Asking Eric: Years after active addiction, family remains distant
"I guess what I'm asking is, what do I do to fix this and fast,...
Advice
Asking Eric: Daughter-in-law’s Friendsgiving overshadows family dinner
"Can you give me another way to look at this or some advice that will...
Asking Eric: Gift exchange tradition grows tiresome
"I'm at a loss for how to deal with this and am hoping you have...
Asking Eric: Acquaintance is friendly in real life but ignores on Facebook
"So now, what am I doing? Ignoring her posts, which makes me feel so stupid...
Asking Eric: Still-married grandson wants to bring his new girlfriend to visit
"How can we tell him without hurting his feelings and damaging our relationship?"
Asking Eric: Friend shrugs off concerning memory issues
"Should I say something and encourage her to see a doctor? I could talk to...
Asking Eric: Tedious cookie tradition taxes family ties
"When she was no longer able, she gave me the cookie cutter, and my daughters...
Asking Eric: Husband does housework while wife plays online games
"I have a few health concerns that need to be managed and doing everything myself...
Asking Eric: Brother’s partner mocks in-laws even after their deaths
"My brother and other siblings say nothing, and I have been turning away to avoid...
Asking Eric: After a birthday with no greetings, letter writer feels miserable
"Is it becoming more commonplace to forgo what was once common practice?"
Asking Eric: Messy housemate gives host silent treatment
"She said she has to keep her peace; she won’t speak. She won’t do her...
Asking Eric: Baking favor leads to salty feelings
"She never charges people for when she makes desserts since she loves to bake."
Asking Eric: Goddaughter’s wedding dress causes huge family rift
"She picked out a dress without consulting me that cost nearly 10 times that much...
Asking Eric: Years after failed marriage, ex can’t stop thinking about it
"This person lives rent free in my head and how do I get rid of...
Asking Eric: Stepchildren’s lack of manners reflects on stepmom
"Now that they are grown men, I am running into a similar, uncomfortable position with...
Asking Eric: Conflict between daughter and father traps mother in the middle
"Not 30 minutes after she left, he called and cursed me out. He blames me...
Asking Eric: After relapse, mother struggles with shame
"I had felt shame and expressed my regret and apology when I got sober, but...
Asking Eric: Family punished for missing wedding 50 years later
"Now our granddaughter is engaged to be married and Suzy told her that we did...
Asking Eric: Siblings clash over commemorating deceased sister
"I did not want to do this. I grieved my sister already and did not...
Asking Eric: Neighbor’s vacant home threatens property
"The tree is old and the dead branches are falling on my car."
Asking Eric: Boyfriend’s ex-mother-in-law still comes for coffee
"The issue is that the ex-wife comes into the house and now the ex-mother-in-law is...
Asking Eric: Girlfriend’s adult son gets in the way of relationship
"She tells me one day she loves me, the next day she does not want...
Asking Eric: ‘Friendly’ customer service keeps causing conflict
"I find that to be very intrusive from someone I don't know and may never...
Asking Eric: Parents try to force reunion with estranged brother
"With my parents, things don't get through unless I take drastic measures."
Asking Eric: After depression, cluttered house seems impossible to manage
"How can I start making progress and get my space (and confidence) back without feeling...
Asking Eric: In-law’s body hair makes holidays a chore
"I’m assuming it would not be appropriate for me to make the request that he...
Asking Eric: Friend only wants to complain about another friend
"I've been feeling sad and upset. I feel judged for setting a boundary."
Asking Eric: Aggressive neighbor claims seniors are harassing him
"It is not legal to water beyond the lawn and illegal to block passage on...
Asking Eric: After divorce, ex questions how to phrase holiday cards
"Any ideas on wording that is classy or funny to express this new family identity...
Asking Eric: Wife has racked up $16k in secret bills
"I am married to a liar, a sneak, someone with no conscience. What should I...
Asking Eric: 19 years and no proposal; what gives?
"I'm wondering if I should ask him next February, even though I feel he should...
Asking Eric: Parent gives daughter’s ex free room and board plus a loan
"I don't know if he self-sabotages or doesn't follow through."
Asking Eric: Daughter’s clutter keeps getting her kicked out of apartments
"Every year the landlord won't renew their lease. Happens every year."
