Dear LFTP: verbally abusive in-laws
- How can a wife make her verbally abusive in-laws stop?
The reader reads a Dear LFTP letter: married 17 years with two children to a wonderful man, but verbally abusive in-laws — the mother-in-law admits to being mean and nasty and 'hates people' — have driven her to plead work as an excuse to skip holidays, even spending Christmas home alone. They now pressure her husband to move nearer; with Easter coming she asks, 'How can I make their verbal abuse stop? I'm sick of being the brunt of jokes and sarcastic comments.' The hosts say the husband must stand up for his wife ('Hi, mom. You're verbally abusive. We're not coming'), then add that the letter-writer overstates her case by validating a woman who hates people: don't give a nasty person power to define you. One host shares his own counsel to his bullied daughter: pray for the bully, expect the worst, and find joy when she's only half that bad.
More on Boundaries
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Dear LFTP: the mother-in-law moved in
- My mother-in-law moved in seven months ago and it’s been difficult — how can we sort this out?
The last letter comes from a wife whose mother-in-law moved in seven months ago with no boundaries, rising bills, unpaid prescriptions, and open disrespect.
From No. 604 · Rearview Mirror
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Dear LFTP: Ralph calls three or four times a week
- How can I get my retired friend Ralph to call less frequently without being rude?
The letter: 'Ralph,' a longtime best friend, retired and is bored, so he calls three or four times a week 'even when there's nothing new to talk about,' rehashing the same things; subtle hints haven't worked; letting it go to voicemail just earns a callback request.
From No. 602 · Relationship Counseling
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Dear LFTP: the senior-living handshake letter, and the close
- How can a senior-living resident politely decline the dining-room manager's handshakes?
Mike reads the second Dear LFTP letter: a senior-living resident whose dining-room manager (Manny) shakes hands at residents' tables, and who dodges with wet or greasy hands — how to decline politely?
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Dear LFTP: the fiance who games until 5AM
- What should the letter-writer do about her fiance's all-night gaming habit?
Mike reads a Dear LFTP letter from a woman engaged five years to Dustin, who games from 10PM to 5AM, skips chores, and gives her no attention; talking has not helped since 'he grew up gaming.'
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers