Dear Carolyn: Is a separation cruel? Prolonging the inevitable? In counseling now but I feel claustrophobic, like we can’t have a conversation without the weight of his fear and my frustration overshadowing everything. If I don’t get some space, there’s no way we’ll make it. If I do, we still might not. I feel I …
Dear Carolyn: My sister owns a few apartment buildings and my mother lives there rent-free. My mother plans to give my sister slightly more in her will. Our brother is angry about this. He wants my sister to just charge our mother rent. My sister thinks our mom will spend the money on medical expenses …
Dear Carolyn: I have a 15-year-old son who is obviously bright but hates school. My husband and I can’t helicopter him to success because (a) we don’t want to be helicopter parents, and (b) he has developed ninja-like skills when it comes to evading any attempts by us to monitor schoolwork and homework. While we …
Dear Carolyn: I’ve been in a serious relationship with someone pretty wonderful for the most part of a year. We’re super compatible and it could be the real thing. But now something has come up that has made me question it. I’m a recovering alcoholic, and got sober with the help of my family at …
Dear Carolyn: What do you do when a good friend is about to tie the knot with a dud? He’s not a bad guy; he’s just a dud. They live in different cities and fight all the time because he doesn’t call, he doesn’t write, he’s not doing this, he’s not doing that. That’s all …
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My husband’s sister is expecting her first child in the next few months. My parents-in-law are over the moon about this, and it also seems like this is really important to her husband. The thing is, I’m 98 percent sure she doesn’t want and never has wanted …
Hi Carolyn! My mother-in-law has spent much of her life accumulating collectibles, heirlooms and furniture with the rationale that she will give them to her children and grandchildren someday. Her four grandchildren are still in high school. She’s decided that “someday” is now and is getting upset that her family isn’t jumping at the chance …
Dear Carolyn: I had a wonderful best friend for years. She moved across the country after college. We stayed close for a long while, then started to drift. She moved back four years ago. We tried to hang out a couple of times. It never happened. While complex, the biggest problem was me. Always shy, …
Dear Carolyn: I just spent the weekend in the company of my boyfriend’s brother, who mimicked/mocked me, belittled almost all my actions, and made fun of my chronic health condition. My boyfriend says this is just “George’s sense of humor,” and that I should ignore it and not be so sensitive. I experienced this as …
Dear Carolyn: I left my husband of 25-plus years, and it’s only been a few months. A year ago, he told me he didn’t love me and there was no chance he would change his mind. My adult daughter and I were very close, but since the split she’s been distant to me, closer to …
