Question: My fiance's sister and I have a strained relationship. I see her only at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and occasional family events. She does not acknowledge me upon entering a room, her home, or my home. She heads straight to one of her family members without a word, even when I acknowledge her. As the event progresses, she may engage me in a conversation, but only about her job, her vacation, her husband, etc. Never a question about me.
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Question: My son and daughter-in-law just had a baby, our first grandchild, which is wonderful. A lot seems to have changed since my kids were babies, and it's hard for me to keep up.
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Question: My sister-in-law has a daughter and a son and has always wanted to avoid bringing them up in traditional gender roles. Relatives were told not to give her daughter anything pink. The girl got signed up for martial arts at a young age while the boy got...
Question: Years ago, I had a friend named "Amy" who was very explosive and ended up being verbally abusive toward me. I ended that relationship.
Q: I'm very particular about my looks. I work out regularly and eat right. It's like a religion to me. But when I'm in bed with my girlfriend of two...
While I'm away, readers give the advice. On the power of the mind, Part 1: Try mentally reframing your attraction to your partner. Culturally, we seem inclined to treat attraction as an involuntary, have-it-or-don't type of thing. To a certain extent, that's true. However, within limits - both of your...
While I'm away, readers give the advice. On favoritism: As the parent of three boys (high school, middle school, and preschool), I can say without reservation that I love them equally. Each can be a pain in his own special way, and each is very different from the other. So my relationship with each...
While I'm away, readers give the advice. Love 1, Dysfunction 0: When I remarried, the greatest gift my new (and older) husband gave me was defense against my mother.
While I'm away, readers give the advice. On who-brings-whom battles over family vacations: As the mother of four now-grown children, our family vacation policy was, and still is, no ring, no bring. If you are engaged or married, your partner is welcome. If not, they are not included on our family vacations...
While I'm away, readers give the advice. On dealing with historically mean elders, Part 1: My cruel stepmother outlived my father. When he died, I thought I would be done with her. But I just couldn't do it.
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Question: I have a friend whose schedule changes frequently. Recently, she changed our plans to get together from Tuesday to Monday to Wednesday. How do I spend time with her without feeling shuffled around?
While I'm away, readers give the advice. On sleeping arrangements for unmarrieds: While we were still dating, my wife's parents didn't want us sharing a room out of some random puritanical inclination. It was somewhat superficial because they knew we would sleep in each other's rooms while at college...
Q: I dated a woman for six months, but it didn't pan out. I tried, I loved her, but she wasn't sure whether she loved me. She was totally unable to make...
Question: My daughter is expecting her second baby, another girl. We are thrilled. However, our daughter told us her husband said he wanted a boy, which frustrated her.
"We always thought we'd have kids," Lindsey says. "And adoption was just another normal way to grow your family."
