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A reader whose migraines made alcohol consumption intolerable feels misunderstood -- and left out of happy hour. Drinking alcohol gives me horrific migraines, so I stopped entirely. The problem: I [...]

A reader wonders whether he is obligated to cover repairs on a house purchased by his ailing father and his unreliable brother. My father is retired and lives outside the [...]

A reader who didn't finish college seeks advice about honesty. I went to college for four years but didn't finish my degree or graduate because of a mental health issue [...]

A reader isn't sure how to talk to his children about his brother-in-law, who is serving a life sentence for a violent crime. My brother-in-law, who lives out of state, [...]

A mother is concerned about her adult child's involvement with a polyamorous man. My 30-year-old daughter is in a polyamorous relationship with a married man. She brought him home for [...]

A reader wonders whether a friend's suggestion might have some truth to it. I've been seeing a nice guy since I moved to town this summer. From the beginning, he [...]

A reader seeks advice on correcting a false statement made in a moment of passion. Five years ago, when I was still in college, my parents and I agreed not [...]

A reader feels consistently disappointed by her family's gift exchange. I need help with the gift exchange at my family's Christmas celebration. The rules: All of the adults buy presents [...]

Confused by an introduction to someone she had been told was deceased, a reader seeks advice. Five years ago, a new acquaintance told me her father died when she was [...]

A reader asks for permission to make vaccination against Covid-19 a condition of an agreement. My husband and I, both 80-ish, are cautious about Covid. Six months ago, we fired [...]

A reader asks for advice on talking to her father about his new romantic life. My dad came out as gay to my mom and me two years ago, and [...]

A reader seeks advice on dealing with people who undermine her experience as a mixed-race woman. I am a mixed-race college student and identify as Black. For a year, I've [...]

A reader seeks advice on defusing sibling tension. One of my brothers -- the sibling I've always felt closest to -- recently told me that he will no longer speak [...]

A reader asks for permission to tell her parents how to allocate the monthly checks she and her husband send. My husband and I send monthly checks to my parents [...]

A reader's family members say they won't come to New York City after seeing footage of disorderly protests. For 10 years, I have hosted Thanksgiving for my extended family. My [...]

An older sister wonders how to talk to her sibling about premarital agreements. My younger brother told me that he is proposing to his girlfriend of six years. He's 25 [...]

A reader wonders whether coming clean about her feelings will soothe her green monster. My oldest friend and I grew up together in a small town. After school, we moved [...]

A reader who inherited the family business feels conflicted about continuing to support its former owners. I am the third-generation owner of a family business. The company is struggling now, [...]

A reader feels hurt by her former partner, who has distanced himself from her now that he's in a new relationship. Twenty-five years ago, I ended a long relationship. Eventually, [...]

After her offers of compensation were initially denied, a reader was surprised to hear her relative ask for back pay. In January, my husband's sister drove cross-country to help care [...]

A reader asks whether a defamatory post on social media is cause for disinviting a dinner guest. As soon as everyone was vaccinated, we invited my family to our home [...]

A reader is hurt by her parents' decision to help finance her sister's path to homeownership but not her own. I am in my late 30s and have a good [...]

A reader asks about navigating an office where vaccination is not required. My employer doesn't require masks in the office, and most people don't wear them -- even in meeting [...]

A reader asks for permission to scold her former husband (and his current wife). My ex-husband invited our 19-year-old daughter to spend a long weekend in Las Vegas with him, [...]

A reader is worried about fulfilling her maid of honor duties, and even more worried about getting sick. I am one of two maids of honor at a close friend's [...]

A young reader asks for advice on confessing. I am staying with my parents until I go back to college in September. A few days ago, while I was driving [...]

A reader asks whether she has an obligation to tell her fellow invitees about the risks at an upcoming indoor wedding. My husband's brother and sister-in-law are hosting an indoor [...]

A reader asks for help dealing with pressure to put grief behind her after nine years of mourning. My son died nine years ago from an opioid overdose. He was [...]

A reader seeks advice on unpaid familial debts. My sister separated from her husband and moved across the country. Her teenage son did not want to go with her or [...]

A reader seeks advice on navigating a parent whose stance on vaccination is at odds with his future. I am 18 and starting college next month, which will make me [...]

A reader asks whether it would have been right to intervene when she saw two adults putting undue pressure on their child. I was at Lake Huron recently, and I [...]

A reader mourning his father must now deal with unallocated assets -- and a controlling widow. My father had a terminal illness and died recently. Throughout, there was drama between [...]

A reader wonders how to be a supportive friend without transgressing privacy boundaries. A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The problem: She hasn't told me. (I [...]

Nothing like a non-blood relative who won't stay away. My partner and I live on the West Coast; our families live on the East Coast. When we go home, we [...]

A reader weighs her teenager's shame against her own silence. My 14-year-old son and I went to watch my younger son play in a baseball tournament. My younger son is [...]

A reader would love to see his brother stop mooching and learn to support himself. For 15 years, my parents have paid for my adult brother to live in an [...]

Byline: Philip Galanes A reader would love to see his brother stop mooching and learn to support himself. For 15 years, my parents have paid for my adult brother to [...]

A consumer asks whether payment screens should solicit tips for service workers. Now that we use credit cards to pay for coffees and ice cream cones, I've gotten used to [...]

A father of three adult children is trying to broker peace after two were excluded from a family milestone. We have three adult children. Our middle son planned to be [...]

A company is encouraging workers to share pictures of their vaccination cards in exchange for gift cards. One reader is feeling wary. The large company I work for has offices [...]

A reader asks for advice on dealing with neighbors who don't enforce mask-wearing with their kids. My wife and I have a disaster on our hands! We recently moved across [...]

After opening her home during the pandemic, a reader would like to set boundaries. When the pandemic lockdown began last year, I brought my elderly parents from New York City [...]

A reader worries that allowing her sons to play-fight in the yard sends the wrong message to neighbors. My husband and I disagree about whether toy guns are appropriate for [...]

My brother and his wife lost a son. All we want is to see them. Last year, my brother and his wife suffered a tragic loss when their young son [...]

A reader wonders what she could have done to stop some troubling behavior she saw at a vaccine site. While waiting in a long line to get my Covid-19 vaccination, [...]

A reader wonders what it will take to convince her mother to vaccinate herself against Covid-19. My mom married a man 10 years ago and became a different person. She [...]

A reader wonders whether it's appropriate to check in on a former colleague who is Asian-American after a year of targeted violence. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have [...]

We share so much, but he won't be honest with me about nonexistent gifts. My twin brother and I exchange gifts on our birthday. In recent years, he's gotten lazy [...]

He works full time and is also managing her estate, but is that really an excuse? My mother died in June and was cremated, as provided in her will. For [...]

Byline: Philip Galanes I lied about my sexuality to appease them. Now I'm in a bind. I am a queer high school senior and the daughter of evangelical Christians. I [...]