Dear LFTP: the mother-in-law who eats off your plate
- How do I get my mother-in-law to stop eating food off my plate when my husband won't intervene?
A host reads a Dear LFTP letter: the writer's mother-in-law repeatedly eats food off her plate without waiting for an answer, the husband refuses to ask his mother to stop ("he doesn't want to insult his mother"), and "despite Dan's pleas" the writer asked anyway. The hosts advise standing up for yourself — cut her off a piece and hand it to her rather than tolerating rudeness — while riffing on defensive ordering (hamburgers are harder to steal than fries; never share soup), mothers-in-law with herpes, and a "Bidening" comedy bit about getting "Joe Biden'd" by hair-sniffing. The Secular answer (read on-air, ASR-rendered "Segular says"): whether the mother-in-law thinks you aren't good enough for her son is irrelevant — stop tolerating the rudeness.
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