Ask MetaFilter

College dorm move-in day: What is the appropriate level of assistance a parent should offer? [more inside]
posted by loveandhappiness at 2:56 PM - 27 answers

What structured activities do you do with your significant other to add meaning and joy in your life? I'm looking for things that are reoccurring: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or seasonally. [more inside]
posted by grinagog at 8:28 AM - 21 answers

Should I stop developing crushes? If so, how? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 8:26 AM - 8 answers

My husband responded to one of those scam calls, giving away his name, zip code and last four digits of social, before he realized it was a scam. What are the steps he should be taking now to protect his identity? [more inside]
posted by peacheater at 9:40 AM - 12 answers

How do I cultivate a persona of optimism and positivity so I can become more successful in both my professional and personal lives? I'm feeling down right now but know nobody wants to see that. [more inside]
posted by greatalleycat at 9:32 PM - 7 answers

I'm looking for some ideas for social groups that my mom might want to join. Please see below the fold for more details. Thanks! [more inside]
posted by Gosha_Dog at 4:51 PM - 11 answers

I have two friends, both of them relatively new friends, who I formed good, individual connections with, last year. For some reason, inexplicably, they’ve both ghosted on me. [more inside]
posted by dubious_dude at 4:41 PM - 9 answers

This was/still is me, now I'm back for another question regarding my brother this time. [more inside]
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 4:08 PM - 8 answers

I was in a situation where multiple people, including me, mutually did unintentional harm to everyone else, to varying degrees. It was, in some sense, all out of ignorance. No one meant to hurt anybody, I guess. But, I'm furious, like, take-it-to-my-grave furious. [more inside]
posted by zeek321 at 12:58 PM - 10 answers

How do you handle it when your boy/girlfriend tells you they love you but you’re not ready to say it back? [more inside]
posted by genmonster at 9:08 AM - 18 answers

I feel like I am too weird to date, but lately I want to start dating. Fellow weirdos of Mefi, how do I approach online dating when I don't feel like I am very similar to almost anyone else in the pool? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 1:37 AM - 11 answers

This was me. My daughter is 8 months old and sleeping much better! However, she has the occasional bad night or more than occasional short nap. I know logically this is so normal and I’m not looking for sympathy because I think we actually have it better than many. But I can’t help but become pretty mad when she has a bad day of napping. I’m grumpy going in there to get her and she’s grumpy because she had a bad nap and then I feel guilty, which makes me mad and it’s a shame spiral until dad comes home to take her off me. What can I tell myself or do to change my bad attitude? [more inside]
posted by like_neon at 7:47 PM - 26 answers

Herr Duck is in need of elevator-related Dad-style jokes. Help! [more inside]
posted by Gray Duck at 10:04 AM - 24 answers

What are you favorite stories about involved dads to younger children? Single dads, stay-at-home dads, or just fathers who were equally involved with their partners in things like nighttime bottle feedings, pediatrician visits, meetings with school and pre-school teachers and setting up play dates with other parents. What it felt like for them and how others perceived them. [more inside]
posted by serathen at 4:58 AM - 9 answers

Couples with mixed nationality and residency who elected to combine households, how did you decide where to live? What factors were most important in your decision? How did you assess the total quality of life available for you as a couple in the locales you considered, and the financial implications of your choice? I am especially interested in situations where both members are mid-career age and already well established professionally and socially. Snowflakes about my/our personal situation within. [more inside]
posted by 4rtemis at 11:55 PM - 16 answers

I get extremely sad at night these days, and require as much light as possible. Even so, even when near people who love me & whom I love, I find myself filled with a horrible sense of uselessness, loneliness, doing the wrong thing, FOMO, and general doom that the current circumstances of my life are never-ending and change is impossible. How do I avoid extreme sadness at night, aside from going to be before sundown? [more inside]
posted by Hooray For Socks! at 9:31 PM - 26 answers

I'm having a hard time transitioning from sharing a bedroom with a close platonic friend for several months, to being in separate bedrooms in the same house. The house doesn't feel the same and I feel at a sort of a loss. I know this is silly but I'm having a hard time dealing with it and I'm not sure why. [more inside]
posted by Emms at 9:13 AM - 12 answers

Hello, I am very much steeped in our (Mefi, coastal, blue-state...) world and its open attitudes toward therapy, meditation, self-development, etc. I am interested in learning about how Americans who aren't part of my world talk about their difficulties. For example, a friend from the Appalachian region says that in her hometown, antidepressants are acceptable but therapy is absolutely not, because the medical model has taken hold successfully but only truly messed up people need therapeutic help (and also, meditation is considered prayer to a non-Christian god so it's no good). The problem I am trying to solve is how to translate some of the insights I have gained from transformational work into a language others can benefit from. The question I have for you: Do you know of communities online where you/your relatives/etc. go to discuss difficulties so that I can better understand people's language and mental models around these topics? I have found this approach to be helpful for me in the past in understanding more of how people think before speaking to them directly. Thank you! [more inside]
posted by namesarehard at 8:00 AM - 21 answers

Last week, I started attending AA meetings. Next week, I start seeing a counselor. About two months ago, I started dating a woman (I'm a cishet man) who lives about an hour away. I have not told her about my drinking problems. She's driving here for an overnight visit later today. Please help me sort through my thoughts about telling her. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 5:47 AM - 21 answers

Trans folks of all stripes: what internal factors led you to settle on the term trans(woman/man), non-binary, genderqueer, agender, trans(femme/masc), etc? I know the common descriptions of these terms, but I'm interested in personal narratives, especially for those who had trouble deciding which label to use, or switched at some point from one to another. What gave you clarity, inasmuch as you've found it?
posted by anonymous at 5:46 AM - 17 answers