Long before Nicole Kidman began her long-term relationship with AMC theaters, she was committed to husband and country singer Keith Urban. The two have happily been together since 2006—which is a good run for any modern day marriage, but most certainly a Hollywood one. And perhaps their nearly decades-long success can be partially attributed to one surprising communication rule: no texting.While appearing on the Something To Talk About podcast in 2023, Kidman shared that she was the one who initiated the unconventional agreement."We never text each other, can you believe that? We started out that way – I was like, 'If you want to get a hold of me, call me…"I wasn't really a texter.,” the “Moulin Rouge” actress shared. She added that while Urban did attempt texting her a few items early on, he eventually switched when Kidman wasn’t very responsive. And now, 18 years later, they only call each other.“We just do voice to voice or skin to skin, as we always say. We talk all the time and we FaceTime but we just don’t text because I feel like texting can be misrepresentative at times…I don’t want that between my lover and I,” she told Parade. See on Instagram There are, of course, some pros and cons to calling over texting. Research has shown that people who call feel more connected to one another vs. texting, with the voice being an integral component of bonding. As our society becomes increasingly more distant and lonely, finding those moments might be more important than ever. At the same time, calling can invoke a lot more anxiety compared to texting, which could lead someone to not communicating at all. Also, I don’t know about you, but the thought of having to call my partner for mundane things like “don’t forget the eggs” would drive me crazy. See on Instagram But regardless of whether or not you adopt Kidman and Urban’s no-texting rule, perhaps the bigger takeaway is that relationship longevity depends on being able to establish your own rules. One that feels good and that each partner is able to stick to. Especially when it comes to communication.As Urban himself told E! News at the CMT Music Awards, "I have no advice for anybody,You guys figure out whatever works for you…We're figuring it out. You figure it out. Everybody's different. There's no one size fits all."Luckily, there are many ways to have good text hygiene, without having to do away with it completely. Very Well Mind suggests to avoid texting too many questions, and to be respectful of your partner's schedule (probably best to not text them while they’re sleeping just to say “hey,” for example). Nor should texting be used to argue or deal with conflict. Lastly, probably save the lengthy, in-depth conversations for a phone call. Fifteen heart emojis are totally fine though. This article originally appeared on 4.17.24

There are times in parenting where you just feel kind of useless.You can't carry the baby, take a late-night breastfeeding shift, or absorb any of the pain and discomfort of childbirth.Sometimes the best you can do is to try to take care of your partner.That's what brought user u/DietyBeta to the AskParents subreddit with a well-meaning question."My wife watches our 1yo, works, and is 12 week pregnant. How can I make her daily life easier while I'm away at work?"He says that when he gets home from work, he takes over all parenting and homemaking duties.But yeesh! That's still... a lot to handle. No wonder his wife is stressed out.A few folks chimed in to pat the OP on the back. After all, it's great to see a dad who realizes how much is falling on mom's shoulders and actively looking for ways to lighten the load!Some helpful suggestions rolled in, like taking over meal prep and making her easy lunches to heat up, hiring cleaners, or paying someone to walk the dogs. Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash But then even more people came in to the comments asking the same question over and over: If mom is working, why isn't the 1-year-old in daycare?u/young-mommy wrote: "Is the one year old in daycare? If not, I would start there. Working from home with a child gets harder and harder as they enter toddlerhood"u/min2themax said: "It’s nice of you to be asking how to help her but she really is getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop here. It sounds like she is literally always working or parenting. Sometimes both at the same time. Walking the dogs and making her lunches and prepping meals and doing laundry is all well and good but this is not at all sustainable."u/alternative-box3260 said: "Have the one year old in daycare. I was in a similar situation and it’s impossible. I was able to breath after that, not before."And u/sillychihuahua26 wrote: "She’s caring for your 1.year old while working? That’s a horrible plan. You guys need childcare like yesterday."We have a legitimate childcare crisis in our country, and stories like this one really bring it to life.Childcare in the United States isn't nearly accessible or affordable enough for most families. Period.ChildCare Aware found that that average cost of childcare in 2022 was $10,853 per year, or roughly 10% of a median family income (in 2024, it's likely even more than that — yet the actual workers at childcare centers are somehow severely underpaid). But even that eye-popping number is conservative. Anyone who lives anywhere close to a city (or in California or New York) knows the number will be way higher. It's just not feasible for most families to put their child, let alone multiple children, in full-time care while they're young.And yet! The percentage of households with two parents working full-time has been rising for decades. Life is more expensive than ever, and the extra income from two working parents really helps, even if it's offset by those child care costs.More and more families are trying to scrape by — by trying to do it all Photo by Keren Fedida on Unsplash Now we don't know whether the OP's family can afford childcare for their 1-year-old or not, although in a later update to the post he wrote:"As far as daycare, she doesn't want to because she feels like she would be missing out on the time"So even if you can afford childcare, there's the still the crushing guilt of shipping your child off to be raised by strangers to deal with! Classic.(Take one guess who shoulders most of the daycare guilt — dads or moms?)The work-from-home revolution has been a Godsend for parents in certain ways — flexibility, balance, less commuting time — but its also saddled many of them with double duty. 'Hey how about you work full-time because we need the money AND keep an eye on the kids, since you're home anyway!'But it doesn't work like that, and trying to do both is crushing modern parents. In fact, the Surgeon General of the United States just put out an official advisory based on the plummeting mental state of today's parents. We know parents are having a hard time and that it's getting picked up in the national conversation. But hearing about a mom working full-time with a 1-year-old on her hip while pregnant, and a dad stuck working out of the house who's at a total loss for how to make things better really paints a pretty bleak picture.No one should have to work full-time and parent full-time, at the same time.A fridge full of microwavable lunches and a fleet of dog walkers isn't going to make it any better until things start changing from the very top.

Not that same type of power behind it. The post The U2 song that none of the band liked: “Not high on content” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Finding his new musical religion. The post The genre of music Eric Clapton called his bible: “It completely changed my outlook” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Never fully clicking with the groove. The post The Beatles album Ringo Starr never liked: “I felt like a session man” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

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Visually striking and bursting with flavor, steak pinwheels rely on more than simply technique. According to an expert chef, the cut of meat used is key.

The lies then and now are mind boggling. The people who continue to lap up the lies are beyond reach. The poison unleashed into the population will be with us a long time. https://t.co/LjpVW0096E — Edward Dowd (@DowdEdward) September 5, 2024