ArcaMax

Dear Eric: My husband and I have been married for almost 10 years. He has three siblings, and it seems like he’s the forgotten one. His mom and siblings always put money together and send it for each other’s birthdays. Last year and the year before that, they did it for everyone’s birthday except my husband.

He was very upset about it but...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband “Bob” and I celebrated our 30th anniversary this past spring. He has many wonderful qualities, but he’s also a “lone wolf” who very rarely asks for my input or help.

A few months before he retired, I discovered he’d gone on a hike with a young, pretty coworker.

Many years before, he’d had a two-year affair ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband of more than 20 years gives me slipper socks with grippy soles. I hate them! We live in a hot climate, so I have little use for them. They filled up my sock drawer and they retraumatize me every time I touch them.

I threw them away and they came back. He gave me five more pairs at Christmas. I kept these for animal first ...Read more

Dear Eric: I completed a yoga teacher training (YTT), which I only shared with family. During the YTT, the studio posted pics on social media, and I was in one pic.

Within hours, Sue, a coworker, sent me a screenshot of the post and asked if it was me. I confirmed. Thereafter, Sue began frantically texting me about how she wanted to attend a ...Read more

Dear Eric: For the last 45 years or so I’ve hosted Thanksgiving for my family. I’ve had as many as 25 people. My sister has two sons, and they’ve always stayed with me. Quite frankly, it’s now an issue. Only one son comes but he now has three sons of his own, ranging from 22 to 8. My sister also stays with me. They come on Wednesday and ...Read more

As Neil Sedaka so beautifully and succinctly put it (in both boppy and ballad form… I personally prefer the latter!), breaking up is hard to do. Today, we have four questions, all revolving around breakups. They’re never easy, but with time, patience, and perspective, they can be manageable.

Q: How long does it take to get over a breakup?

...Read more

As Neil Sedaka so beautifully and succinctly put it (in both boppy and ballad form… I personally prefer the latter!), breaking up is hard to do. Today, we have four questions, all revolving around breakups. They’re never easy, but with time, patience, and perspective, they can be manageable.

Q: How long does it take to get over a breakup?

...Read more

Dear Anna,

I’ve been with my girlfriend for about a year. Things have been great overall. But lately she’s become fixated on one of her close friends, not in a romantic way — more in a spiral of comparison. Her friend is pretty, but so is my girlfriend, except when she makes self-deprecating comments about how she “could never compete�...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a huge dilemma literally right across from our home. Our neighbor is a very nice man. Sometimes I do ask him what he’s going to do with all of his stuff in his yard. He just says he’ll keep it. He is a hoarder.

What I see is boxes and boxes stacked all along his driveway, down to his backyard, leaving a very narrow pathway...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband has dementia; it’s getting worse by the month. I am the caregiver. Our daughter calls on her way home from work. Our son calls several times a week. They have been my rock. I lean on them and rely on their excellent advice and strong shoulders.

Our 55th wedding anniversary is several days before Christmas. Because of the...Read more

Dear Eric: My cousin recently passed away after a long hospitalization. We were very close. I sent a sympathy card with money to the family, but I was sent the money back. I have never heard of this happening in my life. What do you make of this?

I talked to other family members, and their money wasn’t returned to them. I’ve sent out a ...Read more