Dear LFTP: the mother-in-law who keeps asking about my weight
- How should the listener get her mother-in-law to stop asking how much she weighs?
A listener writes that her mother-in-law constantly asks how much she weighs and even asks other people; the writer calls her weight 'confidential health data.' The hosts advise: this is meddling, not identity theft — have the husband tell his mother to stop, hold the line with humor ('tell her you weigh a metric ton'), and do not cut off the relationship over an annoyance. The 'Secular' answer is read and mocked for escalating to 'the next time she mentions your weight will be the last time she sees you.' The hosts close the segment with a callback to the cannibalism article: 'how beneficial would eating you be to my other children?'
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