Asking Eric: Negative friend threatens to ruin shared vacation
A group planning a cruise deliberately excluded a very negative friend and is struggling with...
Advice
Asking Eric: Ex-military husband suddenly dressing like a cowboy
A woman is struggling with her husband's dramatic shift from simple civilian clothes to a...
Asking Eric: 12-step sponsor shares too much about sponsee
A 12-step program member lost trust in their sponsor after she shared another sponsee’s private...
Asking Eric: Clergy spouse keeps rummaging through church office
A clergy member seeks advice on setting firm boundaries with a spouse who constantly invades...
Asking Eric: Mother wants to give daughter’s boyfriend a retirement account
An elderly, widowed parent with excess IRA income wants to gift retirement funds to a...
Asking Eric: Boyfriend’s babysitting infringes on relationship
A reader feels resentment because her boyfriend prioritizes grandparent duty over their social life, and...
Asking Eric: Facebook posts fracture friendship
When a friend on the opposite side of politics demands content censorship on social media,...
Asking Eric: Friends insist on visiting even though hosting is a burden
An elderly couple seeks advice on kindly but firmly declining constant overnight guest requests without...
Asking Eric: Friend calls multiple times every day
When a friend's excessive calls become an annoyance, Asking Eric suggests clear, kind communication, even...
Asking Eric: Siblings want to involve grieving sister in holiday tradition
When a sister is resistant to traveling for Christmas after losing her husband, Asking Eric...
Asking Eric: After 30 years, company’s cold retirement sendoff stings
A former realtor who worked for a company for nearly 30 years is hurt and...
Asking Eric: Man struggles to re-connect with old friends
After two moves and the pandemic, a married man finds himself struggling to maintain friendships...
Asking Eric: Decades later, bullies still have power
A reader is tormented by long-ago memories of being bullied at school and work, which...
Asking Eric: Parents struggle with cutting off financially dependent daughter
A worried mother asks Asking Eric for advice on cutting off financial support to her...
Asking Eric: Readers offer creative ways to address divorce in Christmas cards
Following a question on how to announce an amicable divorce in a Christmas card, Asking...
Asking Eric: Mutual friend turns two friends against a third
A reader believes their friend, Paulo, caused two other friends, James and Jon, to stop...
Asking Eric: Son and father are fighting, but parents still want to celebrate son’s birthday
A mom wants to celebrate her son's 40th birthday but faces obstacles due to issues...
Asking Eric: Years after active addiction, family remains distant
A man who was disowned by his family due to addiction is looking for a...
Asking Eric: Daughter-in-law’s Friendsgiving overshadows family dinner
A grandmother is struggling with feelings of resentment because her daughter-in-law hosts a Friendsgiving that...
Asking Eric: Gift exchange tradition grows tiresome
A reader wants to gracefully opt out of exchanging gifts with an in-law to avoid...
Asking Eric: Acquaintance is friendly in real life but ignores on Facebook
A resident of a 55+ community is confused by a friend's behavior: supportive in person,...
Asking Eric: Still-married grandson wants to bring his new girlfriend to visit
An uneasy grandmother wants her separated grandson to visit for Christmas but not with his...
Asking Eric: Friend shrugs off concerning memory issues
A friend is concerned about another friend's memory slipping and wonders whether to speak to...
Asking Eric: Tedious cookie tradition taxes family ties
A multi-day family Christmas cookie tradition is losing its connection as recipients fail to acknowledge...
Asking Eric: Husband does housework while wife plays online games
A 47-year-old husband is exhausted from handling all the intense physical and domestic work on...
Asking Eric: Brother’s partner mocks in-laws even after their deaths
A reader is highly offended and hurt by a brother's long-time partner who consistently mocks...
Asking Eric: After a birthday with no greetings, letter writer feels miserable
A reader is deeply hurt when immediate family members fail to send a birthday greeting,...
Asking Eric: Messy housemate gives host silent treatment
A kind gesture allowing a cousin's daughter to stay during college has soured due to...
Asking Eric: Baking favor leads to salty feelings
A reader asks if his girlfriend is too sensitive for feeling snubbed after being asked...
Asking Eric: Goddaughter’s wedding dress causes huge family rift
A kind gesture turns into a family feud after a goddaughter massively overspends on her...
Asking Eric: Years after failed marriage, ex can’t stop thinking about it
A reader is haunted by the memory of a short-lived first marriage and an ex...
Asking Eric: Stepchildren’s lack of manners reflects on stepmom
As a stepmother, you're mortified that your adult stepsons and their partners have forgotten basic...
Asking Eric: Conflict between daughter and father traps mother in the middle
Your 18-year-old daughter, who now lives at college, visited home but refused to see her...
Asking Eric: After relapse, mother struggles with shame
Three years into living with her, a son reveals the trauma caused by his mother's...
