I recently ended a rather long relationship with a rather heavy dose of Paxil. I tapered off from 40mg a day over a month down to nothing, and have been off it totally for about two weeks. I expected (and got) dump trucks of emotions backed up to my yard, and I’m still sorting through them. This is … Continue reading Should I Dump Him, Or Is This Paxil Withdrawal Talking?

I am a single woman in my fifties. I’ve been married twice, and have dated a fair amount, but at this time I’m not seeking out romantic relationships. What drives me crazy is when people — and I’m not talking about friends here — just acquaintances, ask me about my dating life. (“Are you seeing anyone? Are you … Continue reading Can I Be Caustic When Responding To Intrusive Questions About My Love Life?

I am a member of a very progressive Mennonite Christian church that welcomes everyone, regardless of their belief system, sexuality, gender, etc. The church members are dedicated to solving social and justice issues, believing in peaceful solutions rather than military. This church could almost be called a type of Unitarian Church. However, the Sunday services are still centered … Continue reading Am I A Hypocrite For Attending Church As An Agnostic?

My incredibly loving mother-in-law is the cleanest person I know. Her house, car, clothes, and body are all spotless. When we had children she said: “Please don’t let them be dirty.” When I send the kids to visit, she asks me to “send good clothes.” Although my house is relatively organized by parents-of-young-children-standards and I have … Continue reading How Do I Get My Mother-In-Law To Stop Cleaning?

Thank you for your advice about smalltalk.  I have a follow-up  question. How do you politely disengage from small talk? I don’t mind chatting with a random stranger for a minute or two, but I don’t want to get stuck awkwardly trying to keep up a conversation with them for half an hour. And I have. It’s easier at parties … Continue reading How Do I Politely Exit A Conversation?

I was at a social function this weekend, surrounded by dear friends and their drunk spouses. Toward the end of the evening, I was followed out to the car by a drunk spouse, who wanted to tell me that he wanted to have sex with me (among other things). That’s not going to happen, but I’m not … Continue reading What Should I Do About My Friend’s Drunken Spouse Harassing Me??

My nephew is a wonderful young teen with autism.  He is an intelligent, interesting, and caring person, and his parents (with the support of the rest of us) are doing an outstanding job of getting him the therapies and assistance he needs to learn the stuff that’s less intuitive for his brain wiring than for mine. … Continue reading How Do I Get My Mom To Stop Mis-labeling My Autistic Nephew?

I have an almost-four-year-old who is pretty far on the scale of gender non-conformance. I keep stumbling over pronouns here — my kid doesn’t really have a grasp on pronouns yet for anybody (sometimes the dog is he and she in the same sentence) so we don’t sweat them for now, but my kid, assigned female … Continue reading How Do I Handle People Who Think My Kid’s Gender Is Their Business?

My work schedule means I work on the weekends. This is unusual for my workplace. By now I’ve learned to just say “thanks, you too!” when people tell me to have a good weekend on Friday, but I never know how to respond when they ask me if I have plans for the weekend. My work shifts mean I … Continue reading How Do I Handle Small Talk?

I tend to use gender-neutral language to avoid being heteronormative, most people assume this is code for “I’m GAY everybody!” They will then use incorrect pronouns when referring to my partner. While I am totally fine with their assumptions I wonder if I should correct them as a) it feels dishonest to continue as if their assumption … Continue reading Should I Out Myself As Straight?