Dear LFTP: a worried mom, her son's Japan trip, and drinking with business partners
- A mother writes that her non-drinking son's bosses say the Japanese will not do business with him unless he drinks with them first — is that true, and what should he do?
Dear LFTP letter from a 'worried mom': her son, who doesn't drink by personal choice, is told by his bosses that the Japanese won't do business with him unless he drinks with them first. The hosts' verdict: leave the grown man alone, join in politely but say no when you want to — nobody blows a deal over a declined third round of rice wine. The 'Secular' answer quotes Erin Meyer's The Culture Map (karaoke or a spa trip as bonding alternatives). The letter spirals into stories of one host's mandatory call-center karaoke competition in the Philippines (a Michael Bublé song) and dancing with 'the Ethiopian Adam Levine.'
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Dear LFTP: Champ the untrained dog and holding boundaries with your son
- How do I handle my son bringing his untrained dog Champ on our weekend grandson visits?
Mike reads the second letter: the writer hosts weekend grandson visits where her son Dennis brings Champ, an untrained destructive puppy that runs wild, barks, and digs.
From No. 586 · Nothing Personal
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Dear LFTP: wife mocks husband's bladder problem in public
- How should I respond when my wife mocks me and my bladder problem in public?
Mike reads a letter from a man married three years whose wife calls him vulgar names in public and makes his bladder-control problem into comedy.
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Dear LFTP: the birthday invitations
- Should parents be allowed to send birthday invitations to school when only select students are invited?
Mike reads the second letter: the parent of a special-needs pre-K child saw a Facebook group post exposing that her daughter was excluded from a birthday party.
From No. 574 · Starring Ted Danson as Joab
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Dear LFTP: Cindy's baby name ideas
- What should I do about my friend's terrible baby name choices?
Mike reads a letter from Dave about his longtime friend Cindy, six months pregnant, who keeps proposing names like chlamydia, bidet, chalet, and cliche because they sound pretty regardless of meaning.