ArcaMax

Dear Eric: I am the youngest of two adult daughters, neither of whom currently speaks to our father. Our parents stayed married for 40 years, with the second half of the marriage full of arguments due to my mother growing as a person and my father remaining committed to not changing and being self-centered and without tact.

Growing up I was the...Read more

Dear Eric: I struggle with a post-surgical medical condition that has required me to be on IV nutrition daily and I have lost a considerable amount of weight. I do enjoy food, but I cannot eat much.

I was happy to attend a cookout and meet folks in my community, but I was overwhelmed by strangers telling me that I needed to eat.

I brought a ...Read more

Dear Eric: My spouse and I are in our early 70s. We live close to our son and daughter-in-law, both in their 40s. They have two children who are now in college.

About two years ago (November 2024) my son cut off all contact with us. Our daughter-in-law and grandchildren are under a gag order not to talk with us or not to have any contact with ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a 34-year-old Black woman in a long-term relationship with a 36-year-old white man. A few years ago, I started sharing videos of us on social media. We’ll do little skits or trend videos, and we have some sponsored content. We’re having a good time.

Recently, his sister, who I like, messaged me some comments about one of our...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m 77 and my friend of nine years is 94. She’s become really rude whenever we dine with others and even when she comes to my home. She loves to go to restaurants, but our one friend brings her young foster daughter, and “Roxy” will correct virtually everything she does. Roxy has described this child of 14 as a “piece of ...Read more

Dear Eric: What might one say (or not say) to our 28-year-old son (and brother) who is in a relationship with a 27-year-old woman about whom we (his siblings and parents) see all kinds of "red flags" with her?

After almost every interaction with her, we come away with a heavy heart. They live together, but their relationship remains undefined. ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a Facebook friend whose husband recently died. She posted how and when he passed away and then said that if anyone wanted to send anything to let her know and she‘d send her address.

I thought the last part was tacky. Wouldn’t you think if someone wanted to send something and they didn’t know her address, they’d simply...Read more

Dear Eric: My best friend is always single. Not for lack of trying, but he just never meets the right person. I think it’s starting to get him down as he nears 40. I have tried to set him up in the past, but it never went anywhere. When I’d ask my friends about him and the dates, my friends would say he was nice but there just wasn’t a ...Read more

Dear Eric: This is something that has bothered me for decades and I still don't know whether I did the right thing or not.

When it was revealed that my wife had been cheating for a few years with a coworker who later became my children's stepfather half the time, I wanted to protect my daughter's relationship with her mother. My son was too ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband is running for a seat on the school board. He’s part of a slate of candidates put together by local party leadership. I can’t understand why he’s doing this at all. I don’t think he would be good for this role. He’s a 35-year-old man with no kids. I don’t even think he likes kids.

I’ve asked him about this, ...Read more

Dear Eric: This morning my wife made small talk that "couple X" never shows any public displays of affection (PDA). We're not talking about tongue-in-mouth stuff, but kind words, admiring glances, holding hands, cuddling – light-duty affection. Something she and I do (retired and married 17 years) frequently.

I proceeded to name virtually ...Read more

Dear Eric: After college, I moved to Chicago even though my parents wanted me to move back home. They live in a suburb outside of Indianapolis. It’s fine for them but I wanted better career prospects and a social life that was different from what I had growing up.

I’m really happy here. It’s been five years and I don’t see any reason to...Read more

Dear Eric: My neighbors have boisterous parties on occasion. It’s not a matter of noise – they’re very considerate about it. But from the number of cars and the late leaving times I can only imagine that everyone is having a good time. I heard a rumor that they might be swingers, so that explains some things. The house on the other side of...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I have been married for 30-plus years. He's a great guy in most aspects, except for his hygiene. He doesn't brush his teeth enough, he doesn't take enough showers, he doesn't use deodorant.

For some reason he has taken to wearing hoodies even when it's warm out contributing even more to this “smelly” issue. His ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am 71 and have a “boyfriend” who is 79. We have been a couple for more than 10 years however during that time we only saw one another on average once a week for various reasons, such as he is an hour away, we are at different stages in life and we both like our space.

It was a fun relationship with lots of drinking and some ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a problem with my sister. She’s 71 years old and for the past two years she has had several medical issues. One in particular is very debilitating and makes it very difficult for her to walk.

She has not been to a doctor for at least 10 years and even though she doesn’t feel well, she refuses to see a doctor because she is...Read more

Dear Eric: I am the older partner in a gay relationship. We have a mutual friend (John) who we have invited to our home four times for a swim and dinner. He has never invited us to his home to reciprocate for dinner, has never brought a bottle of wine or any gift of appreciation, has never sent us a thank you note or email, and never brings a ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I have had many wonderful trips with my parents over the years. We have always invited them on our family vacations with the kids and had a, generally, wonderful time.

They are both in their 80s. I’m grateful that they are still a big part of our lives and are both able to travel, but we have noticed significant ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m writing to ask if you have any insight as to what is going on with my mother. She is 95 years old and still physically capable, although after she broke her hip and had surgery to repair it last December she uses a walker.

She still reads, does crossword puzzles, and plays bridge and Scrabble.

The issue is that she has ...Read more

Dear Eric: My friend, “Jac” had a very public “meltdown” and was ordered to inpatient rehabilitation for his 20-year-long drug addiction. One year after his treatment, he has not changed and continues to hurt others and blame others for his many shortcomings. This is called being a “dry drunk,” when a sober person still behaves like ...Read more