Opinion

Dear Eric: I own a nice home with a pool. I have friends that often call me to ask me if I want to go lay out in the backyard or sometimes, they’ll just call and ask if they can come over to use the pool. My issue is when I have people over, I feel obligated to entertain. Even though I know I don’t need to feel obligated, and they don’t expect anything, I’m really getting increasingly uncomfortable with people inviting themselves over to my home.

Dear Eric: I was a latch-key kid in the ’70s, no father, working mom of three kids. No one was ever there to read me a story, watch me make a basket or catch a ball. I now have a seven-year-old girl. I thrive watching her in her weekly two-hour gym class and Girl Scout meetings, where I am a troop leader. I see most parents focused on their cellphones during these activities and it makes me sad for the kids.

Dear Eric: I am a female executive employed by a large global corporation. It is a common practice in my workplace, and an expectation of my job, that I meet with colleagues, customers and service providers, sometimes while traveling for work, often solo, often for business lunches and dinners at restaurants.

Dear Eric: We are retired grandparents to 7-year-old twins who live close by. We are delighted to help with kiddo chauffeuring, grocery shopping or anything else needed by two very hard-working parents.