Dear LFTP: a widow's 60-year-old son is a terrible driver
- How do I tell my 60-year-old son I no longer want him to drive me, and make him understand how serious his bad driving habits are?
Mike (addressed by name in the audio) reads the Dear LFTP letter: a widow writes that her 60-year-old son Martin, an accomplished litigation attorney, is a reckless driver — speeding, texting, looking at passengers — who gets defensive at criticism, and asks how to tell him she no longer wants him to drive her. The hosts advise giving him real consequences (drive separately, every time) rather than half measures, since people react to actual consequences. The 'secular' answer is read: stop making excuses, tell him the truth in love, and from now on arrange her own transportation. They joke that third parties in these letters are always caricatures — 'my son is Gargamel.'
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