Archives

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My future daughter-in-law is a sweetheart, but her sisters are absolutely wild. We’ve known the family for years, and those girls have gotten into more trouble than I like to ... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: The guy who lives two doors down from us has just won a primary election for state senate, and now he has begun pushing hard on getting those votes for November.... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: When I recently went to visit my aunt’s and uncle’s graves during a home visit, I saw a family a few rows down having a full-out picnic around a gravesite.... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My daughter gained a lot of weight during her pregnancy and has been struggling to get back to her pre-pregnancy body. I think she’s done a fantastic job, and except for a lit... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: There is an older couple on our block who are the sweetest, kindest, most considerate people I have ever met. They take care of the rest of the families on the block like we a... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My dad left when our mom was diagnosed with clinical depression and social anxiety. He could not hack taking care of her. When he left, I was 12, my brother was 7, and our sis... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My grandson was diagnosed as nearsighted last school year, right when he turned eight. Since then, he has lost two pairs of glasses, and now his mother and father refuse to re... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My baby sister is kind of the family screwup. She’s a lot younger than me and our two other sisters, so by the time she came along, she was like an only child, and our parents... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I’m a born pleaser, so it really, really hurt when my grandmother blasted me at a family reunion picnic for bringing the wrong side dish, being late, and not bringing my daugh... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: One of my friends from work has got a harsh edge to her approach with most people. For whatever reason, she doesn’t come off that way to or with me. But she just told me how s... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Our neighbor buys old cars and junkers, works on them, and then resells them. That’s how he makes a living. If the cars always just came and went, I wouldn’t have a problem wi... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Late last year my company responded to a huge RFP (request for proposal) for the biggest government contract we ever competed on. The RFP process was intense, requiring the te... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I have always known my daughter is not the 9-to-5 desk job type, and I knew she would pursue a less conventional career, but I have to confess her new job is causing me to los... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I have an older sister who used to party a lot when she was in college and for a couple of years after she graduated. Now she spends most of her weekends during the summer tot... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Why is it that I am the one who gets chewed out and made to feel guilty by my boss because I take one sick day to help take care of my grandma when my mom is out of town, yet ... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My younger sister and I had our first babies within weeks of each other. The boys have been more like brothers than cousins, so there is no problem there, despite their having... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Even though my son has a good job, it doesn’t pay enough to support the kind of car he just went out and purchased. It’s the kind of car I wouldn’t consider buying even now, w... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My uncle is the executor of my grandparents’ wills. My grandmother died a few years ago, and everything just went to my grandfather. He passed late last year, and my uncle and... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Somewhere along the way, my son decided his mother and I are not able to take care of our own home anymore. We are in our late-60s and in excellent health and very active, but... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My roommate travels extensively for her work. The upside is that I generally have the apartment, which I own, to myself. The downside is that she is often late with her rent p... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: About six months ago my younger brother borrowed $500 to buy an impact driver so he could work on his sunroom he is building for his family. We had no problem loaning him the ... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: This year will be the first time we’ll be able to take a vacation since we took our oldest son to visit my parents in Wisconsin four years ago when he was almost one. Since th... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Our daughter and son-in-law are putting in an above-ground pool in their backyard for their kids this summer. They talked about it last year, but thought the kids were still t... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: The last time I visited home I stayed with my grandmother for a weekend. She retired a few years ago and except for starting to spend more time with her old friends and our fa... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Whenever my sister and I go out to a dressy event, like a wedding or anniversary party, my sister always wears the same outfit. It isn’t so much that it’s a little out of styl... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My wife and I work for the same company. They hired us as a team, and knew we already had two children when we started.... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My husband’s retirement happened just a few months before our youngest son moved out into an apartment with some of his friends. He has taken the kids leaving worse than I hav... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My son had a child at a very early age. He married the mother of his baby, but they didn’t last three years before they split up, which was a big relief at the time. My ex-dau... more