I'm going to see my brother for a birthday dinner tonight. I am paying for him and his wife to eat as well as myself and my own wife. Probably $100 total for the evening. In my mind that's a gift it's self. But should I buy an additional gift on top of that?

she has uncontrollable rage at almost every holiday. Easter is coming up

Nephew has no real male influence and.....? My sister brings my 17 year old nephew wherever she goes, even out to manicures and hair salon. The boy's dad works 6 days a week and on his off day refuses to go out alone with his son or spend any one on one time with him kids need both parents present and to influence them and encourage them. My sister now has my nephew in a cooking class at school and doesn't allow him to play sports or really go out of her sight alone and you can tell it has affected him in his development and interaction with teens his own age. He plays with my small kids and even argues with them and gets angry and he is 17. My kids are very early elementary aged kids. He needs a male influence in his life also as all kids do. I know it isn't my personal business but this is my nephew and I am worried about how he will be in the future if he depends on mom for everything and can't really do anything without her or interact with his peers. His dad doesn't make much money so I suggested nephew get a Job before college but my sister keeps telling me Starbucks and the bank are too hard for him. Starbucks or fast food is easy and young teens work it. You can't really be too picky when you need to pay for college and I am afraid he will be sitting at home with momand not going school or working cuz of mom. Thoughts?

She insists that she saw fish in there and wants to explore it. This is just outside our house. I'd be worried that she'll fall inside it, and it's hard to climb out of it. I think she wants to see if there's really small minnow-like fish I'm there. This place has fascinated her since we moved here a month ago.

In January, my older sister got her drivers license and is now driving me and my younger sister to and from school in dad s old ford ranger pickup. Because my younger sister goes to a different school, she always gets to ride on the outside and I am always stuck in the middle which is not much fun for a 14 year old boy. Riding in the middle SUCKS because I have NO leg room and my younger sister is always invading my space. She wants to get in as soon as she is ready so I usually end up having to spend at least 5 minutes waiting in the tuck with her before my older sister is ready to go. I HATE having to wait in the truck almost as much as I hate the middle. My younger sister is 11 and smaller than I am so it seems like she would be able to deal with sitting in the middle easier than I can. I have tried to talk to my parents about this but they just say I am making a big deal about nothing and that my sister needs the outside seat since she gets out before me and in after me. They keep saying that when we are all getting in and out at that same time that I can ride on the outside. Just wondering what others think is a fair solution here? Should my younger sister always get to ride on the outside since she is getting out before me and in after me? Should I get to ride on the outside and let her out since she is smaller? Should we take turns? I am getting really tired of this seating arrangement.

I'm 15. She asks me to do a chore, and I calmly state that I'll do it when I'm 21. What's wrong with it?

My sister brings my 17 year old nephew wherever she goes, even out to manicures and hair salon. The boy's dad works 6 days a week and on his off day refuses to go out alone with his son or spend any one on one time with him kids need both parents present and to influence them and encourage them. My sister now has my nephew in a cooking class at school and doesn't allow him to play sports or really go out of her sight alone and you can tell it has affected him in his development and interaction with teens his own age. He plays with my small kids and even argues with them and gets angry and he is 17. My kids are very early elementary aged kids. He needs a male influence in his life also as all kids do. I know it isn't my personal business but this is my nephew and I am worried about how he will be in the future if he depends on mom for everything and can't really do anything without her or interact with his peers. His dad doesn't make much money so I suggested nephew get a Job before college but my sister keeps telling me Starbucks and the bank are too hard for him. Starbucks or fast food is easy and young teens work it. You can't really be too picky when you need to pay for college and I am afraid he will be sitting at home with mom not go No to school or working cuz of mom. Thoughts?

My dad started dating this women a little over a year ago and they recently got married. They're also expecting a child within the next month along with my dad adopting her two year old son. I am 15, and they seem to expect me to view them as family. Yes, I love my dad and want him to be happy but he thinks that because he's creating a new family I HAVE to be a part of it. I see my mom regularly and I'm her only biological child so I guess I might just seem like a spoiled only child that wants attention, but my dad never spends any time with me anymore. Whenever I ask, my step mom mysteriously gets sick and needs to go to bed so my dad has to watch her kid. I get that she's pregnant and is ill BUT it is extremely coincidental that she gets sick every time I want to spend alone time with my dad and not just "family" time with them which I am very unhappy doing because she is sort of a bleeding heart rich kid, but is constantly judging EVERYONE. That is just a small part of this issue. This is just background info. My problem is how rude she is and how she doesn't treat me like family but I HAVE to treat her like family. Even though I met her when I was 14. She even called my mother a "disrespectful rude piece of ****" when she was irritated that my dad waited until the day before their babyshower to ask if I could go. Sorry this is so much to read I just really want to know if I am in the wrong for disliking her and wanting to stay with my mother full time or not...

