Lori Gottlieb

How can I apologize to him, but also explain that he makes me feel small?

What do I owe them if they caused me pain growing up?

I’m a 70-year-old widow, and I don’t know how to get my needs met.

Now he has cut her off and expects an apology.

I think he may still have feelings for her.

She ruins the day, but guilt-trips me when I try to opt out.

Her soon-to-be husband abused her and traumatized me.

I feel like she’s ignoring his mistakes by leaving him a substantial inheritance.

Distancing myself from her was heart-wrenching. It was also the healthiest choice.

The man he says is “like a brother” to him turns out to have been more than that.

I thought our shared history would keep us close, but it hasn’t.

He doesn’t seem willing to commit, and she needs to move on.

After learning the full scope of my boyfriend’s finances, I don’t know if I should continue the relationship.

It’s been almost two years; am I wasting my time?

After 30 years, I want to tell her the truth, but I don’t know how.

She hasn’t been a great parent to me, and I don’t want her repeating those patterns with my future kids.

I don’t want a relationship with her, but my parents want us to make up.

Do I have to invite him this year?

Seeing photos with his ex-wife and kids pushed me over the edge.

How do we explain the estrangement to our kids?

She’s making some unhealthy choices, and it’s hard to watch.

She seems to find fault with everything I do.

I have felt for many years that she has kept me at arm’s length, and it seems to have worsened recently.

I’ve told him that I don’t want to talk to him, but he won’t leave me alone.

I feel like I am stuck in a fight I don’t want to have.

I feel betrayed and angry that he kept this from me for so many years.

I don’t want to burden her when she’s going through such a difficult time, but I need to talk to her about my grief.

I was not there for his last breaths. I was not there for his last words. I’m trying to combat my guilt.

Every holiday season, my siblings and I divide our time between them.

I know I sound naive, but this wasn’t like a “normal” affair.

They’re both angry at me, and I want to mend our relationship.

How can I be open and honest with him when he doesn’t know who I am?

They’re many years old, but they’ve totally upended my world.

They are judging me for not being a good mom, for not having a job, and for not losing my pregnancy weight fast enough.

I’m getting married, and I want her to be a part of my life.

I am incredibly worried that he’s not on the same page as me about moving our relationship forward.

She told me she would never want a child like my daughter.

Any time I want to talk with my daughter about an issue between us, she tells me she doesn’t have time and it’s not a priority for her.

He seems to think that because I don’t completely hate my ex, I must still love him.

I have extended a standing invitation to her friends to visit for playdates or sleepovers, but none has ever come.