What's the best way to stand up to my mother about Christmas and to handle her jealousy about our better relationship with my partner's parents? She's determined to make the holiday season into a zero sum game with my partner's mother [more inside]
posted by Flitcraft on Nov 22, 2009 - 41 answers

My parents are divorced; my father has custody of my younger brother, but is leaving the country for a few years for work. He wants me to live with and take care of my 16 year old brother until he graduates from HS. I love my brother, but I have some objections and I’m not sure how to handle this. (long explanation inside!) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 15, 2009 - 60 answers

How can I forgive my mother for losing some of my most treasured items? This may sound like a stupid/trivial problem but it's really eating away at me inside. [more inside]
posted by starpoint on Oct 13, 2009 - 56 answers

My mom sent me an email today acknowledging for the very first time (that I am aware of) that she experiences symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I would like to write the best response that I can to her, with some links or information about possible next steps. I don't want to screw this up, please help me help her! [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 30, 2009 - 8 answers

I am deeply concerned for my mother, and hate her boyfriend. [more inside]
posted by kaseijin on Jul 17, 2009 - 27 answers

Due to years of my mother’s mental illness, dependency on prescription medication, and wildly varying levels lying leading to all sort of trust issues, I am a 30-year old woman with a very complicated relationship with my aging mom. I feel more than a little guilt and sadness about this, and authentically would like to improve our relationship. There are, of course complications. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 3, 2009 - 9 answers

How do I deal with my parents on limited resources without sending all of us into a fit? (likely to be TL;DR) [more inside]
posted by divabat on Feb 20, 2009 - 13 answers

I received a check for $3,000 from my mother who I have not spoken to for nearly seven years. Should I cash the check? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 29, 2008 - 45 answers

My mother thinks I should stay home. I'm having an internal conflict about what I want to do. Whenever I tell myself I want to return to Copenhagen, I immediately doubt it and think I should return home. If I say I want to go home, I feel like I will regret not returning to Copenhagen forever. [more inside]
posted by starpoint on Nov 25, 2008 - 35 answers

Help me endure my unbelievably self-absorbed and recklessly-impulsive mother just a little longer. [more inside]
posted by Yoshi Ayarane on Aug 21, 2008 - 44 answers

How do I let go of the past? [more inside]
posted by prefpara on Aug 16, 2008 - 23 answers

My parents are getting a divorce. How do I support them? How do I relate to them without it being terribly weird on me? How do I stop worrying about them so much? [more inside]
posted by salvia on Jun 30, 2008 - 6 answers

Looking for positive experiences where single parent and young child(en) were separated by great distances. Specifically, I am curious to know how it was made to work. [more inside]
posted by panoptican on Jan 3, 2008 - 9 answers

locating a lost relative when you lack important information? [more inside]
posted by Tryptophan-5ht on Apr 22, 2006 - 5 answers

Christmas family hell come early - how can I best deal with my mother's counterproductive Xmas related nagging? ( I'll post more inside) [more inside]
posted by Flitcraft on Nov 1, 2004 - 26 answers