking about exchanging cards, and the house feels full of electricity. I'm doing my ...Read more

It’s a game of hide and seek a lot of women play. You hide the last bite of something delectable for yourself, not because you’re selfish, but because you are a visionary.

Based on personal history and past performance, you know with certainty that soon, maybe in the next week, day or next five seconds, you may feel depleted, exhausted and ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Franki Jupiter grew up in St. Louis, the son of a Presbyterian minister and a Bible Study teacher. He was raised to believe he should marry young and remain committed — to both Jesus and his wife — for life.

But Jupiter, 39, didn’t end up doing so.

“I love people, and I’m not great with impulse control,” he ...Read more

The thought of saving money may feel overwhelming, especially if you have nothing saved and struggle to afford necessities like rent and groceries.

If you don’t have a healthy emergency fund, you’re not alone. In fact, only 30% of Americans would pay a $1,000 emergency expense from savings, a recent Bankrate survey found. Other survey ...Read more

TOP SECRET

To: Tom Cruise

From: Jerry Zezima

Re: “Mission: Implausible”

Dear Mr. Cruise:

I am a dashing, heroic and admittedly aging spy cleverly disguised as a syndicated newspaper columnist whose work is highly suspect. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to let me star in the next installment of your fabulously ...Read more

CHICAGO -- Even in the freezing air, Romian Crockett stood outside Chalmers STEAM Elementary with a boombox blaring ’90s music. Swaying to the beat, the principal hugged or high-fived each student who walked through the door. He knows all 218 by name.

“Terrence, good morning,” Crockett told a young boy bundled in layers.

“Wow, I got ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Inside a heated tent on the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia campus, 17-month-old KJ Muldoon wiggled around in his mother’s arms, smiling and clinging to a multicolored toy.

This time, the toddler who has been called one of the top 10 people who helped shape science in 2025 was not here for a medical appointment.

He was ...Read more

Safari Dusk has been chosen as Proven Winners' "Annual of the Year." It is an incredibly beautiful flower that you must put in your repertoire of component plants, if you will, for mixed containers and hanging baskets.

Botanically speaking it is a Jamesbrittenia hybrid that in the United States goes by the common name South African Phlox. In ...Read more

FRESNO, Calif. -- Collection baskets at two Central Valley-area Catholic churches have gone high-tech, with credit card readers strapped to their sides so parishioners can tap in $20 or $40 donations as the baskets are passed down the rows of pews.

So far, only Fresno’s Holy Spirit Catholic Church and Visalia’s Good Shepherd Catholic Parish...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Nadia Garcia was showing a visiting friend around the Fairfax neighborhood one recent Saturday when she paused in front of a small shop on Melrose Avenue.

"We have to go in here," Garcia recalled saying to her friend. They walked in and began to sift through a rack of women's shorts and Lululemon leggings.

At a time when ...Read more

It was a Sunday afternoon, the snow was coming down steady and gorgeous, the wind chill was stuck at negative 25, and I was on the phone with Joe Sass, Chicago’s newest folk hero.

“I just got back from some intense sledding with my daughter,” he told me. “We were the first ones there so I had to go down a few times by myself. Groom the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- “Am I being pranked?”

That’s what Gloucester County resident Gabby Weiland recalled thinking after she made a wrong turn while Doordashing in Southwest Philly earlier this month. Instead of finding a customer waiting on the curb for her lunch, Weiland found herself outside of Sin City Cabaret Nightclub at 6130 Passyunk ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I’m 35 and my girlfriend is 30. She works at a tech startup and has gotten really close with one of her coworkers — a 28-year-old guy who just moved to the city. They’re part of a work friend group that hangs out outside the office pretty regularly. Last weekend, the whole group went to a concert that I wanted to go to, but I ...Read more

Today, we have five questions across all aspects of dating:

Q: How do I manage the grief associated with not finding what I’m looking for?

A: This is an interesting question that can answer in a few different ways.

First, I completely understand what you're saying. Most people's lives don't go in exactly the way they want. So we do have to ...Read more

Melani Sanders is over it.

She's over meticulously applying makeup before leaving the house or, even, having to wear a bra when running errands. She's over wasting time plucking chin hairs, searching for brain fog-induced lost reading glasses and — most of all — withholding her opinions so as not to offend others.

As a 45-year-old ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Regina Robinson isn’t used to being asked what she wants out of her home.

But for about a year, architects and designers had detailed discussions with her and other tenants at the Susquehanna Square subsidized apartment community in North Philadelphia about how to transform the look and feel of the development.

Robinson and ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — To the 300,000 drivers who stream through Agoura Hills on the 101 Freeway every day, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing looks relatively unchanged from last summer, except for some leggy native shrubs growing along the outer walls.

While activity seems to have halted on what is touted to be the world's largest wildlife ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I am a member of a very large church. I love it aside from one thing: It is very common for children to be on tablets throughout the service. There are so many children doing this! It really takes away from my enjoyment of the service, especially since these children could be upstairs taking Sunday school classes. What ...Read more

Q: Should I give my ex a valentine to entice him back?

A: When you ask this question, you're not really asking about a card. You're asking whether it's OK to reopen a door that has already been closed, and whether doing so will make you feel more at ease, more connected or less alone.

It's doubtful, at least not in the long run.

Valentine's ...Read more