The B Side guide to
Relationships
Thoughtful, honest ideas for staying close—to a partner, adult children, old friends and the new people you haven’t met yet.
Featured reads
Relationships
Two People Who Haven’t Met Yet
Sometimes you know two people who would enjoy a conversation. A thoughtful introduction can help them connect—without making you responsible for what happens next.
Relationships
You Can Care Without Taking Over
You have a lifetime of experience to share. Knowing when to offer it—and when to leave the decision with someone else—can make your relationships stronger.
Relationships
One of You Is Retired. The Other Still Has an Alarm Clock.
How to stay close when your schedules, energy and ideas about Tuesday look very different.
Relationships
The Couple Meeting That Doesn’t Feel Like a Meeting
A monthly coffee date, seven good questions and room for the life you’re sharing.
Relationships
When Retirement Gives You Too Much Togetherness
More time together is a gift. A strong retirement relationship also needs separate interests, outside friendships and room to come home with a story.
Relationships
The Quiet Thank-You That Changes Everything
The small kindnesses that keep ordinary life moving deserve to be noticed—and sometimes thirty honest seconds is enough.
Relationships
When Your Parent Says “I’m Fine”: How to Offer Help Without Taking Over
Supporting aging parents means making room for help without crowding out the independence they’ve spent a lifetime building.
Relationships
The Friendship Gap After 50
Repeated contact, better questions and one small invitation can give a few good new relationships somewhere to grow.
Relationships
The Quiet Thank-Yous We Forget to Say
In a long relationship, appreciation can become silent. A few specific words can make the everyday care between you visible again.
Relationships
Dreaming Out Loud
Talking about tomorrow is not about making a perfect plan. It is a way of saying, ‘I still see you in the story I’m excited to live.’
Relationships
When the Day Feels Heavy
Stress will enter every relationship. The question is whether it becomes another opponent—or something you learn to carry together.
Relationships
The Little Things That Say ‘I See You’
Lasting love is often built in ordinary moments—the coffee made, the water bottle filled and the quiet kindness someone remembered.
Relationships
Rediscovering Connection in the Empty-Nest Years
When careers slow down and children build lives of their own, relationships need a new rhythm—and that can be a wonderful opportunity.