Q:My husband thinks that I have an obsessive-compulsive disorder. I think that I am a perfectionist. My teenage kids call me a nag. No matter how you spell it, it adds up to a lot of unnecessary tension in our household, and I seem to be the focal point through which that tension is being […] Read more
Author Archives
Pursuing perfection is to pursue an impossible dream
Desire for control occurs when negotiation is abandoned
Q: I would like to hear what your understanding of a great marriage might be. The other night my fiancé and I were talking about what we might expect from each other when we are married. What he said made me a bit nervous. He thinks that I should let him know where I am […] Read more
Efforts to quiet a noisy family starts with quieter parents
Q: I never would have guessed that our family could make up the nosiest house in the neighbourhood. We never thought about it when we were living on the farm. No one was there to complain. However, in town it is different. Everyone hears us, and many of those who hear us are starting to […] Read more
Stress, anxiety two distinct ailments that require help
Q: I am not sure what to do about all of this. It seems that I am wired up most of the time. I don’t know what to call it, whether it is stress or anxiety, tensions, pressure or what have you, but whatever it is, it is driving me crazy. I am so restless […] Read more
Stalking is illegal and must be left to police to manage
Q: It seems that one of our neighbours has developed a crush on my wife. I guess in a way that is to be expected. My wife is very attractive and she has held her age better than most of us have. She looks much younger than she is. We were not really aware of […] Read more
ADD diagnosis in children not dire life sentence
Q: Dear Mr. Andrews: The bottom line from the notes we got from the school last year focusing on our 13-year-old son is that his teachers and school administrators believe that he is struggling with attention deficit disorder. To me this is devastating. It is like we are closing the doors to any kind of […] Read more
Parents can manage forced home schooling during pandemic
Q: The sooner this COVID crisis is over, the better for me. I am a full-time mother and a part-time receptionist. I am not a teacher, or shall I say, I am a zero-time teacher. But with schools out of commission and likely to stay so for some time (who knows if they are going […] Read more
Need for relevance can affect experience in care home
Q: About a year ago we talked my mother into accepting her need for support and she got accepted by a long-term care facility. My husband and I spent more time looking after my mom in her house than we did caring for both our children and grandchildren in our house. Getting Mom into long-term […] Read more
Father trying to regain access to children faces challenges
Q: I have been sober for about two years now. I enrolled in a treatment program way back then and with a lot of help from the counsellors and the support of my regular AA group, I have been able to break away from the old habits and that old crowd that got me into […] Read more
Happiness is a byproduct of challenges on life’s journey
Q: With that awful virus that is going around our Grade 12 graduates have chosen to leave their ceremonial celebration until the early fall. They are hoping that the pandemic will by then have subsided and that somehow they can have a normal graduation without running too much interference with the fall harvest. For me, […] Read more
