DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My granddaughter has been doing gymnastics since she was five years old. Since early middle school she has been focusing on power tumbling, and has gotten good enough to compe... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My wife is pregnant with our first child, and some of my friends laugh about my “feeling her pain,” including being nauseous most of the time. They think it’s a joke.... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: When my wife and I divorced almost seven years ago, my son and daughter were still in high school. It was a bad split, and it took a toll on both kids. We tried to keep the de... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: After my father-in-law and mother-in-law separated, he moved into a two-bedroom condo with a small storage room off the balcony. It is actually a very spacious apartment for j... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Not wanting to freeload, I suggested that my mom charge me rent. She seemed surprised, and said she’d get back to me on that. Later, she appeared in a rather formal outfit, an... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My boyfriend of two years is paying for his daughter’s wedding, which is on the other side of the country. The groom’s mother is single and is low-income, so her side wanted t... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Back when my sons were little, my father used to take them with him to buy scratch-offs and the occasional big jackpot lottery ticket. He even used to give them to the boys as... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: When my husband and I got married two years ago, his grandmother chose not only to not attend the wedding, but to also urge the rest of his family to also skip it because she ... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My husband and I moved here to Chicago from Czechia almost 15 years ago. We became citizens as soon as we were able, and are doing our best to raise our children to be good ci... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Ever since we were kids, my younger brother got away with just about anything he wanted to. My mom would never yell at him the way she yelled at me, even if I didn’t do anythi... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: When we set up a 529 college fund for our granddaughter years ago when she was still in elementary school, we envisioned her using it for a traditional four-year college. She ... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Since I was a little girl, my great-aunt promised me her hand-painted Limoges porcelain collection if she ever decided to part with it, or after she passed.... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My favorite cousin has always been a bit of a doofus. I’ve always told him he is, so we’re open about everything. We grew up living two doors down from each other, and he is m... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My husband’s biological father died when he was little, and so his stepfather became his main father image. My father-in-law is not a bad man, but he is a strict one, raised i... more