Asking Eric: Spouse refuses to ever apologize
In this edition of Asking Eric, a frustrated spouse seeks advice after decades of dealing...
Advice
Asking Eric: Accidental voicemail reveals sister-in-law’s true feelings
In this edition of Asking Eric, a reader is left deeply hurt after an accidental...
Asking Eric: Stepdaughter’s estrangement angers stepfather
In this edition of Asking Eric, a stepfather grapples with intense anger over his stepdaughter's...
Asking Eric: Daughter’s breakup hurts mother, too
In this edition of Asking Eric, a mother seeks advice on processing the grief of...
Asking Eric: Noisy neighbors are too intimidating to talk to
In this edition of Asking Eric, readers look for guidance on overcoming the anxiety of...
Asking Eric: Adult child may be too distant to be a part of parent’s wedding
A parent faces a dilemma over their 21-year-old child's sporadic communication and an upcoming wedding....
Asking Eric: Agnostic uncomfortable when asked for prayers
An agnostic writer feels stuck when devout friends ask for prayers or mention God's plan....
Asking Eric: Sister’s financial chaos causes strain
One sister struggles to emotionally disengage from an older sibling trapped in perpetual financial chaos....
Asking Eric: Helpful in-laws shut out of family plans
Left out of family plans and hurt by unequal gift-giving, one grandmother wonders if she...
Asking Eric: Road trip leads to resentment
This week, Asking Eric advises a reader harboring resentment over a long-term friend’s unsupportive husband...
Asking Eric: Married friend might be flirting
This week, Asking Eric offers guidance to a single senior citizen confused by a married...
Asking Eric: News podcasts cause marital discord
This week, Asking Eric tackles communication breakdowns: a husband whose podcast habits spark spousal resentment,...
Asking Eric: Daughter accepted to college, but she may not be ready
A concerned mother turns to Eric when her 17-year-old daughter completely shuts down the idea...
Asking Eric: Sister posts paternity secret on Facebook
A 68-year-old reader is left reeling after his sister publicly posts that he was the...
Asking Eric: After 20 years, breakup still hurts
A woman in a happy relationship asks Eric how to finally move past the sudden,...
Asking Eric: Busy professional avoids socializing
A busy professional working up to 80 hours a week turns to Eric to learn...
Asking Eric: Son-in-law didn’t deliver Mother’s Day card
A grandmother is left baffled after her son-in-law refuses to let his young sons sign...
Asking Eric: Husband refuses to downsize
A stressed-out retiree turns to Eric because her 81-year-old husband refuses to clear 20 years...
Asking Eric: Party host wants to keep guests from drunk driving
A responsible party host asks for the best ways to ensure intoxicated guests don't get...
Asking Eric: Family feud creates confusion about wedding invitations
A retiree faces a tough decision on whether to travel for a cousin's wedding after...
Asking Eric: Relationship between younger man and older woman tempts gossips
A widow dating a significantly younger family friend worries about local gossip as they take...
Asking Eric: Close friend follows extremist groups online
A woman feels utterly betrayed after discovering her close friend of 50 years secretly follows...
Asking Eric: After estrangement, son misses out on hefty inheritance
A grieving mother questions whether to leave an explanatory note after cutting her contemptuous, estranged...
Asking Eric: Mother struggles to tell daughters about medical diagnosis
A simple thank-you note leaves a neighbor furious after a hybrid battery jumpstart, causing a...
Asking Eric: After helping with car trouble, neighbor gives silent treatment
A simple thank-you note leaves a neighbor furious after a hybrid battery jumpstart, causing a...
Asking Eric: After getting cash to help with basic training expenses, enlistee drops out
A family member asked for basic training cash, dropped out 24 hours later, and kept...
Asking Eric: After getting scammed once, friend is dating suspicious man
Vulnerability can be a target for scammers and a source of deep personal shame. Eric...
Asking Eric: Injury prompts rude questions
Protecting your peace is just as important as physical healing. Eric validates a man’s right...
Asking Eric: Long-term boyfriend wants to leave everything to his ex
Legal ties and long-term loyalty collide as Eric advises a woman whose partner plans to...
Asking Eric: Sister’s boyfriend is terrible influence on nephew
Navigating family dysfunction requires prioritizing the vulnerable, whether that means acting as a stable role...
Asking Eric: Adult children put distance between themselves and mother
Navigating the pain of parental estrangement requires a balance of outreach and personal independence. Eric...
Asking Eric: Friends split over restraining order
Legal expertise doesn't always translate to emotional support, as Eric explains to a lawyer whose...
Asking Eric: Widowed aunt makes huge demands on family
Managing a lonely, demanding relative requires clear boundaries rather than constant emotional labor. Eric explores...
Asking Eric: New wife won’t cut apron strings for her sons
This week, Asking Eric addresses the strain of a blended family where enabling adult children...
