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.
Dear Eric: I had a bad falling out from a very toxic job a few months ago. Since it ended, I’ve been dealing with feelings of shame and betrayal, but I’m doing what I can to clean the fallout from my brain. I’m in therapy, I’ve taken up some new hobbies, and I’m reconnecting with old friends. I’m taking some time off from full-time employment (I still have a small side hustle), but I have some savings and I’m taking care to protect my “on ramp” for a future job search.
Dear Eric: My husband and I have worked hard to create consistent communication in our relationship that has lasted 10 years. We have both struggled to get to a good place, which we thought we had achieved.
Dear Eric: I had a relationship with a man for eight years, during a turbulent time in my life. We broke up five years ago. He has cut all contact with me. However, he still talks to my mother. She pays his rent, bought him a new car that was the same make and model as the one she helped me buy, but one year newer.
Dear Eric: My wife’s brother and his wife recently left on a six-week overseas trip, leaving their 14-year-old son at home with his grandfather, who speaks very little English. They didn’t leave any instructions with anyone in case of an emergency.
Dear Eric: Over the past few years, more and more of my long-time friends have vanished from my life. One sent a message reading “I am retired,” and when asked how she was enjoying her retirement, sent the same message repeatedly as her reply. One asked me to vacation with her, and when I replied enthusiastically, never contacted me for a long time, only to send a bizarre meme two years later.
Dear Eric: My 35-year-old daughter “Mary” and I were very close in her early 20s, after she emerged from troubled teen years of substance abuse and self-destructive behaviors. She continues to stay clean and sober, with a successful career.
Dear Eric: I’m not sure how to feel. I have been married for 37 years. About 43 years ago my husband (who was not my husband then) had a one-night hookup. The woman is now with my husband’s brother. It is very uncomfortable and awkward for him and me.
Dear Eric: This is probably an odd question. A very large percentage of the time, more than 50 percent, when I come home from being out (lunch/shopping/whatever), my husband is in the restroom. The powder room is right next to his office and sometimes I’ve tried to open the door, and it’s locked, which seems odd since he’s the only one in the house. I guess it could be a coincidence, but it just seems odd. Is this something to worry about?
Dear Eric: My estranged niece has a nine-year-old daughter whom we love very much. The father was married with children when she was born and died a few days after.