ArcaMax

Dear Eric: My parents married as teens and had two children: me, and my younger sister, “Jodie." They divorced when I was two and I never saw my father again. My mother and her second husband were abusive to us.

As an adult, I have maintained as calm a life as I can, and I have a husband of more than 40 years, two wonderful children, and a ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I have been living far from any of his relatives for several decades, and now we are contemplating moving to an area where many of his relatives live. They are generally pleasant and well-meaning people, and I mostly enjoy their company.

My husband’s relatives (immediate and extended family) are all Christians for ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m a 58-year-old daughter to a 94-year-old father and an 83-year-old mother. I love my parents dearly, but we have had no contact for nearly a year. I know that at any time my father and/or mother could pass. This is the one stressor in my life – that I will lose one or both of my parents when we are at odds.

My mother and I are...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a 64-year-old male with nipples that seem to stand at attention practically all the time. While my girlfriend doesn't seem to have a problem with it, per se, she makes light of it quite often, and I am starting to feel a tad on the freakish side.

"How are Pikes Peak and Mt. McKinley today?" is one example of the daily jibes. I ...Read more

Dear Eric: My friend does not like to hear the word “no.” If you tell him no, you will very speedily see his true colors which are more than ugly. When he hears the word no, he goes out of his way to make the non-consenting person pay for the falsely perceived misdeeds.

I have seen with my own eyes this little tower of terror unleash his ...Read more

Dear Eric: My 77-year-old boyfriend has a lovely 95-year-old neighbor whom I visit with him, and sometimes on my own. Recently, my boyfriend has been ill and has been staying with me. His neighbor has called me a couple of times to hear how he is doing.

Yesterday, he felt well enough to go back to his home and she confided in him that she will ...Read more

Dear Eric: My married ex-boyfriend from more than 15 years ago is still in love with me. Through the grapevine, I have heard he still talks about me and even tries to bump into me in public. He is always asking about my whereabouts. I feel very badly for his wife. If she knows about this, certainly it must strain her marriage. If she is in the ...Read more

Dear Eric: This question may be way off base, but is there a way to find out if a Celebration of Life is going to be held? A very dear friend passed away last fall and was laid to rest.

Sadly, nobody contacted me as to when the burial was because I had to move from our home.

I'm trying to move on, but closure may be affecting me. I have no ill...Read more

Dear Eric: Several years ago, after I had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my nose and had some reparative work done, my husband and I visited a long-time acquaintance. She looked at me and said, “oh, I guess that’s the best he could do.” Yikes.

I spoke to her (after the shock wore off) and she refused to apologize and even asked me ...Read more

Dear Eric: When attending a celebration and the invitation states “No gifts, please, but feel free to donate to the organization which greatly impacted the health and life of the honoree,” do you include any mention of your donation in a card you might bring with your best wishes?

– Happy Celebrant

Dear Celebrant: Yes, for two reasons (...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband has struggled with problem drinking for years. At different points over the past several years, he has suffered legal consequences and lost a job.

After a recent hospital stay, he stopped drinking for many months. Just recently, he has started to drink again, he claims “just here and there.” It is bothering me and ...Read more

Dear Eric: My spouse and I are in our late 60s. Our two kids are in their late 30s. Two years ago our oldest moved more than 2,100 miles away with our two grandkids. They had been talking about it for a while.

Then, out of the blue, our youngest child moved more than 800 miles away six months later.

We don’t have much family near us. We are ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a longtime friend who is downsizing as she prepares to sell her home and move into assisted living. Every time we talk, she shares a story about a unique item and the lucky person who has received it.

I am genuinely happy about this and wholeheartedly support giving away treasures before you die so you can ensure it's going to...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a "third grandma" in a family with several stepchildren and now their grandchildren. The problem is with my daughter-in-law's parents, both of whom are lovely but annoying.

The kids have bonded with them which is great. But her mother is almost always at their house and interferes with any attempts by their other grandfather or ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am finding that I don’t much like getting older. My husband and I have just learned that we need to be closer to medical help, so we must sell our current home, which we love, and move.

We have two sons, both of whom we love dearly, who each want us to build a little home on their property so we can be close enough that they can ...Read more

Dear Eric: I grew up in a silent household. I was a shamed, rejected kid and learned not to speak. One sister was the beautiful favorite. My brother and I were shamed, and we feared our father.

Our divorced mom apparently stole and kept some of my childhood journals. She put them in her desk. When we cleared out mom's home after she died, the ...Read more

Dear Eric: A few years ago, I was directly responsible for saving “Peter’s” life. I did not know Peter before this event and soon afterward he and his family reached out to thank me and ask to meet me, obviously under better circumstances.

I agreed to the meeting and, to be blunt, I regret it completely.

Peter is a perfectly decent ...Read more

Dear Eric: About two years ago, my husband was “invited” to resign his managerial position at a local company. This followed two less-than-great performance reviews which he claimed were the result of not getting along with his boss.

Fortunately, he was able to find another comparable full-time position quickly. He says he likes his job. ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am finding myself more and more fearful of AI. I have family and friends who casually upload their personal images to be AI-altered. That’s their prerogative so I never have talked about my AI aversion.

Recently though, a few family members uploaded group photos including me to generate lighthearted/silly AI images. This bothered...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m a senior with three grown kids. After divorcing young, I rebuilt my life, earned a degree and worked hard to save for retirement. Two of my children are independent, but my third child, with his family, still lives in my house despite many conversations and arguments about moving out.

This prevents me from selling my home as ...Read more