Philip Galanes
Posts
Why Is My Brother So Angry That I Changed Tables at His Son’s Wedding?
A reader abandoned the family table at her nephew’s wedding to join her sister at a lesser table, upsetting the groom’s father. Should she apologize...
How Can I Tell My Elderly Mother That She Can’t Live With Me?
A reader still picking up the pieces after a recent divorce is wrestling with guilt for not wanting to take his mother in, knowing she...
Why Do I Have to Choose Between My Grandmother’s Funeral and a Birthday Party?
A reader’s brother-in-law is insisting that she accompany her children to his 1-year-old’s birthday party, even though attending would require her to miss an important...
Why Are My Parents Handling College Costs So Differently for My Sibling?
A reader who was made to choose a college based on price is struggling to understand her parents’ support of her younger sister at an...
Why Did My Wife’s Sister Confess to Taking Her Clothes 50 Years Later?
Stung by the revelation that her sister frequently took her clothing without permission in their youth, a reader is baffled by the disclosure: Was it...
Is It Disrespectful to My Dead Father to Speak to His Estranged Brother?
A reader’s uncle and aunt were touched when she sent them a Christmas card, but her sister thinks the gesture was a betrayal of their...
Why Can’t I Break Into My New Boyfriend’s Friend Group?
A reader is anxious about the language barrier keeping her from bonding with her partner’s friends. A two-week group vacation has ramped up the urgency.
Why Doesn’t My Husband Respect My Opinion About Moving?
After 20 years in a house that was never meant to be a “forever home,” a reader thinks it’s time for a move, but her...
What Kind of Person Lies to a Child With Cancer?
A reader is fuming after a friend lied about her efforts to get a wig made for a sick child, and thinks her other friends...
Should I Push My Husband to Ask for More of His Mother’s Estate?
When a woman tries to remedy a relative’s unequal generosity to her children using her own estate, her daughter-in-law wonders whether her husband is being...