Dear LFTP: the fiancee and the pantsless teenager
- Should a fiancee ask her future stepdaughter to wear pants in the common areas of the house?
A listener writes that her fiance Jay's 14-year-old homeschooled daughter refuses to wear pants around the house, gets upset when asked, and that Jay doesn't see a problem; she wonders if she is crossing a line. The hosts advise that the dad needs to set the common-area rule himself, that a 14-year-old refusing is more about authority and blended-family dynamics than pants, and that the writer should check whether her discomfort is really about the girl's weight, which they call out directly. The Secular answer is read: her opinion should be respected once married, but the father should be the one to talk to his daughter.
More on Parenting
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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.