ArcaMax

Dear Eric: My daughter will be 37 in a month but has never been able to completely support herself. She has a degree from a good university but is unable to keep a job for more than a year or so.

She presently works as a restaurant hostess at a high-end restaurant. She has lived with her younger boyfriend for five years with no plans to marry. ...Read more

Dear Readers: On November 9, I answered a letter from someone who was trying to find a way to acknowledge her impending divorce in her Christmas cards, which would contain a photo of the letter writer and her kids, sans soon-to-be amicable ex. I made a few suggestions and invited you to lend your wisdom. Here are a few great suggestions and one ...Read more

Dear Eric: Recently, I was trying to figure out how two friends of mine, James and Jon, had decided to stop talking to me and not continue our friendship. And it wasn't based on anything that happened between any of us. But then, upon thinking about what we all had in common, there was our mutual friend Paulo.

And then I realized what must have...Read more

Dear Eric: My son is turning 40 on December 22. My husband and I are at a quandary as to how to celebrate him.

There have been issues between my husband and him over things from his childhood. We did a special trip for his older brother when he turned 40 and would like to do something special for this son's 40th as well.

Our daughter-in-law ...Read more

Dear Eric: I've just turned 40 this past year. The last 15 years I was in a horrible drug addiction. I lied and hurt and did terrible things to a lot of people, especially my family.

About eight years ago they officially disowned me. Understandable.

I've cleaned up and got my act together six years ago. At first, I tried to force my way back ...Read more

Dear Eric: My daughter-in-law decided a few years back to have a Friendsgiving dinner which she hosts a couple of weekends before Thanksgiving. She invites her family (as her mom has never done Thanksgiving) and then a bunch of her and my son's friends.

In my mind I know this shouldn't bother me, but it does. I waited my "turn" growing up and ...Read more

Dear Eric: How does one politely suggest to an in-law's relative that we don't need to exchange Christmas gifts? My significant other and I are at the stage in life where we really do not need more "stuff" and would rather not deal with gifts that are generic at best and usually are re-gifted promptly via donation or gift-economy communities.

...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a friend I've known for four years. We all live in a 55+ community and have moved here from different areas of the country. We are a group of women who get together on a regular basis for outings.

Over the past couple of months, I feel somewhat left out because of a couple of events I wasn't included in. But what I'm trying to...Read more

Dear Eric: Our grandson, who is still married but separated from his wife of five years, wants to visit at Christmas for a week with his new girlfriend. We would love for him to visit but not with any new friend.

How can we tell him without hurting his feelings and damaging our relationship? Or should we open up our home to him and his new ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a good friend whose memory seems to me to be slipping. She laughs it off, saying she has so much going on that she can’t remember things, but I think there is something else happening.

Should I say something and encourage her to see a doctor? I could talk to her husband to see if he is noticing anything. Maybe he should be ...Read more

Dear Eric: My late mother made a special Christmas cookie that required tedious decorating, considering each person's personal preference for toppings, and giving them as gifts to family and friends. They always had a place of honor on our family Christmas table.

When she was no longer able, she gave me the cookie cutter, and my daughters and I...Read more

Dear Eric: I'm a 47-year-old guy who has been with my wife, 44, for 12 years. Six years ago, we made the decision to uproot ourselves from city life and buy an acreage. We had long discussions about what this would entail – the work it needs, maintenance, et cetera.

My wife was very keen on the idea, and she assured me that she would be ...Read more

Dear Eric: My parents immigrated after World War II, arriving with $20 and a lot of determination. They worked hard, built a home, a successful business and raised five kids who all went to college and had many more opportunities than they did. Both of our parents passed away a few years ago and I miss them dearly.

One of my brothers has a long...Read more

Dear Eric: I'm the first to recognize we live in a different world than 20 or 25 years ago. That is to say everything seems to have become so fast-paced; everyone is always busy, no time for anything, expectations of instant gratification.

Is it becoming more commonplace to forgo what was once common practice? Recently, a close (immediate) ...Read more

Dear Eric: I allowed the daughter of a cousin, with whom I am not close, to move in with me while she finishes college. When she moved in last January it was supposed to be for a semester, but this is the longest semester I have ever seen.

We had an incident where she left gobs of hair all over my bathroom, which I had to clean up. I told her ...Read more

Dear Eric: My daughter-in-law's mother asked my girlfriend to make a dessert for another daughter's bridal shower. My girlfriend made a tray of lemon bars, so it wasn't a huge undertaking for her.

The issue is that my girlfriend was not invited to the shower. She never charges people for when she makes desserts since she loves to bake. Are we ...Read more

Dear Eric: My goddaughter is getting married in December. Her parents have experienced crushing financial loss through no fault of their own. So, I told my goddaughter I would contribute $500 to the wedding dress.

She picked out a dress without consulting me that cost nearly 10 times that much and sent me a picture of the receipts. After much ...Read more

Dear Eric: I had a starter marriage many years ago that only lasted a couple of years. We got married too young and I quickly realized that I had nothing in common with my wife. We divorced but she returned to me after a few months wanting to get back together. The problem is she admitted cheating on me with a married man.

We tried to make a go...Read more

Dear Eric: I am the stepmother to two great young men. Their father and I have been together since they were teenagers. When they were young, it was a difficult but necessary position for me to be in when it came to teaching them about manners and household chores. They thought I was nagging them to put a napkin on their lap, take their hat off ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have an 18-year-old daughter who just moved four hours away to college. Her father and I have been separated for almost three years. Prior to moving to college, she visited him only during court-ordered visitation. She felt like he did not want her around or he made no effort to have a relationship with her.

She recently came home ...Read more