Category: Advice

Dear Eric: What’s an appropriate response? Should I get angry? Should I question her motives? Should I be supportive to her? Should I dress better?

Dear Eric: I belong to a small book club that now comprises six older women. All of us have been with the group for more than 30 years. For the most part, we all get along and enjoy the variety of books that are selected to be read each year. We have one member who is very opinionated about everything and does not hesitate to let her thoughts be known to us all.

Dear Eric: In a few weeks, my sons, 22 and 20, will be coming for a visit. Both have stated that they do not wish to renew their rental lease. I love and like my boys. I would welcome them with open arms. But there has to be rules and boundaries. Is asking them to work part time instead of full time while they pursue their dreams and a small amount of rent too much?

Dear Eric: I have a mid-20s nephew who appears to be afflicted with a severe case of failure-to-launch syndrome. He dropped out of college after six months, moved in with his mom (my sister), only interacts with peers via gaming and comes across as utterly apathetic and disengaged from the world.

Dear Eric: I am a non-observant Jew. My spiritual beliefs are very personal, and I don’t discuss them casually. My mother became a Christian. This is important because, as she went deeper into her Christianity, she made friends who shared her beliefs.

Dear Eric: I have been in a relationship with a man going on six years now. I love and care about him deeply. However, we have one serious problem in our relationship. He is always going to his ex-wife’s house. He goes there about three nights a week, coming home drunk afterward.

Dear Eric: I believe that Mary has the right to present herself as she chooses, and I am not at all uncomfortable with her having a beard. But I feel awkward pretending it’s not there. 

Dear Eric: My husband’s parents are divorced. In the last year or so (after being married to their son for nine years) my in-laws have started communicating with me instead of my husband to make plans. Example: My husband called his dad to make New Year’s plans. A few days later, my father-in-law texted me with the details about times to arrive and eat.

Dear Eric: During a recent family visit, I spent a lot of time hearing about grown kids’ accomplishments. I asked questions and was a good listener. At one point, my husband read a story he’d written, and the family praised his efforts to the moon.