Advice Column

I’m struggling with what to do about a longtime friend.

We’ve known each other since we were kids, and he used to be one of the closest people in my life. But over time, things have changed. I’ve grown up, gotten married, and built a more stable life, while he hasn’t really moved forward. He still lives at home, drinks heavily, uses drugs, and seems stuck in the same cycle.

We drifted apart for about eight months, partly because I chose to create distance. Every time we talked, I felt drained. The conversations lacked depth and often revolved around his habits. It felt like I was putting in energy without getting anything meaningful back.

[Read more…] about “My best friend won’t grow up and it’s breaking our friendship”

I am a 40 year old woman and I have decided not to attend my daughter’s wedding.

I already have plans at my church that were scheduled months in advance. I take my commitments seriously and I do not cancel unless I am physically ill. My daughter and my dad planned this wedding quickly because they do not approve of her living situation. They knew I had these plans but scheduled it anyway. My dad suggested I move my church plans to the next day, but I prefer my church. I was also not included in any of the wedding planning, even though I am her mother.

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I can’t stand my husband anymore. We’ve been together six years, married for one, and we have an eight month old baby. He’s always been bigger, but about a year and a half ago his weight got out of control and now he’s over 400 pounds. I understand people change, but he refuses to do anything about it.

He has no energy and is constantly falling asleep, even while driving, which is terrifying. I’ve begged him to go to the doctor for years and he just won’t go. He always says he will, but never follows through. He’s on my insurance, so coverage isn’t the issue.

[Read more…] about “My husband disgusts me”

My sister just got engaged and we went out to a nice dinner to celebrate. It wasn’t super fancy, but definitely the kind of place where you try to act a little more put together. Everything was going fine and we were doing toasts.

Her fiancé gave a speech and said how much he loved that she’s “so honest” and “never hides anything.” That hit me weird because she absolutely has hidden things before, especially from me.

About 10 years ago, she secretly dated one of my close friends for months. I only found out because I walked in on them. It caused a huge issue and I ended up losing that friendship. She never really apologized, just brushed it off as us being young.

I wasn’t planning to say anything, but I’d had a couple drinks and ended up muttering something like, “yeah unless she decides to keep it a secret.” The room went quiet immediately.

[Read more…] about “I made a kinda snarky comment at my sister’s engagement dinner and now everyone’s mad at me”

I’m a 35-year-old woman, divorced for about 8 years, with a 9-year-old son. I had been dating someone for almost 4 years who also has a son. Our kids became close very quickly, and before long, we were spending most of our time together and building a serious relationship.

Early on, I realized we weren’t fully compatible. Things weren’t bad, but our goals didn’t align, and every time we talked about the future, we got stuck. Still, we stayed together and kept going.

[Read more…] about “Seeing my son cry after my breakup broke me – how do I support him? “

Today I got a Facebook message from someone claiming my husband was cheating on me with escorts. I asked for proof and they sent screenshots. I confronted my husband and he admitted that about a month ago he had contacted an escort but never showed up to the appointment.

Because he didn’t show up, the person has been demanding payment. Now there are two numbers threatening him, saying if he didn’t pay $4000 they would send everything to his wife. They followed through and contacted me.

Now they are threatening to come to our house.

[Read more…] about “Husband attempted to cheat, now family is being harassed”

My girlfriend and I have been together for a year, and overall things have been solid. We communicate well, support each other, and I’ve always made it a point to respect her independence. I’ve never tried to control what she wears, who she talks to, or what she posts.

But today she posted a picture of herself in a thong, facing away from the camera. It was just her, full view, with a cheeky caption. It completely caught me off guard because she’s never posted anything like that before.

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So my wife (36F) today asks me how much I have in my savings account. We have been together for 6 years and married for one of those years in May. We don’t share bank accounts, her money is hers, and mine is mine. We are sitting cooking dinner in the air fryer when she just out of the blue asks, how much do you have in savings?

For me, it’s not any of her business and I told her that. Am I wrong for not telling her how much I have in savings?

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