Dear Carolyn: Growing up, my brother and I were frequently subjected to corporal punishment, like slapping and spanking. I’ve been resentful and have struggled with intrusive violent thoughts from a young age that my therapist says stem from my early-childhood exposure to aggression. This came up during a recent conversation with my mom. She shut…
Dear Carolyn: I have a financial dilemma with my partner of 15 years. For most of our relationship I’ve made more money and carried the majority of the rent and utilities. I quit my well-paying tech job two years ago because of burnout and stress. Since then, I’ve been using savings to continue to cover…
Dear Carolyn: My mom divorced my dad after 33 years, and he is not coping well. He is a great dad and a good man. My mom got to be a stay-at-home mom to us three kids thanks to my dad working hard. He made good money and gave us all a great life, including…
Hello, Carolyn: My wife and I are at the brink of divorce after her affair with our married neighbor and subsequent decision, after counseling, to end our three-decade marriage. I forgave her and looked at this as an opportunity to improve what had been a very strong, if not perfect (obviously!) marriage. She first claimed…
Dear Carolyn: In past years, my daughter-in-law has been the family scheduler for my son’s whole family. I would text or call her to set up plans, whether for weekend outings or holidays. Starting this year, my son informed me that his wife was suffering from burnout and so he would be handling all planning…
Dear Carolyn: A couple of years ago, my stepfather got diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Luckily, after treatment, he is in remission and general good health. That’s the good news. The bad news is that ever since then, his personality has become one of a grumpy old man even though he is only 52. While he…
Dear Carolyn: I have a friend, “Gary,” who is from my hometown. My wife doesn’t like Gary all that much, mostly because she finds him annoying and clingy. She has no objection to my continuing my own friendship with him, and she can be polite to him in small doses, but is no longer interested…
Dear Carolyn: My mom was not a gentle parent. I did not feel loved or protected growing up. All my needs were met, generously, even — international travel, music lessons, tuition — and I’m Gen X so I’m surrounded by experiences like mine, and I’m okay. Source: Read Full Article
Hi, Carolyn: My brother and his wife recently welcomed a baby girl weeks early, and she’s been in the NICU since then. I imagine they’re in hell. They also have a toddler and had to scramble for overnight care so my brother could be in the hospital. Now he’s back home and largely single-parenting and…
Dear Carolyn: My partner spends around $400 per month on expensive facial and body products. We’re talking about $70 for a 2.5-ounce bottle of this kind of oil, cleanser, etc. Obviously there are people who can afford these products and buy them regularly. There are also people who can afford these products but choose to…