Asking Eric: Friend is shell of himself after relationship
"If this were your friend, what would you say or how would you approach the...
Asking Eric: Family thinks brother is too wealthy to be included in tradition
"I’m tired of my husband participating in everyone’s birthday and then being ignored for his."
Asking Eric: Between affairs and a secret crypto account, wife can’t trust husband anymore
"Many years before, he’d had a two-year affair with another coworker. It was a devastating...
Asking Eric: Husband keeps giving wife socks; they remind her of a terrible experience
"I threw them away and they came back. He gave me five more pairs at...
Asking Eric: Yoga teacher follows coworker obsessively
"How do I tell Sue to find her own life path and seek her own...
Asking Eric: After nearly half a century, holiday hostess reaches limit
"I know if I say something about a hotel, they will be highly insulted."
Asking Eric: Neighbor is putting himself in grave danger but won’t change
"I know if I call an authority on him, he will know it was me....
Asking Eric: Wife struggles to keep holiday special after husband’s dementia diagnosis
"A celebration would be difficult to impossible for guests and family members because of his...
Asking Eric: After family death, bereaved kept the card but returned the cash
"I’ve sent out a lot of cards with money in them. We have a large...
Asking Eric: Friendship disrupted by house full of security cameras
"Her husband now has small cameras indoors and out. I find this a little creepy."
Asking Eric: Wife to stepdaughter — ‘this is war’
"She fights with me as if I'm taking my daughter's side."
Asking Eric: Neighbor is friendly but drives drunk
"But he frequents the bar often, and then drives home, which is a mile or...
Asking Eric: Niece grows distant from family after wedding
"I hate to make the situation worse, but I also don't want to be made...
Asking Eric: Prolonged grief complicated by obsessive-compulsive disorder
"Please don't say to see a therapist. I had one for many years, then she...
Asking Eric: Friend drags up addiction-related offenses, 31 years later
"I was so embarrassed and hurt by the fact that she would do this to...
Asking Eric: Volunteer’s memory issues pose challenge for a church
"How do we handle this in a loving, kind and compassionate way?"
Asking Eric: Coworkers called stingy for not contributing to honeymoon fund
"Would it be a kindness to say something? And if so, what should I say?"
Asking Eric: Family refuses to accept father’s ashes
"I loved my brother, but it feels weird having his ashes on my porch."
Asking Eric: Sibling rivalry results in $20k ‘bill’ to parents
"He feels that we should 'gift' him the same amount of money that we have...
Asking Eric: After medical miracle, daughter is angry about mom’s travel
"Could she be worried about the time I will leave her behind permanently?"
Asking Eric: Father-in-law and life coach interfere with marriage
"The life coach told me my wife would be cut off financially if she allowed...
Asking Eric: Divorced daughter moved back in but won’t move on
"If it wasn’t for my grandson, we’d probably evict her."
Asking Eric: Intergenerational work besties get stink eye from other friends
"I have friends who think my friendship with my male friend is inappropriate."
Asking Eric: Daughter refuses to cash $20,000 check
"I am about ready to send a large donation to charity and call it a...
Asking Eric: Good Samaritan gets hefty reward for first aid
"The next day, we found a thank you note and a $100 gift card in...
Asking Eric: Tween daughter starts talking back
"Any advice on how to handle this situation as I feel it’s only going to...
Asking Eric: Girlfriend loves whiskey and other men
"You know what they say: intimacy doesn't begin in the bedroom."
Asking Eric: After brother’s death, sister wants family mementos back from sister-in-law
"What I struggle with is that, while all my brothers and sisters have their own...
Asking Eric: Husband’s pouting keeps couple trapped
"We currently live in a rural community that is extremely far from normal city advantages."
Asking Eric: Father fears daughter has fallen for a player
"The issue is that after over three months, they have not seen each other on...
Asking Eric: New boyfriend vows to keep cheating
"Such a shame when I have so much fun with him and we are so...
Asking Eric: Freeloading friend hasn’t paid for lunch in a decade
"Wouldn’t you think at least one time she would offer to pick up the tab?"
Asking Eric: Daughter moves back in with parents and brings a mess with her
"She says she’s looking for a job but hasn’t found anything."
Asking Eric: Friend in a different country ambivalent about American political strife
"I no longer have a desire to chat with him because I feel like he...
