Q. Halloween is always a problem. I want the kids to be with me and their dad wants them to be with him. I keep trying to tell him that the kids want to trick-or-treat with their friends, not in a neighborhood 30 minutes away, but he says they have friends near him, too. It’s so frustrating! Their dad never listens to me. What’s good ex-etiquette?
Dear Eric: I am one of four siblings. I live close to but not with my 102-year-old mother while my siblings live far away. Over the past 12 years, I have gradually taken over a lot of her care, although she generally makes her own decisions and is financially secure. She is dependent on me for cooking, shopping, appointments and company.
Dear Eric: We raised them to be independent but caring adults, and we can’t understand why they showed little-to-no concern for our safety.
Dear Eric: My husband stands over beautiful landscaping on our small patio. I have expressed many times that I am offended, the plants are offended, and that he should stop this grossness, if for no other reason than that It upsets me so much.
Dear Eric: It’s been more than six months of living together and now it’s almost a month before he is “in the mood”. I have cried and we have gotten into arguments over the lack of intimacy in our relationship. Each time, he claims he is still attracted to me but just isn’t interested in sex anymore. He said he doesn’t have that urge. He is worried if he tried to have sex, he wouldn’t be able to perform.
Dear Eric: My sister-in-law, who I love and have known since she was a child, recently bought two small “doodle” dogs. She brought them with her for an overnight, weekend visit. They barked at every little sound – a person coming into the room, door opening/closing.
Dear Eric: Our daughter went for a “visit” to Indiana with her boyfriend. My instinct that she was never coming back proved to be true. Then, about a year later, she sent us a long hateful email, blaming us for every perceived failure in her life.
Dear Eric: When my mother or brother write to me, they address the letters to Mrs. Green. I have not been Mrs. Green at home for more than 20 years and was always Ms. Green at work. I am not Mrs. Green. I am Ms. Green. Mostly it doesn’t bother me, I think that’s just them. And I don’t know how to raise it with them without opening old wounds. Do I continue to suck it up or do I say something. If so, what?
Q. My bonus daughter and I get along very well and many people who meet us just assume I am her mother. I believe I should always support her mother, so I am quick to correct the assumption.
In an election year it’s all too easy to forget that Veteran’s Day is November 11, even though all federal offices and banks will be closed. The holiday was made official in 1954, having previously been celebrated as Armistice Day to mark the end of the First World War.