Dear LFTP: the pregnant housemate buried in other people's mess
- How do I nicely express that I am fed up with being the only one who keeps the house clean without coming off like a crazy pregnant lady?
Dear LFTP: a listener 7.5 months pregnant, living with her fiance, his cousin, the cousin's girlfriend ("Queen Slob"), and the girlfriend's little brother, does all the house cleaning and cannot get the house ready for the baby; she asks how to say she is fed up without seeming like a crazy pregnant lady. The panel advises a united conversation with everyone rather than passive-aggressive silence, with Dan's blunt take: get married, get the extra people out, and get her spiritual life in order. Kirk notes the deeper issue is bigger than housekeeping; Micah quotes the Solomon proverb about open rebuke being better than hidden love; Ben advises giving people the benefit of the doubt, setting house rules, and reads the "secular" advice column answer too.
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