ArcaMax

Dear Eric: My husband has been deceased for nearly a decade. Recently, I was going through his leftover files. For years he insisted that his ex-wife had lied to his children, telling them that he abandoned the family, didn't want the children and never paid child support. I have found letters, from 60 years ago, that his lawyer sent to him ...Read more

Dear Eric: My son, who is 31, still lives at home. He is a great person and is not antisocial. He has a job that doesn’t pay much. I want him to start his own life. I push him to get a better job so that he can afford to live on his own, but he is very resistant to my pleas.

His mother and I are so worried that he is missing out on life. I ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have been in a relationship with my partner for six years. We have two young daughters. The first year was really rough; he was in active addiction, and we lived homeless in my car, in a disgusting motel and even slept outside in the winter. After a few jail trips and two rehab trips, he finally got sober and has been for almost ...Read more

Dear Eric: I don’t consider myself a “square” but I’m having a hard time reconciling some relationships. My cousin‘s family now owns a weed store and even sells THC-infused food they can consume while in the store. My good friend did LSD at her son‘s wedding. I feel very judgmental about their choices, and I don’t know if I should ...Read more

Dear Eric: I told my husband I was done in our marriage during a marriage-counseling session close to nine months ago. This was our second round of marriage counseling. I have also done some therapy on my own. I have not taken any actions to indicate I'm done other than to occasionally remind my husband that I'm the one that wants out when he ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have been married to my husband for 16 years and we have a wonderful, blended family. Our kids are now grown (ages 26-35). My husband’s first wife died of a drug overdose/swimming accident 23 years ago. They were in the process of a divorce at the time.

Her ashes are in a box in our garage. Many times, over the years, they were ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a friend who I've been friends with for about 10 years. We both share views that lean left. In the past we've shared many dinners discussing the inequities of our country and other political type topics. My friend is constantly lamenting about how unfair our society is and is super empathetic to the plight of the disadvantaged,...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a 47-year-old woman and was diagnosed with a rare terminal illness three years ago after several years of investigations. I have a rough time frame of six to 10 years. I have no family and no close friends. The only person I see is my neighbor who is also my cleaner, but that’s the only time I see her. I am totally alone, ...Read more

Dear Eric: I will turn 65 in a few months and have announced my plans to retire. I have a long list of things I want to do, and after 50 years of employment and saving, I am well situated for these next years. At least, that is what my financial adviser and balance sheets tell me.

I really yearn for more discretionary time and my physical ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have two daughters with special needs. They function around the level of a 10-year-old. They are also nonverbal in public. It is very unlikely that they will ever have a relationship with anyone, much less have children. So, it is likely that I will never be a grandmother. My question is how do I deal with the grief that causes me? ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a young adult with a movement disorder similar to Parkinson's. It causes uncontrollable, violent, jerky, muscle movements, called dyskinesias, in nearly every part of my body. These dyskinesias resemble the effects of illicit substances and can make people who don't know me very uncomfortable. How would you suggest I address this...Read more

Dear Eric: Christmas is a very difficult time for me, and I typically don’t celebrate as I don’t have any close family, and it only brings back painful memories. I moved a couple years ago and found a very great group of friends that have quickly become my chosen family. I was determined to take back how I felt about Christmas and began to ...Read more

Dear Eric: I belong to a small book club that now comprises six older women. All of us have been with the group for more than 30 years. For the most part, we all get along and enjoy the variety of books that are selected to be read each year. We have one member who is very opinionated about everything and does not hesitate to let her thoughts be...Read more

Dear Eric: My wife and I had a good friendship with a single woman, "Barb," for about 20 years. We enjoyed her company, and she went with us on trips, sometimes with her boyfriend of the moment.

She was always a bit problematic as, beside relationship troubles, she had health issues, but we were supportive, and we all had fun together. As we ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a mid-20s nephew who appears to be afflicted with a severe case of failure-to-launch syndrome. He dropped out of college after six months, moved in with his mom (my sister), only interacts with peers via gaming and comes across as utterly apathetic and disengaged from the world.

There was a ray of hope when he went back to ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a non-observant Jew. My spiritual beliefs are very personal, and I don’t discuss them casually. My mother became a Christian. This is important because, as she went deeper into her Christianity, she made friends who shared her beliefs.

One of them is a younger woman she called her spiritual daughter. My mother arranged an ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have been in a relationship with a man going on six years now. I love and care about him deeply. However, we have one serious problem in our relationship. He is always going to his ex-wife’s house. He goes there about three nights a week, coming home drunk afterward.

When I tell him that it really upsets me, he says he is ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have known "Mary" for almost 10 years. We have a strictly business/professional relationship which requires us to meet several times a year.

Although we don't socialize, we do joke around and have small talk about family, pets, travel, movies, etc., when we meet. We've always gotten along well.

I know that Mary is gay (she has ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband's parents are divorced. In the last year or so (after being married to their son for nine years) my in-laws have started communicating with me instead of my husband to make plans. Example: My husband called his dad to make New Year’s plans. A few days later, my father-in-law texted me with the details about times to ...Read more