Private Event

Dear Short Answers: My best friend is expecting a baby in the fall and she seems like the least excited expectant mother I have ever met.  She hardly ever talks about it – even though I always ask.  She talks about her job, her search for a new house and her vacation – but says [...]

Things Your Mama Taught You

Dear Short Answers: Someone at work who I know well but I absolutely despise has become ill. I will NOT rush to his side but feel I should acknowledge his misfortune. What should I do? Not A Hypocrite! Dear Not: The line between hypocritical  and insensitive is challenging but not untraveled.  It may be that [...]

It Will Only Get Worse

Dear Short Answers: My daughter graduates from kindergarten next week.  I am happy to celebrate the moment but the school she attends is having a full-blown “graduation” with cap & gown, diplomas, speeches — it’s crazy.  And they are selling tickets to the event for $100 EACH!!!!!  I don’t want to scar my daughter for [...]

The right to privacy

Dear Short Answers: I have a very good friend whose mother is 97 years old and is suddenly extremely ill.  I imagine that she won’t live more than a few weeks.  My friend refuses to talk about this and pretends that nothing is wrong.  My own parents died in their 90s and we have many [...]

Game Changers

Dear Short Answers: My niece just had a baby.  No one called me — I found out on Facebook.  I am sick of being an internet gift service. Do I have to send yet another unappreciated offering? Distant Auntie Dear Auntie: No. It is better to risk their anger than assure yours. Like Unlike

This Is Called Enabling

Dear Short Answers: I have a child who is a college senior and can’t get his financial act together. He works part time and spends every cent. Up until a couple years ago, I took care of transferring his money into savings and that worked until I told him he needed to take care of [...]

Why Buy the Cow When the Milk’s So Cheap?

Dear Short Answers: My girlfriend wants to get married.  The trouble is that we really need the alimony she gets from her ex. How do I make her understand that? The BF Dear BF: We are not prudish but it strikes us as nothing short of offensive of you to be living off another guy’s [...]

To Beef or Not to Beef

Dear Short Answers: I’m trying to figure out whether I should become a vegetarian. I am appalled by the treatment of most farm animals so I will stop eating meat for a couple of weeks. Then somebody convinces me that man is supposed to eat meat and I fall off the wagon and have a [...]

The Lady or the Tiger or a Nap?

Dear Short Answers: After 20 years of marriage, how do I tell my spouse that I’d like to have sex with other women? It has nothing to do with her but as I get older, I feel like I haven’t explored enough sexually and time is running out. Should I  do this secretly or do [...]

New Rules

Dear Short Answers: I very foolishly started to have an affair with a person at work. He is a lot more senior than me but he is not my boss. I now realize this was really stupid (he’s married with kids) but I don’t know how to break it off. I love my job and [...]

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