Dear Carolyn: My close friend of over 20 years lives next door. She is single, and I am divorced with a child. She has always been a good friend to me personally; however, she seems totally uninterested in my 6-year-old. She isn’t rude to her, but also isn’t very engaging. She never asks how my …
Hi, Carolyn: My boyfriend used to be married to “Mandy,” with whom he has two children. He had a serious affair with “Jennifer” and left Mandy to be with her. Their mutual friends and Mandy’s family rallied around Mandy, of course. Ultimately the relationship with Jennifer didn’t work out. A few months after he broke …
Dear Carolyn: My husband, “Eric,” and I accidentally offended my mother-in-law, “Gwen.” Eric’s parents are very nice people but are pretty conservative. They had a party at their house a couple of weeks ago to celebrate my brother-in-law’s 21st birthday and I offered to go over early to help cook and set up. We arrived …
Dear Carolyn: My dad is mad that I’m having my daughter’s birthday party at my mom’s house even though we’re currently living with her to save money for a down payment. My parents divorced when I was about 10 and things between my parents were bitter for years after. These days they are usually OK …
Dear Carolyn: Earlier this year, I moved back to where I grew up and reconnected with some old friends. My best friend from high school was especially excited to see me again, and we started seeing a lot of each other. But she’s really critical of my lifestyle — I like to job-hop and date …
Hi, Carolyn: About eight years ago, when our kids were in elementary school, I became casual friends with five other women, moms “in the same class.” As time went on, the kids’ friendships changed. The moms remained. We usually get together for coffee about once a month. We have been there for each other in …
Dear Carolyn: Many think my best friend “Sara” has it all: four adorable children, a successful husband (“Jim”) and a beautiful home. Jim is an absolute dear, but here’s the thing. I think he’s gay. Recently, I sat down with Sara and shared my hunch. True to form, she listened attentively and thanked me for …
Dear Carolyn: Time and time again, I read in advice columns that adoptive/egg donor/in vitro children should be made aware early of their origins. We had trouble conceiving our first and utilized medical assistance to conceive. The pregnancy evidently fixed the underlying issue, as all others were conceived in the usual way. Do we really …
Dear Carolyn: My longtime best friend, Mary, has been complaining about her financial situation. She is self-employed and only works part time, by her choice. Another friend of ours is a professional business coach and has offered many times to help Mary set up a formal business plan and to help her learn to market …
Dear Carolyn: We have three kids under 3 — there’s a set of twins in there! Please tell me we will survive. This is so hard. Advice on how to get through the triple-toddler years? — Parent Keep them hugged, fed and alive, call in all the help you can, make room for yourself and …
