The answer to "how to make someone _____" is almost always, "Sorry, you can't make anybody do anything."
Category: Money
#1372: “Help me plant the right boundaries for the future.”
There are a lot of steps between "starting a farm" and "figuring out who gets it after we die." Content Warning for ableism.
#1355: “How to stop helping a former coworker.”
The only thing more awkward than talking about money is Not Talking About Money.
It Came From The Search Terms: June 2021 Is Busting Out All Over
Soft rejections, mixing finances, and a primer for dealing with loaded questions.
#1327: “My best friend’s other best friend is The Worst. How do I free myself without losing my friend?”
Sometimes when you stop trying to make yourself like someone, it's easier to keep the peace at parties.
#1312: Did I make the wrong decision? And–why can’t I listen to everyone telling me I made the right decision?
I believe the classic phrase is "don't set yourself on fire to keep somebody else warm."
It Came From The Search Terms: July 2020
Yes! It is time! Time to treat the search strings people typed in right before they washed up on these blog shores as if they are actual questions! Inside: Mask etiquette, reformed Nice Guy™ apologies, overly-neighborly neighbors, favor-sharking defined, and more.
#1271: “I went no-contact with an abusive parent who is dying now. What are the rules here?”
Content notes for alcohol addiction, emotional abuse, illness requiring hospitalization. O Captain, My Captain, My mother was always (imo) an emotionally abusive narcissist. I'm the oldest of 3 and the scapegoat. She became an alcoholic when I was 16 or 17, has been hospitalised with liver failure a number of times in the last 12 … Continue reading #1271: “I went no-contact with an abusive parent who is dying now. What are the rules here?”
#1216 and #1217: The Weight Of Parental Love and Things And Time And “Help.”
Dear Captain Awkward; Hello! I am 48 years old, pronouns she/her, and having trouble with my parents, specifically, my mother and her hoarding. My mom is trying to give more stuff to me than I can handle, and the lever she pulls to make it more painful is, "but it was your grandmother's." if I … Continue reading #1216 and #1217: The Weight Of Parental Love and Things And Time And “Help.”
Books: “What My Mother And I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence”
"Sometimes I imagine what it would be like to give this book to my mother. To present it to her as a precious gift over a meal that I’ve cooked for her. To say: Here is everything that keeps us from really talking. Here is my heart. Here are my words. I wrote this for … Continue reading Books: “What My Mother And I Don’t Talk About: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence”