Elder abuse

Hey, my March Redbook column is online! What!

Of course you already read it because you subscribed the moment you heard I was to be a regular columnist--but just in case you lost your copy when you had to throw it at a snake, or accidentally dropped it in your hot tub, here you go. With the online version, you're missing out on the illustrations, which is a shame. Next time take better care of your copy, would you?

You expect all kinds of discomfort when you have a baby. First there are the mild to moderate to are you kidding me twinges during pregnancy and the standard physical and emotional marathon of labor and delivery (plus ensuing flashbacks). Then you brace for the blinding pain of those first few days of nursing, the full-body aches and madness that come with sleep deprivation. Sure. Me, I signed up for all that. I was ready.

But then it turns out that your child continues to inflict pain upon you. The professionals couch this in terms such as boundary testing or tactile/kinesthetic exploration, but the fact is your kid will beat you up.

Read the rest there, and if you feel the need, you can comment! (You do need to register first, in order to have commenting privileges.)