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  • Philip Galanes

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How Can I Be Closer to My In-Laws When They Criticize Me Behind My Back?

A reader bristles that the burden of bridging a gap with her partner’s parents seems to have fallen mostly on her.

My Mother Disapproves of My Jewish Girlfriend. How Can We Mend Fences?

A reader wonders what he can do to repair his relationship with his mother in the face of her prejudice.

How Can I Get My Aunt to Stop Sending Me Lavish Holiday Gifts?

A reader feels overwhelmed by the extravagant Christmas gifts she receives from an aunt living overseas.

How Can I Stop Children From Bringing Toy Guns to the Playground?

A reader is frustrated by her children’s gravitation toward the toy guns a family brings to play with.

Our Children Won’t Stop Bickering Over Our Vacation Condo. Help!

A reader’s five adult children can’t seem to agree on an equitable arrangement for sharing her and her husband’s unused vacation home during the holidays.

How Can I Get the Men to Pitch In at Our Thanksgiving Table?

A reader bristles at the reluctance of her male relatives and neighborhood husbands to volunteer for cleanup duty after meals she hosts at her home.

How Can I Stop My Usually Sensible Parents From Splurging on a Milestone?

When her parents receive a windfall after a lifetime of economical living, a reader tries to steer them toward financial restraint — and away from...

Is My Online Fling Holding Me Back From Dating in Real Life?

A reader wonders if his online-only relationship with a woman who lives abroad is complicating his search for a partner in morning-breath range.

Our Son Committed Us to Wedding Costs We Can’t Afford. Help!

Without consulting them, a reader’s son agreed to a plan to have his parents split the costs of a lavish wedding with his future in-laws.

Should I Tell a Young Relative That Her Grandmother Tried to Swindle Me?

A reader wonders whether to explain the history of a bitter family rift to a great-niece who she suspects does not know the whole story.