Dear LFTP: the freeloading vacation couple
- Are we wrong to feel resentful toward friends who freeload on our vacations?
A Dear LFTP letter from a couple married eleven years, financially and emotionally stable, whose newly married friends invite themselves on vacations, assume they are staying in the letter-writers' travel trailer, and never offer gas money or meals; they ask 'are we wrong to feel this way?' The hosts' verdict: you cannot be upset with people you refuse to talk to — assign the meals plainly ('we'll take Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, you take the others') instead of going from passive-aggressive to aggressive, and suspect the letter-writers are shading their story to justify avoiding an honest conversation. The Secular answer advises setting rules retroactively and calling to dictate terms; the hosts mock delivering demands out of nowhere.
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