Dear LFTP: her parents want to come on the honeymoon
- What advice should be given to Samuel, whose fiancee's parents want to come on the honeymoon?
Mike reads a letter from a couple who helped a foster-care-raised young man (Samuel) finish college and start his job; his attractive fiancee, 28, insists on bringing her parents on the honeymoon, and they argue with him about it. The hosts call it a deal-breaker red flag: a 28-year-old's honeymoon is bonding time for the new couple, and in-law overbearing will only grow ("you're signing up for fifty years of hard labor"). Practical counsel: blood deals with blood — the wife must shut down her own parents — and if she won't, reconsider before the wedding. The Secular answer suggests premarital counseling, which the hosts agree with given the healthy-relationship caveat. The episode closes with thanks to Gavin, the complaint line, and the benediction: "be faithful in the means, God will handle the ends."
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