My daughter is 11, and she got invited to her friend Maddie’s birthday sleepover. They’ve been in the same class since second grade, and Maddie seems sweet enough. My issue isn’t with her. It’s with Maddie’s mom, Trish. Trish is… intense. She’s one of those moms who posts constantly on social media about how “kids … Read more
So, for some background, my parents divorced when I was 12. I’m 26 now. It wasnāt a horrible divorce, but it was messy in that emotional way where everyone pretends itās fine but it clearly isn’t. My dad moved out, got a condo in the city, started dating pretty quickly. My mom stayed in the … Read more
Ever since I can remember, my mom has always introduced me as her “miracle baby.” I was born after she had a bunch of miscarriages. I get that it was probably traumatizing and Iām not trying to take that away from her. But Iām 27 now. It still comes up every single family gathering. Weddings, … Read more
My sister Lisa showed up at my door two weeks ago with three garbage bags and a car full of her kids’ stuff. I didn’t even know she and Derek were splitting up. We hadn’t talked much since Christmas. Honestly, our relationship’s been… tense since our mom died. She said Derek cheated on her, kicked … Read more
Iāll start by saying Iām not a dramatic person. I really try not to be. Iām the peacemaker in the family, the ājust let it goā one. But this pushed me way past my limit, and now Iām the one getting texts about being āimmatureā and āmaking things awkward for everyone.ā It was my 29th … Read more
I (42M) have no idea if I handled this right or just made everything worse. I keep thinking I couldāve said one thing differently ā or not said anything at all ā and maybe this wouldnāt have blown up the way it did. My wife says Iām just āenforcing boundaries,ā but all I can hear … Read more
I know how that sounds. Believe me, I know. It was a messed-up thing to say, and Iāve been sitting with it for two days now wondering what the hell is wrong with me. But in the moment, it justā¦ slipped out. And now my whole family thinks Iām some kind of villain. So, hereās … Read more