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GASLIGHTING

#1211, #1212, #1213: FeelingsCourt Is In Session On Several Accumulated Matters Of The Heart

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June 26, 2019
advice, big discussions, boundaries, BREAKING UP, bygones, Captain Awkward's Dating Guide for Geeks, Captain Awkward's Laws of Social Media, cheating, COMMUNICATION, crushes, Dating, Enthusiastic Consent, ethics, Geek Social Fallacies, invitations, Manners, marriage, Overthinking It, Patreon, Reader Questions, Relationships, sexuality, Social Interactions
144 Comments

I have some questions about romantic feelings and dating and breakups accumulating and I don’t know if they all belong together, but maybe they don’t all need separate threads? I think what they might have in common is people who are trying to rules-lawyer their own hearts. Let’s find out! Hello Captain Awkward, I’m not …

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#1208: “Question about Mom Friends being too Mothering:” BOUNDARIES SCHOOL is in session.

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June 10, 2019
boundaries, control, emotional abuse, forced teaming, friends, Friendship, Geek Social Fallacies, How Not To Be, how to say no, manipulation, Overthinking It, Personal Safety, Reader Questions, Roommates, saying no, the art of no, the gift of fear
382 Comments

As promised…more “If you’re ‘not allowed’ to say no to someone, they are not acting like friends” content. I have kept the Letter Writer’s subject line as the post title so that readers too can have the “Wait, where is the part where this person is an actual mom” “Oh wait, phew, this person isn’t …

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May Answers of Varying Length to Short Questions: Part 2 of 2

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May 26, 2019
alcoholism, big discussions, boundaries, family, Mental Health, Overthinking It, Pep talks for the creatively blocked, saying no, self-care, Work
88 Comments

Continued from the previous post to give me more time to think and help you rest your scrolling fingers. Click below the jump for: Not automatically taking on new volunteer responsibilities when others pile them on, talking to kids about fatphobia and disordered eating, supporting a friend with an alcohol addiction, and bouncing back when …

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#1188: Grief and the empty chairs at the wedding feast.

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March 19, 2019
bygones, death, Events, Families, family, Manners, Reader Questions, rejection, Weddings
144 Comments

Dear Captain Awkward, After almost a year of planning, we’re in the home stretch before my wedding day in early May. Everything was lining up smoothly until I reached out for RSVPs that hadn’t been received yet, namely my stepdad, my aunt, and my grandmother (my dead mom’s sister and mother). These are my only …

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#1175: “My teenager says their father (my ex of 1.5 decades) is sending me a V-Day Present. Help!”

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February 10, 2019
Abuse, boundaries, control, creeps, emotional abuse, family, forced teaming, manipulation, Parents, Reader Questions, saying no
112 Comments

Dear Captain Awkward, My teenager has informed me that their father told them he plans to mail me jewelry for Valentine’s Day. Their father and I have been divorced for nearly a decade and a half and I’ve been in three committed, long-term relationships in that time. I have less-than-zero interest in my ex-husband romantically …

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#1148: “Navigating the aftermath of the abuse in the social circle.”

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October 2, 2018
Abuse, boundaries, creeps, emotional abuse, ethics, Friendship, Personal Safety, Reader Questions, Roommates, self-care

Hey there, Captain Awkward – My dear roommate (Clay)’s ex-boyfriend was abusive. He had mental health issues, and emotionally manipulated roommate (they/them) in various ways. I spent a lot of time helping my roommate to process the feels and vulnerabilities emerging around what happened in their relationship – and potentially over invested myself in their …

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#1127: “I think my friend is falling in love with me and I don’t feel the same way.”

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July 25, 2018
boundaries, creeps, crushes, manipulation, Personal Safety, Reader Questions, rejection, saying no
334 Comments

Dear Captain, Nearly 2 years ago I joined a MMORPG community for the first time. Through a series of events, I met a guy who has become one of my best friends. We are bizarrely similar at times and he’s really been there for me. It started out just online but we now have each …

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