Asking Eric: Memory issues threaten relationship with hairstylist
This week, Asking Eric explores how to recover a professional relationship with your hairstylist after...
Asking Eric: Coworker’s lies fracture relationship
This week, Asking Eric navigates the fallout of a workplace betrayal where a colleague allowed...
Asking Eric: Atheist offended by others’ prayers
This week, Asking Eric addresses the frustration of an atheist receiving "thoughts and prayers" while...
Asking Eric: Sister ghosts brother and mother over politics
This week, Asking Eric explores the painful reality of "political ghosting" between siblings and the...
Asking Eric: Son’s family lives in squalor but won’t make any changes
This week, Asking Eric addresses the delicate task of intervening in a household overwhelmed by...
Asking Eric: Mother doesn’t want son at family funeral because of his drinking
This week, Asking Eric addresses the heartbreaking dilemma of a mother who fears her son’s...
Asking Eric: Talkative guide intrudes on nature walk date
This week, Asking Eric helps a couple reclaim their romantic nature walks from an overly...
Asking Eric: Married couple are soulmates but have stopped having sex
This week, Asking Eric explores whether a marriage can thrive without physical intimacy after four...
Asking Eric: Neighbors give gifts for every single holiday
Dear Eric: I have lived in the same apartment complex for about 10 years. Years...
Asking Eric: Wife’s hair keeps ending up in packed lunch
This week, Asking Eric tackles the awkwardness of finding hair in a gift-wrapped lunch and...
Asking Eric: Friends send cards but refuse to visit
This week, Asking Eric deciphers the mystery of the perpetual card-sender who avoids face-to-face contact....
Asking Eric: Son chooses wife over mother
This week, Asking Eric weighs in on a mother sidelined by her son’s marriage, a...
Asking Eric: After father’s death, stepson wants nothing to do with stepmother
After the passing of her husband, a grieving widow finds herself facing a second loss:...
Asking Eric: Grandparents want to stop paying for partying granddaughter’s education
Eric empowers a grandfather to set academic conditions on college financial aid, reframing it as...
Asking Eric: Young adult hates new city home
Eric gives a "homesick" reader permission to leave a city that doesn't fit, reframing the...
Asking Eric: Distant grandmother’s presents left unopened
Eric helps a grandmother manage her hurt over "Love boxes" that went unopened, suggesting a...
Asking Eric: Aging couple’s calendar is too full
Eric offers scripts for seniors to limit social commitments without causing offense, emphasizing the importance...
Asking Eric: Youth podcaster ghosted by professional contacts
Eric mentors an ambitious 16-year-old on navigating the "ghosting" culture of sports media and building...
Asking Eric: Retired parents feel guilty they’re comfortable while their kids pinch pennies
Eric encourages retired parents to stop writing a narrative of resentment for their children and...
Asking Eric: Caregiving friend struggles to hold boundary
Eric helps a caregiver establish boundaries with a cousin who refuses to sell her home...
Asking Eric: Veteran wants to find lost love
Eric helps an "Old G.I." navigate the social etiquette of reaching out to a high...
Asking Eric: Adopted daughter’s birth grandmother has questions
Eric advises a mother on how to gently correct a grieving grandmother’s misconceptions about her...
Asking Eric: Husband’s downward spiral put him and others at risk
Eric provides urgent advice for a wife dealing with her husband’s drunk driving and marital...
Asking Eric: Brother’s burial plans reject his faith tradition
Eric guides a brother through the complexities of discussing end-of-life wishes without overstepping boundaries. Additionally,...
Asking Eric: Grandfather doesn’t want to hold grandchildren
Eric reassures a grandfather that it is okay to skip the "baby phase" in favor...
Asking Eric: Sister shares, then retracts, harsh opinion about brother’s life
Eric advises a man on how to seek clarity after his sister retracted her extremist...
Asking Eric: Sister’s personality drastically changed after divorce
Eric helps a reader set boundaries with an impulsive sister while managing their mother’s care....
Asking Eric: Family wants billionaire cousin to share
A reader seeks advice on approaching an estranged, ultra-rich cousin for financial help, while another...
Asking Eric: Friend’s nose-blowing goes too far
A reader is fed up with a friend's unsanitary nose-blowing at dinner, while another struggles...
Asking Eric: Grandparents forbidden from hugging grandchild
This week, Asking Eric navigates the delicate boundaries of new parenthood as grandparents struggle with...
Asking Eric: Teen daughter plans to marry boy who belittles her
This week, Asking Eric tackles the nightmare scenario of a teenager rushing into marriage with...
Asking Eric: Husband posts unflattering photos to his large social media audience
This week, Asking Eric tackles the digital boundary-crossing of a husband posting unflattering photos to...
Asking Eric: Church group doesn’t care about friend’s wealth
This week, Asking Eric addresses the frustration of a long-term friend who can't stop "workshopping"...
