"False Spring" in Chicago, is that wedding bells I hear?
Category: Reader Questions
#1366: “Malicious, controlling mother-in-law wants to move in”
Ultimatums are scary for a reason: Sometimes people force you to follow through on them.
#1365: “I am being held hostage by the phone.”
When someone who can't say no and someone who won't take no for an answer become friends and form an awkward puzzle of dysfunction.
#1364: “Gender is elusive, and I cannot teach it to you, Mother!”
Don't let a side quest for understanding get in the way of doing - or demanding - care and kindness.
#1363: “Am I overreacting to being constantly interrupted at work?”
To avoid the trap of trying to satisfy a group member who can never be satisfied, think about what you owe everybody else.
#1362: “Family being opposite but equal butts about COVID – How do I maintain sanity?”
There's a reason parents of little kids are freaking out right now, howabout we start with not treating their fear like it's a baseless inconvenience?
#1361: “I can’t leave that one unrequited love alone.”
Your love and grief are real, even if they're inspired by an inadequate and disappointing source.
#1360: “Is there any reasonable way to ask the father who abandoned me if I can have my dead mother’s wedding ring?”
Maybe your avoidant parent will be so avoidant that he'll do what you want in order to avoid conflict.
5 Answers to “That’s Certainly A Question”
Answers to unpublishable questions, like a New Year's cleanse for upsetting letters.
#1359: Sibling’s Christmas Decorations Are Making My Parents Break Down
The problem with ultimatums is sometimes people take you up on them.