Q: I obviously did or said something wrong. Whatever it is that I did, I am now on the gossip trail and it seems that everyone in town is either talking about me incessantly or simply avoiding me. My friends are not phoning me as they used to and when a small group of them […] Read more
Tag Archives Speaking of Life — page 2
Grandparents can turn Christmas into tug-of-war for families
Q: I noticed when I looked at our calendar the other day that Christmas is but a few short weeks away. As much as I would like to look forward to Christmas and get excited with all of those extracurricular activities that go along with it, I am afraid that I am not much of […] Read more
Care homes not only option for elderly parents
Q: I am worried about my sister. Of the five of us who grew up on the farm, she is the only one who stayed behind after high school graduation. That, of course, is just fine, but somehow in the process she has become the family caregiver, and I am concerned that she is spending […] Read more
Personal interactions continue despite cellphone use
Q: My husband recently took me on what the young people today might call a date night. We ate at one of the more elegant cafes, and it was wonderful. But during the evening, the two of us saw something that we thought was somewhat distressing. A young couple came to the table next to […] Read more
Find the words to help conquer fear of flying
Q: I am afraid of flying. I have always been afraid of flying but until recently it was not an issue. Of late our children have moved out of the home and are settled almost everywhere about this great country of ours. That is great, but it means if I want to spend time with […] Read more
Self-efficacy may be a better goal than self-esteem
Q: I don’t know how many times I have been told that life would be more enjoyable for me if I took some time to raise my self-esteem. I got that advice all the way through high school, from various professors at university and from my colleagues at work. It is not that I don’t […] Read more
Children of alcoholics can face serious problems as adults
Q: I have learned over this last little while to admire my 13-year-old nephew. His mother, my sister, is a committed alcoholic. Her relationship to the bottle is more important to her than are her responsibilities to her family. Fortunately for her, her son, my nephew, picks up on a number of chores around the […] Read more
Listening best way to ease Mom into care home
Q: What an ordeal this has been. For the past 13 years, ever since my dad died, my mom has been living alone in the little house she and Dad bought when they sold the farm and moved into town. Mom has always been fiercely independent. Unfortunately, that is not working for her any more. […] Read more
It’s not easy to stop smoking
Q: I am married to a smoker and I just hate it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate my husband. He is in so many ways the most sensitive and caring man I have ever met. I simply hate his smoking. We have of course talked about smoking ad infinitum, and he always tells […] Read more
Setting new goals might help save marriage
Q: I am lost. I do not know what to do. I know that we need to work on our relationship, but unless he is willing to co-operate with me on this thing, not much is going to happen. I thought that counselling might help us, but that obviously is out of the question. So, […] Read more
