Asking Eric

Dear Eric: My three daughters have grown children and celebrate their children’s birthdays by each family going out to dinner with its immediate members. When my grandchildren were small, the families had at-home celebrations to which I was always invited. I miss those times, especially since I am no longer invited to the out-to-dinners, at which I would gladly pay for my meal. Is it too much to ask to be included in celebrating my grandchildren?

Dear Eric: My husband sings at the top of his lungs to any song that is playing in a movie or a commercial or in the car or otherwise. It’s like nails on a chalkboard for me. I’ve tried telling him, but he takes offense. He tells me everyone tells him he has perfect pitch (he doesn’t), and it has come down to serious discord at times.

Dear Eric: My husband and son are both on the autism spectrum. We brought our son a sofa from IKEA and left it in his house. It needs to be assembled along with hanging curtains and installing the curtain rods.

Dear Eric: Perhaps my problem stems from the fact that I am a mid-80s mom? A couple of years ago, our very responsible son asked if he could invite about 10 friends to our large lakeside cabin during our absence. There is plenty of room for all to sleep, a big kitchen and boats and a nice lake for all to enjoy. We said fine.

Dear Eric: How do you recommend dealing with a friend who often offers assistance but never follows through? By the way, cognitive or memory issues do not impact any other situations, and the offer does appear to be genuine.

Dear Eric: My wife has three living adult kids from three different fathers – ages 22, 29 and 32. The 32-year-old has a husband and two kids of her own. I allowed all of them to live with us since they couldn’t get along on their own.

Dear Eric: My father’s side has always hosted holiday meals. We are all in our 60s and 70s. My parents are gone, and kids are in their 20s and 30s. My cousin has taken over and puts on a great celebration. With Covid and the death of her mother she did not host/invite us, which hurt our feelings because we enjoyed the time to see everyone.

Dear Eric: As a Spanish-American, my ancestors from Spain have resided in the United States since long before the first Thanksgiving.

Dear Eric: We are a group of three female former co-workers who have gathered regularly for 10 years to celebrate birthdays and Christmas. We have taken turns at each other’s homes and always had a nice time eating, laughing and reminiscing together.

Dear Eric: Several months ago, I discovered my husband was having an emotional affair with a coworker. He shared significant things with her he didn’t share with me, sought her advice on how to hide his alcohol abuse from me and talked to her about our arguments, while she fueled the negativity against me and trashed me. He also discussed intimate details of our sex life with her which I never consented to being shared.