Works Both Ways

Dear Short Answers: My mother (who is in her 60s, so she’s not ancient) refuses to use a cell phone for anything other than emergencies. She never answers it and doesn’t even know how to text. For me, this isn’t a huge problem but her grandkids don’t know how to communicate any other way and [...]

Fly Baby Fly

Dear Short Answers: What’s the right age to lay your foot down and kick the kids out of the house? My husband and I want our home back!!! Long Suffering Mom Dear LSM: In our experience, adult children living with parents has as many negatives as positives so you just might be doing your kids [...]

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished…

Dear Short Answers: My husband recently got a new job and we are planning to move to Charlotte, North Carolina. We have two kids (4 and 6) and we’re all very excited about the move. The problem is that my parents (who currently live only a few blocks away) are devastated that we are moving [...]

Parenting 101

Dear Short Answers: My daughter is 6 years old and has become obsessed with beauty pageants. Believe me, I have no idea why this happened. I am completely opposed to the idea but she is insistent and talks of nothing else. Even though I don’t believe that young girls should participate in such nonsense, would [...]

Pleasing Some of the People Some of the Time

Dear Short Answers: My husband recently decided to become a vegan and it’s driving me crazy. I applaud his discipline, but it is making my job as the family cook, nearly impossible. I am happy to cut back on meat myself but we have two teen-age kids who love meat, fish and dairy products. So [...]

Help-less Case

Dear Short Answers: After 40 years of marriage, my husband still does absolutely nothing around the house unless I ask him. The other day, we went grocery shopping and when we got home, I struggled with 10 bags of groceries while my husband walked into the house empty-handed and turned on the TV set. I [...]

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Dear Short Answers: I know that Christmas is a long way off, but I am already starting to dread the parties, and the presents and all the family obligations. And all those questions about why I’m not married, why I don’t have kids, why I don’t even have a boyfriend. Would it be wrong to [...]

Old Story

Dear Short Answers: My parents are in their 90s and getting to the point where they truly need to be watched very carefully. Nothing bad has happened but … it might at any time. Every year, they spend 2 weeks at a beach house that has been in the family for generations. This year, I [...]

Daddy Daycare at the Beach

Dear Short Answers: My wife is planning a beach vacation with 3 of her best friends from college. Everybody is married and everybody has young kids. The girls have rented a big house where we are all going to stay. It may sound fun to her but I am having second thoughts. From her conversations [...]

Boundaries

Dear Short Answers: I recently found out that my mother had a miscarriage long before I was born – and long before she was married. As her child, I feel that I have a right to know about my almost-sibling. Especially who the father was. She refuses to say a word and tells me that [...]

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