ArcaMax

Dear Eric: We go to a lot of concerts and sporting events, and I want to watch and/or listen. However, so often, others just want to talk. I need a polite way to ask them to leave me alone so I can watch and enjoy the event. Any ideas?

– Here for the Band

Dear Band: It’s probably easiest to address this beforehand. If you’re going with a...Read more

Dear Eric: I'm a 40-year-old single mom of twin 5-year-olds. I'm a professional woman, but due to my commitments to my children and the overall daily grind, I have little to no time for socialization and dating.

However, I need occasional help around the house, and my cousin (let's call her Jen) was kind enough to refer me to her handyman. He's...Read more

Dear Eric: My three daughters have grown children and celebrate their children's birthdays by each family going out to dinner with its immediate members. When my grandchildren were small, the families had at-home celebrations to which I was always invited. I miss those times, especially since I am no longer invited to the out-to-dinners, at ...Read more

Dear Eric: My boyfriend and I are in our early 80s. I am divorced and his wife died over two and a half years ago; we have been dating slightly more than a year. We do not plan to marry, but we are in a lifelong, committed relationship. We feel blessed to have found each other at our age.

My family and friends have warmly welcomed him into ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband sings at the top of his lungs to any song that is playing in a movie or a commercial or in the car or otherwise. It’s like nails on a chalkboard for me. I’ve tried telling him, but he takes offense. He tells me everyone tells him he has perfect pitch (he doesn’t), and it has come down to serious discord at times.

I ...Read more

Dear Eric: My son is 35 and his new girlfriend of three months is 32. They're both very smart. They are both very well educated. She's funny. She's smart. I really enjoy my time with her except for when she falls into these pits where she talks about him like he's not there and puts him down. She says things like “Well, I told your son to do ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and son are both on the autism spectrum. We brought our son a sofa from IKEA and left it in his house. It needs to be assembled along with hanging curtains and installing the curtain rods.

We are both 75. Our son works full time and is finishing up his master’s thesis. He’s unlikely to be able to help with curtain ...Read more

Dear Eric: One of my best friends, who is a lesbian, just met a girl two weeks ago and they've already said "I love you" to each other. The other girl seems genuinely lovely, and my friend is very happy, which makes me happy!

Not only is this moving very quickly, but the other girl just got out of an engagement in June. It seems clear that she'...Read more

Dear Eric: "Sue" and I have been neighbors and friends for more than 50 years. She and her husband are godparents to one of our children, we are members of social groups together, like book club and bridge group. We have shared many occasions together, at the holidays and with our families.

A couple of years ago her husband (and our friend) ...Read more

Dear Eric: Perhaps my problem stems from the fact that I am a mid-80s mom? A couple of years ago, our very responsible son asked if he could invite about 10 friends to our large lakeside cabin during our absence. There is plenty of room for all to sleep, a big kitchen and boats and a nice lake for all to enjoy. We said fine.

Married and single ...Read more

Dear Eric: My wife and I have been married 26 years. Our children are 25 and 22 and live with us. Over the years we have had plenty of arguments and came very close to divorce immediately after my youngest was born. We attended counseling for a while, but it didn’t really change anything.

In recent years, every little argument sets my wife ...Read more

Dear Eric: How do you recommend dealing with a friend who often offers assistance but never follows through? By the way, cognitive or memory issues do not impact any other situations, and the offer does appear to be genuine.

Since the matters are generally not urgent, and I have the means to resolve them on my own, I would rather not wait days,...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband works for an airline and had an emotional affair with a female coworker. I only found out through less-than-honest means (I went through his phone while he was asleep).

I have started going to long-overdue therapy but am unable to get over the constant paranoia, anxiety and anguish this has caused.

I'm an extremely loyal ...Read more

Dear Eric: My wife has three living adult kids from three different fathers – ages 22, 29 and 32. The 32-year-old has a husband and two kids of her own. I allowed all of them to live with us since they couldn’t get along on their own.

Last year, my wife’s fourth adult child died so I inherited her 3-year-old.

We had nine people in our ...Read more

Dear Eric: Our next-door neighbor is a longtime university professor who is well known in his field. We have been neighbors for many years, and we all get along well. He lives alone.

An irritating habit of his is to stop by and launch into long-winded stories about some mundane event in his present or past life or to pontificate about a current...Read more

Dear Eric: I started a new job a year ago. I took over as a supervisor at a municipal agency and from an individual who was retiring and who is a friend of mine.

The position that I took over for had a number of employees who were retired and had part-time jobs. They were very loyal to him, and he let them do what they wanted as long as it got ...Read more

Dear Eric: My father’s side has always hosted holiday meals. We are all in our 60s and 70s. My parents are gone, and kids are in their 20s and 30s. My cousin has taken over and puts on a great celebration. With Covid and the death of her mother she did not host/invite us, which hurt our feelings because we enjoyed the time to see everyone.

I ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’ve been in a relationship with my partner for most of my 20s, and while I still love him, I find myself wondering if I am still attracted to him.

In the last few years, he has significantly stopped taking care of himself. As a very active and healthy person (I run marathons, bike, lift weights regularly, et cetera), I find it ...Read more

Dear Eric: As a Spanish-American, my ancestors from Spain have resided in the United States since long before the first Thanksgiving.

When one acquaintance inquired about my origin, I assumed he meant the city I recently relocated from. He clarified by asking if I was from Guatemala. In a social context, that question is exclusively directed at...Read more

Dear Eric: My sister-in-law is ill and not expected to live much longer. My brother has already commented that he is looking forward to traveling with my wife and me after she passes since we have common interests (think golfing vacations) and all get along well.

The problem is he isn’t comfortable with silence, and he always has to be ...Read more