Asking Eric: Family punished for missing wedding 50 years later
Fifty-one years later, your sister-in-law is telling your granddaughter you missed her wedding due to...
Asking Eric: Siblings clash over commemorating deceased sister
Your sister died unexpectedly, and after you grieved privately, your bullying brother has unilaterally arranged...
Asking Eric: Neighbor’s vacant home threatens property
A huge, dangerous tree from a vacant rental property next door is dropping branches on...
Asking Eric: Boyfriend’s ex-mother-in-law still comes for coffee
Spending weekends at your boyfriend's house is complicated when his ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law show up...
Asking Eric: Girlfriend’s adult son gets in the way of relationship
After 10 years, your girlfriend is letting her adult son control your relationship, resulting in...
Asking Eric: ‘Friendly’ customer service keeps causing conflict
Trained employees are making small talk intrusive by asking personal questions like "What are you...
BIFF tickets go on sale as festival shifts to a spring date
The shift to a spring festival comes as organizers prepare for the arrival of Sundance...
Asking Eric: Parents try to force reunion with estranged brother
Visiting your parents means confronting a 20-year estrangement from your brother, as your parents insist...
Asking Eric: After depression, cluttered house seems impossible to manage
Feeling overwhelmed by clutter after a struggle with depression? You want your home (and confidence)...
Asking Eric: In-law’s body hair makes holidays a chore
Hosting Thanksgiving means inviting your son-in-law's father—and his bushy nose hair. His wife and sons...
Asking Eric: Friend only wants to complain about another friend
A reader feels relieved, sad, and shocked after a friend terminated their friendship because the...
Asking Eric: Aggressive neighbor claims seniors are harassing him
Despite winning a court case, a couple in their 70s is constantly being soaked by...
Asking Eric: After divorce, ex questions how to phrase holiday cards
Facing a divorce finalized right after Christmas, a wife seeks appropriate wording for her annual...
Asking Eric: Wife has racked up $16k in secret bills
A man discovers his wife has secretly paid his brother-in-law's storage fees for ten years...
Asking Eric: 19 years and no proposal; what gives?
Having waited 19 years for a proposal, a woman asks Asking Eric if she should...
Asking Eric: Parent gives daughter’s ex free room and board plus a loan
A grandparent is torn between giving an unemployed, relapsing alcoholic father more time in their...
Asking Eric: Daughter’s clutter keeps getting her kicked out of apartments
An exasperated parent worries about their daughter's incredibly filthy apartment and patio, which is causing...
Asking Eric: Friend is shell of himself after relationship
Worried about a friend who seems like a "shell of himself" after a traumatic experience?...
Asking Eric: Friendship disrupted by house full of security cameras
A reader discovered hidden cameras, including two in her bedroom, at her best friend's house...
Asking Eric: Wife to stepdaughter – ‘this is war’
A husband seeks a strategy for living with a hot-tempered wife whose anger management issues...
Asking Eric: Neighbor is friendly but drives drunk
A neighbor feels guilty but terrified about an alcoholic friend who drives home from the...
Asking Eric: Niece grows distant from family after wedding
An uncle is frustrated and hurt by his niece's growing distance from the family and...
Asking Eric: Prolonged grief complicated by obsessive-compulsive disorder
A reader with OCD and a history of loss is terrified everyone they love will...
Asking Eric: Friend drags up addiction-related offenses, 31 years later
A person with 31 years of sobriety feels hurt and embarrassed when a lifelong friend...
Asking Eric: Volunteer’s memory issues pose challenge for a church
A church leader seeks a kind way to manage a volunteer with suspected dementia who...
Asking Eric: Coworkers called stingy for not contributing to honeymoon fund
A woman is asking coworkers to fund her luxury "dream honeymoon" a year after her...
Asking Eric: Overly friendly dog causes injury
A person's foot was severely injured when their sister's 130-pound dog stepped on it, causing...
Asking Eric: Family refuses to accept father’s ashes
Four years after a brother's death, his sibling is still storing the ashes and wonders...
Asking Eric: Sibling rivalry results in $20k ‘bill’ to parents
A couple married 40 years is grappling with a successful, single son who is demanding...
Asking Eric: After medical miracle, daughter is angry about mom’s travel
After a crippling disease recedes, a mother begins traveling for a patient ambassador role, which...
Asking Eric: Father-in-law and life coach interfere with marriage
A man separated from his wife by his father-in-law and a "life coach" asks for...
Asking Eric: Divorced daughter moved back in but won’t move on
Parents struggling with an adult, divorced daughter who won’t move out or contribute to the...
Asking Eric: Intergenerational work besties get stink eye from other friends
Eric defends a joyful friendship between coworkers while urging a sister to confront her brother’s...