Asking Eric: Longtime massage therapist won’t stop talking
This week, Asking Eric addresses the awkwardness of a massage therapist who talks through every...
Asking Eric: Mother’s lies are getting out of control
This week, Asking Eric addresses brothers concerned about their mother’s paranoid "fibbing," suggesting it may...
Asking Eric: Self-centered high school friend ruins social gatherings
This week, Asking Eric addresses the frustration of a weekly social group plagued by a...
Asking Eric: Sister-in-law supports ‘useless’ adult son
This week, Asking Eric tackles the difficult reality of financial elder abuse and the steps...
Asking Eric: Potential retiree fears boredom
This week, Asking Eric offers solace to a woman facing an unplanned retirement, reframing the...
Asking Eric: Executor left holding the bag for irresponsible friend
This week, Asking Eric explores the social and legal boundaries of friendship. Eric advises a...
Asking Eric: Former best friend becomes secretive
This week, Asking Eric tackles a best friendship turned secretive and obligatory. Then, a frustrated...
Asking Eric: Mother hopes inheritance will bring daughters closer together
Dear Eric: I have two daughters, “Tracy,” who has two adult children, and “Mary,” who...
Asking Eric: Friend’s body odor causes conflict
This week, Asking Eric tackles the delicate balance of supporting a disabled veteran whose lack...
Asking Eric: Mother still friendly with daughter’s stalker ex-fiancé
This week, Asking Eric responds to a woman "dumbfounded" by her mother’s continued friendship with...
Asking Eric: Relationship starting to feel more like a friendship
This week, Asking Eric responds to "Confused in Iowa," who feels her relationship is shifting...
Asking Eric: Rough nursing appointment scares patient
This week, Asking Eric responds to a patient wary of returning to a nurse after...
Asking Eric: Twin brother hijacks wedding with his own proposal
This week, Asking Eric tackles the awkwardness of a twin brother wanting to propose during...
Asking Eric: ‘Very online’ girlfriend shares too much with strangers
This week, Asking Eric addresses the discomfort of discovery when a partner posts relationship details...
Asking Eric: Dying friend refuses contact from friends
This week, Asking Eric addresses the heartbreak of a long-time friend withdrawing during a terminal...
Asking Eric: Husband in unhappy marriage stays for the adult children
This week, Asking Eric responds to a father of five who feels trapped in a...
Asking Eric: Pushy cancer support group member gives unwelcome advice
This week, Asking Eric addresses a reader facing repetitive, painful comments about their medical hair...
Asking Eric: Flaky stepdaughter disrespects home
This week, Asking Eric tackles the tension of a stepdaughter who pops in and out...
Asking Eric: Everyone has opinions about daughter’s medical care
This week, Asking Eric provides strategies for parents of children with complex needs to shut...
Asking Eric: Sister has strong opinions about school choice
This week, Asking Eric addresses the "lightning rod" issue of school choice when a sister's...
Asking Eric: Reader questions how to find fulfillment in life
This week, Asking Eric responds to a reader seeking fulfillment in a problem-free life. Plus,...
Asking Eric: Brother’s wedding requires nephews be left with stranger sitter at reception
This week, Asking Eric tackles the logistical nightmare of child-free receptions at destination weddings. Plus,...
Asking Eric: Adopted daughter excluded from inheritance
Asking Eric addresses the deep pain of a Black adoptee whose white, religious parents excluded...
Asking Eric: Caregiving husband struggling after wife’s accident
Asking Eric addresses the raw emotions of a husband struggling with the physical and mental...
Asking Eric: Friends side with person exhibiting abusive tendencies
Asking Eric explores the difficult journey of self-accountability when a reader recognizes their own abusive...
Asking Eric: Brother’s book reveals traumatic family secret without permission
Asking Eric explores the boundaries of storytelling after a brother discloses a traumatic childhood incident...
Asking Eric: Estranged sister would be furious to find other family is still in contact
Asking Eric explores the complexities of family estrangement, from an "invisible aunt" questioning her connection...
Asking Eric: Boss is an alcoholic, but no one at office will face reality
Asking Eric navigates the murky waters of office politics and personal boundaries. From a worker...
Asking Eric: Friend never picks up when called
Asking Eric tackles a friend who never answers the phone, a relative worried about a...
Asking Eric: Grieving relative doesn’t acknowledge sympathy gift
A reader is miffed after sending a sympathy box and receiving no acknowledgment. Asking Eric...
Asking Eric: Friends only want to socialize outside, not at home
A reader is confused by the "muted" response to an invitation to their holiday home....
Asking Eric: Family member’s death anniversary mars birthday
A reader is tired of friends reaching out to mourn a community member on their...
Asking Eric: Friend is spiritual but also materialistic
A reader is fed up with a long-time friend who constantly boasts about her children's...