Dear Neil: I have been in an on again-off again relationship with this beautiful lady since this last Christmas. She and I are close when we are together, and her kids absolutely adore me. But she was in an abusive relationship with the kids’ father. Now when she and I are close, she finds the […]
Dear Neil: I have been engaged for 5 months, but we haven’t set a date, mostly because I am afraid of moving forward. My fiancé and I have been dating over 3 years. He and I come from different backgrounds and have different traditions and family values. My family celebrates birthdays, religious holidays and loves […]
Let’s face it. Not every parent knows how to parent well, and some people seemingly know nothing at all about good parenting. Some parents are ill-equipped to be moms or dads—because they’re not ready to be parents, because they’ve had poor parental role models from their own upbringing, or because they’re self-centered. You cannot be […]
Dear Neil: My husband and I split up six years ago after 29 years of marriage. He is still with the woman he left me for, but I am finding it impossible to let go of the relationship and move on. There has not been anyone new since then either. Any suggestions? He’s No Longer […]
Try doing this relationship wellness checkup for Valentine’s, and look at how you can better love (and be loved). Take turns addressing each of the following questions. Make sure both partners get an equal chance to address the questions, and assume there will be multiple answers to every question. You get bonus points for not […]
Dear Neil: My husband’s twin brother is both rude and thoughtless. He informed good friends at Thanksgiving that we couldn’t make it to dinner, so we felt snubbed when we weren’t invited. But we weren’t informed, and we were available. When we moved into our house, he asked the price we paid. When we told […]
There are so many ways of detaching and disengaging in a relationship that we’re not always conscious of when we are doing it. Here is a list of some of the most common ways people disconnect from each other: Making your intimate partner a lower priority in your life. If you do this, your partner […]
Whether you have recently divorced, lost a loved one, lost your job or your self-esteem—how do you recover from loss, failure, rejection or adversity? Some people are facing a medical crisis; others have lost a dream; still others have lost their house, or their savings. Regardless of the disappointments and misfortunes that have befallen you, […]
Dear Neil: I have been living with my girlfriend for over 2 years. I am a faithful man and have never had an affair, but my girlfriend doesn’t trust me. I have sacrificed my friends, time with my family and job opportunities because she could not trust me. Basically, she doesn’t trust me when I […]
Dear Neil: My husband doesn’t say that being at home with me and our children is what stands in the way of his happiness, but it’s obvious that he feels that we are interfering with his ability of having a much more successful musical career. It’s clear he doesn’t feel the same about me anymore, […]