Asking Eric: Wife feels neglected by husband caring for ailing father
"My husband and I have an 11-year-old daughter, and she and I literally miss him."
Asking Eric: After paternity test, father struggles with relationship to children
"I just found out through DNA testing that the three kids are not my children."
Asking Eric: Fishy childcare solution frustrates friend
"Both of my children have always been very empathetic and careful around animals and have...
Asking Eric: After partner’s death, man is consumed by guilt
"I survive by telling myself that the person I am today is different from the...
Asking Eric: Used car sale leaves neighbor feeling betrayed
"Should I just let it go now? Or should I text her and tell her...
Asking Eric: Senior siblings try to find a way to talk without conflict
"I would like to return home with a warm feeling of sibling closeness instead of...
Asking Eric: Years after parents’ death, friend still hasn’t dealt with inherited property
"I am concerned about her indecisiveness and worry that she is running away from her...
Asking Eric: After missed birthday party, friend stops calling
"I told two of my other friends and they feel she's being childish about the...
Asking Eric: Friend’s online dating woes drain the life from friendship
"She's been ghosted by more men than I can even count, and I always have...
Asking Eric: Neighbors’ car ruins the view
"The car is left parked in front of our house all day until evening and...
Asking Eric: Wife’s secret expenses strain marriage
"Twenty more years of $4,000 a year is more than I can accept."
Asking Eric: Girlfriend accuses boyfriend of cheating with church friend
"The problem is that my girlfriend believes I had a romantic relationship with M."
Asking Eric: Longtime boyfriend has dream wedding plan but won’t propose
"After more than 20 years, do you think he’ll ever propose and get married to...
Asking Eric: Longtime friend always has to have upper hand in conversation
"It won't break our friendship, but I won't be the person who reaches out next."
Asking Eric: New husband wants to go on vacation without his wife
"It tears me apart to think this man I’ve fallen in love with thinks nothing...
Asking Eric: Neighborhood gardener doesn’t want to chat about garden
"How can I nip these interactions in the bud?"
Asking Eric: Widowed mother-in-law wants to bring new beau for holidays
"Within the last six months, my MIL began dating another senior gentleman, Peter."
Asking Eric: Friend’s complex needs strain friendship
"She wasn't able to maintain a career due to increasing mental health issues that also...
Asking Eric: Neighbors’ yard feature ruins view
"I’m having a lot of resentment that they’ve done nothing to get rid of it."
Asking Eric: Perfect husband refuses intimacy
"The problem is, he doesn't want to be physical with me, and it is tearing...
Asking Eric: Lifelong ‘loner’ struggles to make connections post-retirement
"I’m a woman who has never really had much in common with other women and,...
Asking Eric: Friends disrupt concert outings by talking
"I need a polite way to ask them to leave me alone so I can...
Asking Eric: Human conflict erupts at dog park
"She insisted twice that I needed to hear the story. By the third time, she...
Asking Eric: Single mom wants to start relationship with handyman
"I am lonely and find very few opportunities to meet new people with my time...
Asking Eric: Grandmother wants invites to grown grandchildren’s birthday celebrations
"Is it too much to ask to be included in celebrating my grandchildren?"
Asking Eric: Boyfriend’s daughters refuse to meet new girlfriend
"My family and friends have warmly welcomed him into their lives and even my ex-husband...
Asking Eric: Husband’s loud singing taxes marriage
"I realize it brings him/them joy, but how much joy do I tolerate at my...
Asking Eric: Son’s new girlfriend has a rude way of joking
"I have my own experience of living with a manipulative person who started small and...
Asking Eric: Father wants to play surprise matchmaker for son on the spectrum
"I am appalled for all sorts of reasons, but my husband is saying I’m not...
Asking Eric: Friend’s fast-moving new relationship raises alarm
"How should I feel? Do I need to feel a certain way? Do I just...
Asking Eric: Friend breaks off contact after her husband’s death
"She told me I don't know what it is like and wouldn't until my husband...
Asking Eric: Son offers no thanks for gifted lake house
"When my husband and I returned, there was no thank-you of any sort from anyone....
Asking Eric: Wife won’t apologize for abusive behavior
"I am concerned that she has not taken any responsibility for her actions and never...