ArcaMax

Dear Eric: Recently my parents shared how their estate will be divided when they pass. They have worked hard and lived a modest life, and it goes without saying that they are entitled to do as they please with their estate.

In sharing how they intend to divide their estate, my parents informed me that I would not receive a share since “I don�...Read more

Dear Eric: I love my wife of 29 years so deeply.

Recently, she took a tumble down the stairs when going down to use the bathroom. She broke her pelvis, is in excruciating pain, and has lost all mobility.

While I feel awful for what she is going through, this is an awful lot on me as well. She is very petite and slim, and I am still a tall, ...Read more

Dear Eric: For years I was in a toxic, abusive relationship. Fortunately, I ended it and my family and friends supported me along the way. Now I'm in a new relationship with a healthy person but the tables have turned. Through couples and individual therapy, I have realized that, due to an undiagnosed neurodivergence and childhood trauma, I ...Read more

Dear Eric: My brother just released a book and as I was reading his acknowledgments in the online sample, I was blown away that he disclosed a very personal incident that happened when we were children.

I have been going to therapy sessions for years discussing things that happened to me as a child. It was very shocking to read this and caused ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have two sisters. “Betty” and I had a serious falling out a few years ago. She won’t speak to me. She has cast herself as the victim in a situation where my other sister’s husband became abusive to me. My heart is broken. Betty and I were very close all our lives before that happened.

Betty has two sons. She is estranged ...Read more

Dear Eric: My boss is what could be called a “functioning alcoholic,” which in this case means that, in spite of having a severe drinking problem, he manages to hold down a job, even while actively drunk.

Over the years, I have been phasing out the act of “looking the other way.” My refusal to accept his drinking has led him to cast his...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a lady I consider a friend, but I notice that she only calls me when it's convenient for her. I call her to talk, and she makes everything about her. I am really considering stopping talking to her.

She says she doesn't have any friends. She is in her 70s and I'm in my 50s and I have said something to her about the problem....Read more

Dear Eric: I sent an out-of-town relative a Sympathy Box from Amazon when her husband died and never received a thank you. I know she got it because I saw the picture on her porch.

She’s the kind of person that knows the rules of etiquette. Should I email/text her to ask if she received it, or let it go? If I ask, how do I do it politely?

�...Read more

Dear Eric: I have two friends with whom I frequently engage in trekking; we always have great chats and fun. But I noticed when offering an invitation to come stay in our holiday home, approximately two hours’ drive away, the replies were quite muted or passive but polite. Responding with their absence of enthusiasm left the moment “hanging....Read more

Dear Eric: A close family member who was a beloved community member died unexpectedly on my birthday several years ago. People reach out to remember him on my birthday but don’t remember that it’s my birthday too.

I will never forget that he died on my birthday, and I appreciate how much he meant to people, but it makes me sad.

I wish ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a wonderful, spiritual family friend who I have known for more than 20 years. I value her friendship, but she has always been very materialistic and continuously lives through her children and their successes.

I am always supporting her and love her and her family but there are times when she picks a nerve with me because of ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am questioning my decision on whether to go to my brother’s daughter‘s wedding. They live two states away, and I have not seen them for a few years. I love my brother, but I don’t respect or agree with his political choices and views. Except now it feels more like a moral issue because of what is going on currently in our ...Read more

Dear Eric: My very overprotective daughters are concerned about somebody I met on a website. We would like to hang around other women who have our political beliefs. The area I live in generally does the opposite, politically, of what the two of us want. So, I was very eager to get together maybe for lunch and talk about our families, jobs, ...Read more

Dear Eric: My very overprotective daughters are concerned about somebody I met on a website. We would like to hang around other women who have our political beliefs. The area I live in generally does the opposite, politically, of what the two of us want. So, I was very eager to get together maybe for lunch and talk about our families, jobs, ...Read more

Dear Eric: One of my oldest friends, Dee, has an 18-year-old daughter, Angie, who recently moved in with her aunt and uncle because she and Dee just could not get along.

Dee labeled Angie as depressed, bipolar, lacking empathy, narcissistic, et cetera.

Meanwhile Angie is class president, has won a full scholarship to college, stars in the ...Read more

Dear Eric: My fiancé and I have been together for a little over a year. When we first got together, he was employed and seemed to have everything together. He owns his house but has people living there for free.

Then he was laid off. Now he doesn't work, gets disability of which he pays only $600 toward the $1,240 rent payment. I pay utilities...Read more

Dear Eric: Our 30-year-old son moved back in with us two years ago, unemployed and not seriously looking for employment. We insisted that he get a job. While he still goes to work every day, he hates this job and appears to be slipping into depression. He sleeps a lot, barely communicates with us, has almost no social life and shows little ...Read more

Dear Eric: A year ago, I had to have a procedure for a brain tumor. A very scary emotional roller coaster event. My best friend of 42 years, said, “Don’t worry; I will be with you every step of the way.”

When the date and time were finally provided, I told her we have to be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. Her response was “I can’t go ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am 61 years old and work in a law firm where I have a billable hours requirement. One coworker is a couple years older than I am, and the supervisor and two other employees are close in age (20s/30s).

The older coworker is treated like a princess because she is very assertive and has top seniority in the office. She wears the pants...Read more

Dear Eric: We are four couples, everyone in the group except me has the same birth year. For their 60th 10 years ago, we planned a trip together and had a great time.

My husband and one of the men are cousins. As the years passed, his cousin wanted to remain close and wanted to get together at least once a month. Sometimes one of the other ...Read more