Visits: 25 A reader’s feelings are hurt after offering to fly to celebrate her sister’s 70th birthday only to be told not to bother, as “all her family” would be there. My sister and I live in different parts of …
Why Won’t Our Daughter Introduce Us to Her New Boyfriend?
Visits: 30 Parents who enjoy an otherwise close relationship with their 33-year-old daughter feel hurt not to have been introduced to a man she met three months ago and with whom she now lives. Our only child is 33 and …
Why Can’t My Friend Accept That My Disabled Son Has a Great Life?
Visits: 29 Put off by pitying displays of concern for her son’s paralysis, a reader wonders how to handle a well-meaning friend whose support misses the mark. Our son was partly paralyzed in a sporting accident as a teenager. Now, …
My Brother’s Ex-Wife Won’t Return a Family Heirloom. Help!
Visits: 22 A reader had hoped that her grandmother’s ring would stay in the family, perhaps to pass on to her daughter, but her former sister-in-law has so far refused to give it back. When my brother got engaged, he …
Why Does My Sister Want to Be Paid for Being the Executor of My Mother’s Will?
Visits: 21 Months after the bulk of their mother’s estate was divided and paid, a reader’s sister is seeking to keep a remaining balance of $150,000 as payment for her work as an executor. My mother passed away in 2021. …
My Friend Offered to Dogsit, Then Backed Out When Her Mother Died. Now What?
Visits: 23 A reader is left wondering how to patch things up with irked neighbors after an understandably preoccupied friend left the reader’s dog alone to bark all night. I visited my family overseas for three weeks. It was our …
I Offered to Give My Home to My Son. Why Does He Expect Me to Leave It?
Visits: 28 After her son responded with interest to the idea of moving back home to raise a family, a mother is hurt to realize that he never intended to keep her around. I am 68 and live alone in …
Lift a Pinky. It’s Time for Tea.
Visits: 31 Phoebe Cheong and Jude Andam, friends who live on opposite coasts, have recently begun a tradition whenever they see each other. They have tea. On a recent afternoon, Ms. Andam, a makeup artist in Los Angeles, joined Ms. …
How Can I Get My Adult Siblings to Care About Our Ailing Mother?
Visits: 39 On the hook for the lion’s share of care for her homebound mother, a reader wonders how to get her out-of-state siblings to pick up the slack — or at least the phone. I am the youngest of …
Why Is My Mother Obsessed With Buying Me a Status Bag?
Visits: 35 A reader who is uncomfortable with expensive gifts doesn’t know how to respond to a $7,000 handbag she had begged her mother not to send. My mom has wanted to buy me a luxury bag for a few …