Asking Eric: Daughter refuses to cash $20,000 check
A mother tries to give a generous gift but gets pushback instead of gratitude. Another...
Asking Eric: Good Samaritan gets hefty reward for first aid
One mom wonders how much thanks is too much after helping an injured child. Another...
Asking Eric: Tween daughter starts talking back
From handling a daughter’s sudden disrespect to confronting a gatekeeping parent at the hospital, Asking...
Asking Eric: Girlfriend loves whiskey and other men
A man questions whether his girlfriend's barroom chats are crossing a line. Meanwhile, a senior...
Asking Eric: After brother’s death, sister wants family mementos back from sister-in-law
One woman asks how to reclaim family memories lost after a sibling's death. Another faces...
Asking Eric: Husband’s pouting keeps couple trapped
A woman faces chronic illness, isolation, and longing for family—but fears her husband’s reaction to...
Asking Eric: Father fears daughter has fallen for a player
One parent questions his daughter’s relationship, another wonders about skipping wedding gifts, and a reader...
Asking Eric: New boyfriend vows to keep cheating
At 70, one woman finds joy but faces a partner’s confession: he’ll never be faithful....
Asking Eric: Freeloading friend hasn’t paid for lunch in a decade
One friend always orders steak — and never pays. Another disappears into the campground crowd....
Asking Eric: Daughter moves back in with parents and brings a mess with her
A mom feels overwhelmed by her messy daughter, a billing mistake sparks guilt, and a...
Asking Eric: Friend in a different country ambivalent about American political strife
A longtime digital friendship frays over global indifference, a family is blindsided by a pregnancy...
Asking Eric: Wife feels neglected by husband caring for ailing father
Dementia reshapes a marriage, a support group leader shares hard-won advice, and one friend wonders...
Asking Eric: After paternity test, father struggles with relationship to children
Two readers confront hard truths—one about paternity, the other about public humiliation. Asking Eric guides...
Asking Eric: Fishy childcare solution frustrates friend
A hurt coworker, a fractured friendship, and a healing grandfather—Asking Eric explores the limits of...
Asking Eric: After partner’s death, man is consumed by guilt
A man seeks redemption for how he treated a dying partner. Another wonders how to...
Asking Eric: Used car sale leaves neighbor feeling betrayed
A former car owner wants her old ride back—but only verbally. And a wife finds...
Asking Eric: Senior siblings try to find a way to talk without conflict
Whether you’re trying to keep peace at a sibling reunion or worried your short temper...
Asking Eric: Years after parents’ death, friend still hasn’t dealt with inherited property
When a friend clings to her late mother’s belongings and a parent feels shut out...
Asking Eric: After missed birthday party, friend stops calling
A friend’s cold shoulder and a brother’s terminal illness lead to tough choices—Asking Eric helps...
Asking Eric: Friend’s online dating woes drain the life from friendship
A friend drowning in dating drama and an autistic adult feeling misread—Asking Eric helps readers...
Asking Eric: Neighbors’ car ruins the view
From puzzling parking routines to parenting styles that prioritize kids' interruptions, Asking Eric helps readers...
Asking Eric: Wife’s secret expenses strain marriage
One husband is ready to walk away over hidden supplement costs. Another wife is being...
Asking Eric: Girlfriend accuses boyfriend of cheating with church friend
What do you do when your partner wrongly accuses you of cheating—or when your father...
Asking Eric: Longtime boyfriend has dream wedding plan but won’t propose
In this Asking Eric, one reader wonders if her friend’s boyfriend will ever propose, another...
Asking Eric: Longtime friend always has to have upper hand in conversation
When friends dominate conversations or parents pull away after a kind gesture, what’s the right...
Asking Eric: New husband wants to go on vacation without his wife
A new wife feels abandoned by her husband’s travel plans, while another woman is haunted...
Asking Eric: Neighborhood gardener doesn’t want to chat about garden
From neighbors interrupting your garden time to entitled demands at a mahjongg club, Asking Eric...
Asking Eric: Widowed mother-in-law wants to bring new beau for holidays
Can you say no to hosting your mother-in-law’s new boyfriend over the holidays? And was...
Asking Eric: Friend’s complex needs strain friendship
How do you say no to a friend who needs too much? And should you...
Asking Eric: Neighbors’ yard feature ruins view
What do you do about an unsightly sandbox next door—or a tech rep you can't...
Asking Eric: Perfect’ husband refuses intimacy
A devoted wife is heartbroken by her husband’s refusal to be physically affectionate. In this...
Asking Eric: Lifelong ‘loner’ struggles to make connections post-retirement
In this Asking Eric, a self-described loner confronts post-retirement isolation, while an expert shares practical,...
Asking Eric: Friends disrupt concert outings by talking
Concert chatter ruining your night? Family trip plans feeling exclusive? In today’s Asking Eric, learn...