JD Roberto

Nothing gets parents as incensed as having their idea of what makes a "good parent" challenged in public. For some folks, that's exactly what the whole "attachment parenting" movement is doing, and the latest edition of TIME magazine is trying its best to turn what could be an interesting, progressive...

At some point I know my kids are going to have to face the many ugly truths about life on this planet and, by and large, I think that's a good thing. Part of molding a young child into a decent, responsible, adult is making sure they are aware of...

Dear Melissa,

Hey there, it's me, JD -- the guy at the park this morning who took the shovel away from your son Jackson/Caleb/Josh/Whatever. I wanted to touch base about the whole situation because I feel like we left things on bad terms and, even though you're a complete stranger,...

I am in a codependent relationship that is headed for heartbreak. My heartbreak, that is. See, this is one of the many things no one ever quite captures when they try to explain how a parent feels about a child. They say things like "You'll love them more than you...

Perhaps the most hands-on, intimate and enduring relationship in a man's life is the one he has with his penis. Yes, ladies, you might be tired of hearing about our junk but we're tired of hearing about Oprah so we're even. My manhood and I have been through a lot...

Like most curious little boys, Z is a master of the startling nonsequitor. Brush-your-teeth time can go from a discussion of the virtues of watermelon flavored toothpaste to a passionate declaration that broccoli stems are superior to broccoli heads without notice or segue. I suspect this is a combination of...

I got a lot of parenting advice before my first child came into the world. I think people feel obligated to bestow their wisdom on expecting parents and, overall, I guess that's a good thing. Still, the advice I got - though well meaning and thoughtful - was almost entirely...

A couple of months ago, a Canadian couple made headlines by refusing to reveal the gender of their newborn child. It was, they declared, their goal to raise a gender neutral baby. To do so, they decided to hide his/her/its gender from the world and only reveal the nondescript name:...

My normally serene morning routine of coffee, email, and Facebook was interrupted when my friend Marcus suddenly downgraded from "In a Relationship" to "It's Complicated" and a stream of sympathetic well-wishes and sad-moticons began to pepper the screen. Marcus is a good guy and, like everyone else, I felt bad...

I remember being in my 20s when my mother told me that, while she wasn't comfortable calling me an "accident," she does have first hand proof that contraceptive foam isn't 100% effective. By the time I came along, Mom already had grave doubts about the viability of her marriage. I...

Little Isabella doesn't want to leave the park. Best I can tell, her Mom has reached the fourth two-minute warning for departure and every time The Little Princess hears the phrase "Come on honey, time to put on your shoes." she goes apoplectic and runs the other direction. Mom has...