ArcaMax

Dear Eric: My wife and I had a good friendship with a single woman, "Barb," for about 20 years. We enjoyed her company, and she went with us on trips, sometimes with her boyfriend of the moment.

She was always a bit problematic as, beside relationship troubles, she had health issues, but we were supportive, and we all had fun together. As we ...Read more

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.

There was a ray of hope when he went back to ...Read more

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.

One of them is a younger woman she called her spiritual daughter. My mother arranged an ...Read more

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.

When I tell him that it really upsets me, he says he is ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have known "Mary" for almost 10 years. We have a strictly business/professional relationship which requires us to meet several times a year.

Although we don't socialize, we do joke around and have small talk about family, pets, travel, movies, etc., when we meet. We've always gotten along well.

I know that Mary is gay (she has ...Read more

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 ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am becoming aware of an increasing anxiety with my pets. Specifically, being separated from them. To briefly put this in perspective, I am recently widowed as of last August. My husband had been sick since 2019. I had no help, and he never took ownership of his own health. Needless to say, this was overwhelming for me.

Throughout ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have years of writing under my belt.

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.

Meanwhile, no one asked about my writing.

I suppose I ...Read more

Dear Eric: I stayed in an abusive marriage for too long, and for a wide variety of reasons, including that we needed my ex’s income and health insurance to cover chronic medical needs.

My now-adult son does not know the extent of the abuse in my marriage because I hid it. Regardless, he is three times more likely to become an abuser himself ...Read more

Dear Eric: My spouse and I are an older couple with some family members who live in the same town as us and some family who live out of state.

The families who live near us only invite us to functions where a gift is needed, such as weddings and birthdays, etc.

We feel very sad about this since we spend many holidays alone. May I add that my ...Read more

Dear Eric: Valentine’s Day is approaching and members of my family and friends send me “Happy Valentine’s Day” texts, knowing that I am a widow. They claim that Valentine’s is for everybody, not just couples.

I feel otherwise and this just rubs salt into my wounds. These wishes feel to me very thoughtless and insensitive. How do I ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a retired 70-year-old. My mother is 93 and lives alone about 20 miles from me. She has lived in her home for more than 50 years, is relatively healthy and can still take care of herself.

We have discussed assisted-living facilities, but she strongly wishes to remain in her home.

I am her primary caregiver. She does not drive. ...Read more

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