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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 oldest nephew has significant emotional issues. He has slapped, punched, and bitten both his parents and his younger siblings, even when they were babies. For the last few ... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Even though I was my son’s primary driving teacher, I have to say that when I ride with him behind the wheel, it’s a white-knuckle experience.... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I know kids grow up and test the waters around grownups. That is what happened with my own and my husband’s. But after not seeing my daughter’s and my husband’s son’s children... more
DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: A couple years ago, a good friend of mine and I started co-oping childcare coverage, since we were both primarily working from home. Throughout the pandemic, our arrangement c... 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 son had COVID in March of this year. He contracted it while working at a restaurant. He did not have to be hospitalized, thank goodness, but he was down for nearly a month,... 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