Sister Has Road Rage Issues
DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm visiting my sister, and I've noticed that she has road rage. I've been here for about two weeks now, and after three days riding around with her, I decided to take cabs wherever I needed to go. She yells and honks and rages, and it just feels excessive to me.
At first, I bit my tongue and hoped for the best, but when she kept speeding through speed bumps, I asked her whether she planned to slow down; instead, she chewed me out. She kept speeding and raging at every slow driver, every car that needed to merge and bikers who cut her off. I was uncomfortable, so I told her that for the duration of my stay, I'd find my own transportation. Back at her house, her children kept asking why I don't want to ride with them, and I told them that their mom drives too fast for me. They told me that my sister doesn't like when they tell her to slow down. I don't think her children like her driving either. Frankly, it's unsafe. How do I get through to her? -- Road Rage
DEAR ROAD RAGE: It sounds like your sister is an unsafe driver. The fact that she has children who are also concerned about her driving is a perfect reason to address this in as strong a way as possible. Sit her down at home when she is in a calm state, and tell her that you are worried about her rage; you think she needs to get a handle on it. Remind her that you will no longer ride with her, but add that her children have confided in you that they are upset by her driving. Suggest that she go to therapy to figure out how to handle her emotions better.
DEAR HARRIETTE: A couple of years ago, I developed romantic feelings for a guy who is friends with my cousin. My cousin warned me that I shouldn't date him. I asked my cousin on more than one occasion if there is something I should know, but he never told me about any red flags or reasons why he didn't think it was a good idea -- so I started dating the friend. Two years later, I learned on my own that this person was not only manipulative but a liar, too. After breaking up with him and going through a difficult time rebuilding my confidence and self-perception, I shared with my cousin some of what I experienced in that relationship, including emotional, verbal and financial abuse.
Ever since I opened up about it, my cousin will not let me live it down. I don't blame that experience on him, but he won't stop reminding me that I did it to myself. I don't want to drive a bigger wedge between us, but I don't like spending time with my cousin anymore because I know that he'll bring it up again. How do I preserve our bond and get him to respect my boundaries? -- Told You So
DEAR TOLD YOU SO: Shut down your cousin by reminding him that you asked repeatedly why he thought this man was bad news, and he said nothing. Tell him the best thing he can do now is to continue to keep his mouth shut.
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(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
Copyright 2026, Harriette Cole
COPYRIGHT 2026 Andrews McMeel Syndication. This feature may not be reproduced or distributed electronically, in print or otherwise without the written permission of Andrews McMeel Syndication.
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