ArcaMax

Dear Eric: My brother is 22 years old and has always had a girlfriend, though none of the relationships have ever lasted. His previous girlfriends have been controlling and possessive, to the point that he breaks up with them.

His current girlfriend seems to be the same way, but he is head over heels for her. Not only is she possessive and ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I have two daughters, both in their 40s. The younger one has a career, is married and pays her own bills. The other has never been functional and ebbs and flows in and out of stability.

She has a volatile and intense personality. She has a husband who is disabled, and they live on the husband’s disability income.

No...Read more

Dear Eric: The most important family member to me is my brother, the only person who's been there since my birth and never let me down. We're both retired, and he's very, very sick, partly from past addictions. His insurance company kicked him off getting any more of his last chance medication that could give him another one to five years of ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a late-20-something. When I told my mom I wanted to go to law school, one of the first things she said to me was that I would most likely never find a life partner. Of note, I am the only woman in my family in my generation with a college degree. I am also the first attorney in my family.

I am now three years into my career. I ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a 30-year-old friendship from high school. I am a woman, and my friend is a man. He got married to a smart, driven, friendly partner. She meshes well with our core group. They have been married for 13 years and have a 5-year-old.

The wife recently called me to tell me she wants a divorce and has proof of him hanging out with ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I have a close relationship with another couple. Their daughter, two years out of college and gainfully employed, lives with them. When we are invited to have dinner or drinks at this couple’s house, the daughter often joins.

We are not generally informed ahead of time that she will join; instead, the couple says ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am really struggling with anger and heartbreak and need a little help. A year ago, my husband took his own life. Four days before he passed, he told me that he had been having an affair with another man.

I had suspected there was something going on and I asked my husband. He never gave me a straight answer. The affair had been off ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am really struggling with anger and heartbreak and need a little help. A year ago, my husband took his own life. Four days before he passed, he told me that he had been having an affair with another man.

I had suspected there was something going on and I asked my husband. He never gave me a straight answer. The affair had been off ...Read more

Dear Eric: My 65-year-old brother Greg is dying. Lately, he has wanted to talk about how he has no regrets about the “wonderful” life he has led. Now he’s pressing me to tell him I have no regrets about my life, which has only caused me to think about how many I do have.

When we were growing up, Greg made my life hell. He bullied me ...Read more

Dear Eric: I love my family. I went away as the gay black sheep but always have tried to be the one who gives back. I paid for college and a Ph.D. on my own steam (scholarships and three jobs). I have sent multiple gifts to everyone in the family over the years, despite my crushing student loan debt. I paid for my niece's RN program after my ...Read more

Dear Eric: My wife and I are both 70. We recently gave up our landline and now both carry our cellphones. Lately my wife, when receiving a text or call, will stop what she’s doing to reply. While eating lunch together recently and having a conversation, a text came in and she interrupted our talk to respond.

I voiced my feelings about being ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I hope you can help us with a sticky situation. About six years ago, we met a couple on a cruise and as they had friends near us, we invited them to visit when in our area.

This happened and all went well as we share many common interests. However, as the years progressed, this couple has repeatedly invited ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a happily married gay man. My husband and I are retired, and we both love to spend our time shopping at thrift stores and antique shops. We each believe the other has a hoarding problem. I believe that we both do, but to varying degrees.

Our home has become so full that we only have paths to go from one room to another. Stacks ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a 60-something man who struggled for decades, working multiple jobs at a time. Many of those jobs were physically brutal, but thanks to a generous family inheritance late last year I'm finally able to rest my beaten and broken body and retire with my arthritis meds and pending joint replacements.

My wife of eight months, who is ...Read more

Dear Eric: Several months ago, a friend's boyfriend broke up with her. She is devastated over this as she loves him very much. Even though he treated her very poorly by saying she is stupid and is an embarrassment, she still loves him.

She continues to speak to him, even helping him out. She calls me to tell of the latest hurtful situation he ...Read more

Dear Eric: I took a job in DC at the behest of my close friend, who also invited me to live with her. She said she was retiring and moving back to her Midwest hometown. She offered to rent her townhouse to me for a really reduced rate while she's in transition.

Well, not only is she not making any attempts to move, but she also comments on my ...Read more

Dear Eric: I've always had a close relationship with my mom and, for much of my adult life, I didn't really have a life of my own away from her. In the last few years, I entered into my first serious relationship. We moved in together and had an on-again-off-again thing for a while and are now living separately.

We are now considering moving ...Read more

Dear Eric: I took a DNA test with an ex. The child is five. My ex gave me issues about it for years but finally caved in. We remained friends. Now that it's verified that I'm not the child's father, what do I do?

The mother didn't even show up in court for the results. Do I reach out?

She has four other kids I've built a great bond with over ...Read more

Dear Eric: "Jim" and I had a daughter, "Helena," who was 12 years old when her father died of cancer. Jim and Helena were very close, and she knew that she would receive a letter from her father on every birthday until she turned 18.

When she graduated college, I surprised her with another letter. In it, Jim talked about his own college ...Read more

Dear Eric: For the past 10 years we have always "been there" for our grandchildren (now 18 and 16) and my son and daughter-in-law.

In the past two years, things have changed. We have sent the grandkids cards, asked them to various events, and sent weekly texts. Most go unanswered, as if they are entitled. So, I recently sent them a text and ...Read more