Man is cast in Tennessee Williams domestic drama
Dear Sick: You give someone license to make you feel bad if you behave as if you have something to apologize for. You do not.
Don't share any personal or financial details with these relatives. Be completely transparent about your mother's care and finances, but don't offer any information about your own.
Sarcasm is the lowest form of retort. Don't stoop to a response.
Dear Amy: "Worried Wife" described life with a hoarder.
If you ask my husband why he is keeping something (like "junk mail"!), he doesn't know. He has some idea that maybe he will be able to use it in the future.
When I tripped over a pile of mail and broke my arm, he moved some of his stuff to a storage facility. There are now new piles on the floor.
-- S
Dear S: This perfectly describes the pernicious persistence of a hoarding disorder. Your husband needs professional help, not another storage unit.
========
(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.)
