'Friends with benefits' relationship has few benefits
-- Mother of the Smelly Kid
Dear Mother: I assume you have heard the term "adulting." This is a recently minted verb to describe the process that people in their 20s are now undertaking to finally exit their lengthy childhoods. Adulting refers to assuming some life skills, such as doing dishes, paying bills, and -- yes, cleaning oneself.
I'm assuming that you did teach your son these skills, but your fear of mentioning this now indicates that you are actually afraid to relate to him both as a parent and as a fellow adult.
(This doesn't have anything to do with your politics -- or his -- by the way.)
Tell your son, "We love having you home. But you've got to wash yourself -- and your clothes -- while you're here. Let me show you how to use the washer, and let's put in a load."
Dear Readers: My own life is probably a lot like yours. I've experienced poverty, prosperity, marriage, divorce, remarriage, step-parenting, caretaking, loss and grief. If you've ever been curious about the life behind the advice column, I hope you'll consider picking up my memoir, "Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Coming Home." (2017, Hachette).
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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, 16650 Westgrove Drive, Suite 175, Addison, Texas, 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)
