Dear LFTP: 'Lost and lonely' — sent away at 16
- Can 16-year-olds choose where and with whom they live, or should parents make those decisions?
A Dear LFTP letter from 'Lost and lonely,' 29, raised poor on a Southern farm and told she was a 'bad girl'; at 16 she moved 1,000+ miles to live with her 21-year-old boyfriend, and her mother happily drove her to the airport. She asks: can 16-year-olds choose where and with whom they live, or should parents make those decisions? The hosts answer that the mother shirked her parenting responsibility, parents should make those decisions, the writer deserves better than she got, and her mother's opinion does not define her — 'grab the parachute' and 'our god is father to the fatherless.' The Secular answer says she is the daughter of a woman who didn't know how to be a good mother, that her real wound is feeling rejected, and suggests a licensed therapist — the hosts add 'or parachute.'
More on Family
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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: the single man and the holiday cliques
- Would it be wrong for the lonely single man to start declining holiday invitations?
The first Dear LFTP letter: a single man, happy with his life and plenty of friends and family, dreads the holidays — at Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings of 15 to 25 people,…
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Dear LFTP: the grandma, 'Libby,' and the weight comment
- Was I wrong to mention my concern about Libby's weight?
Mike reads the letter: she moved 2,000 miles to be near her daughter's family; granddaughter 'Libby' was diagnosed with a medical condition and put on weight.
From No. 602 · Relationship Counseling
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Dear LFTP: the Mimi letter ('Call Me Hoopi')
- Is it wrong for a grandmother to be upset when her grandson's other grandmother claims the same nickname?
Mike reads the Dear LFTP letter: a grandmother whose two-year-old grandson calls her Mimi — but the other grandmother claimed Mimi for herself, and the daughter-in-law is annoyed and doesn't want 'mom mom' either.