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When in doubt, respond to what you witness, not what you hear secondhand.

Carolyn Hax

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Carolyn Hax
Age: 57
Born: 1966
Born: December 5
Columnist
Journalist
Writer
Bridgeport
Connecticut
Carolyn Hanley Hax
Respond
Witness
Hear
Doubt
Secondhand

More quotes by Carolyn Hax

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If you take the time to listen to an upset child's story with empathy, and guide the child toward figuring out the root of the problem, then the result is often that the child not only calms down, but also in the future is less likely to get so upset.
Carolyn Hax
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Apparently you have ample proof from experience that you're not going to stop world evil by debating your in-laws into submission, so it's okay to choose not to try.
Carolyn Hax
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If you're not sure what you want, then hold back from making plans or responding to invitations until you have a chance to think about it.
Carolyn Hax
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Instead of talking at each other about the non-business-related contact, talk to each other about your concerns about marriage. Listen a lot, too.
Carolyn Hax
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We all make deals with ourselves when it comes to the difficult people in our lives.
Carolyn Hax
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When you fail to see something, that doesn't mean I'm hiding it.
Carolyn Hax
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No matter what else comes, your courage will be your companion for life.
Carolyn Hax
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For me, the greatest source of frustration was trying to work with a willful child when there was something else I wanted - say, to get the child to go to bed so I could have my own time. Just the promise of the time, and feeling that promise slip away, was enough to introduce a whole other element of stress into the encounter.
Carolyn Hax
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For some people, the better route for finding like-minded parents is just to get out of your house with your baby and frequent baby-friendly places.
Carolyn Hax
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Sometimes the pain outweighs the good things.
Carolyn Hax
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There's nothing like a good family when you're really up a tree.
Carolyn Hax
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It takes awareness that it's not only not a bad thing to let others do things their own way, it is in fact an improvement. It makes life richer and more interesting.
Carolyn Hax
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Plan your own vacations when you want to, and plan a suitable combined vacation with this other family when you want to. If they freak out at your planning your own vacations as you see fit, then let them. Bowing to unreasonable demands because someone will make you pay emotionally if you don't is not a healthy option.
Carolyn Hax
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It's okay to forgive yourself immediately and for good.
Carolyn Hax
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Once given, a gift is yours to use, store or dispose of as you see fit.
Carolyn Hax
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Attractions are things we all should be good at saying no to, because our Department of Attraction is arguably the least reliable and productive office in our entire brain.
Carolyn Hax
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Waiting for someone to propose to you only passes the Really, it's tradition! sniff test when both of you think it's the man's job to propose and both of you think that's awesome.
Carolyn Hax
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You need to make plans for your future, so plan your own future.
Carolyn Hax
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Separating is not divorcing. Please keep that in mind. It is, instead, the second step in seeing if there's a better way to manage your family.
Carolyn Hax
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People who make babies surrender their right to behave like them.
Carolyn Hax