I told my boyftiend some deeply personal matters about myself in confidence and because I trusted in him, I also asked that it remain between us. Apparently, he told his family! I only found out by accident that he did, he told one close family member and she turned around and told everyone, incl. his Mother. I'm so embarrassed and humiliated that I feel sick to my stomach. Now there's uncomfortable silences when I am in connection with them...so much so that I'd rather not see them right now. I love him very much and he was extremely apologetic...he said she forced him into talking when she could see he was worried about something, they are a close knit Caribbean family and I guess the elder women can be nosey and domineering. He had long ago told me she was a gossip so I was shocked he even told her, of all people. I know he felt really terrible about it all and I appreciate that, I even forgive him, but we are actually supposed to get married and now I feel a sickness in the pit of my stomach, like this level of closeness with his family will be problematic. Men...would you ever allow your love to look bad in front of your family by telling her secrets? To me there's just certain things you don't discuss with future in-laws. I feel like he did not protect me and I'm honestly deeply hurt by this.

But its been hard without being bombarded with people asking for pictures and so on whats the best way to spend time with your family where i don't have to hide my self?

I also want to incorporate the fact that he's a father husband and soldier I'm just looking for suggestions

I have depression, anxiety and just found out I have ASD. I have a bad bond with my parents, who rarely did things with me. They won't believe I have autism and keep telling me to stop being a drama queen when I stim. When I experience sensory overload, they get angry which obviously makes it worse. They'll tell me I always ruin experiences and vacays for them with my 'extra' behavior and how they shouldn't have taken me with them (i never want to come, they push me). They often share private info about me with others, even after I've expressed clearly that I don't want them to. Also, my mom is really childish, eg. I was on my phone searching for the answer to my dad's question, and she also picked her phone and started going on Facebook. Also, when there is a song she likes, she starts singing along to it really loudly (triggers spd) and when I ask her to stop, she laughs and keeps singing. Sometimes when we fight, she will say things like 'you should be deeply ashamed of yourself', 'why can't you be normal, idiot?' and even though they say how proud they are of my grade (they don't care about them) they always say I'm lazy and I annoy them. However, they don't know the cause of my depression and anxiety (them) and constantly push me to tell them. One day I did, and they said I was exag., that it was my fault, not theirs. They don't seem to notice how much they hurt me even when I tell them. They hug me, tell me how much they love me and how concerned they are. What do I do? I'm already seeing a therapist and so are my parents, but not together. I mentioned my parents to her once, but she didn't seem interested in it. Just know that my parents do care about me, they buy me stuff and tell me they love me and sometimes send emails that take half an hour to read saying how they miss the old me and stuff. I'm just confused and don't want to hurt them. But I also don't want to be in pain. I can't go to boarding school because of SPD and I'm too young to live alone (15)

And you never cook?

So I'm 41 and am married and have two 11 year old twins. My dad is 68 and retired. He sold his business for $3 million when he turned 60. He said he left me $1 million in his will. A week ago he found out that he may only have another 5 good years to live due to heart problems that run in the family. My dad decided that he was going to live life to the fullest. He told me yesterday that he booked him and my mom an around the world cruise for next year with a balcony. I looked at the price and it was $35000 for each person. He also said that he is going back to college after that to get another masters degree. That would probally cost another 100k right there. I am thinking to myself that he is spending too much money and I'll be left with nothing. I was planning on using that money to pay off my house or send my kids to college. What should I do?

I never met him (he'd be my first cousin twice removed). I thought of going into his restaurant when in New Jersey at Thanksgiving but figured I'd wait until I am with my grandfather sometime since his cousin had never met me. Yet, now I will never meet him. Does he still know me in spirit? How do I meet him in spirit? How do I cope with the agony of never meeting a cousin of my grandfather? Am I one of the minority of people to do this? I have met most his other cousins but not this one. I am so ashamed.

I m 20 and my little brother is 16 turning 17 next month. He has never admitted to liking girls or their bodies, he s always been shy about it. My older brother who s 24 gave my little brother a girls number ( the girl is 18) and my little brother is now talking to her on the phone and texting. The idea of my baby face brother talking to a girl that could take away his innocence is making me very uncomfortable. The thought of him being physically attracted to anyone and having sex makes me sick to my stomach. It might be because I ve seen him as a little boy for so long and once you engage in anything with a girl, there s no going back. I really hate that my older brother is getting him into girls and even encouraging him to get some "booty" which means having sex. How can I become more comfortable with this situation, should I just not worry and let my older brother handle it?

Okay I just stopped crying & I need to vent So I just got home from school & when I walk inside my home she tells me to sit. She tells me I'm not allowed to eat in my room other things, but then she says she threw away my iTunes cards. That's when I lost it. **I ended up getting them out of the trash** I started raising my voice "where are they?!" "Are they in this trash?!" & then I tell her those are very important to me. She says there's no money on them which is true but those cards mean something to me I collect them cuz I use them to buy they stories, they're pretty, I got some of them from friends (special ones who aren't here anymore) also when I'm sad I look at them cuz they make me think of my stories that makes me happy. I explain that to her & she just stares at me & says "but there's no money left" she says that many times completely ignoring how I feel. I start crying cuz I'm filled with anger she never listens to me all the things she done makes her a terrible mother but this just makes me not love her even more. The worst part is that she didn't even apologize just kept laughing at me.

So, my boyfriend has a really really really strict mom. She barely lets him do anything and he often disobeys because her grip is a little too tight. She'lleven change her mind about her decisions after we've already gone through with the plan. Not only that, but because I was telling my boyfriend about all the stuff I wanted to do in the future which one of the things I said was eventually having a baby, she says I'm trying to brainwash him or "trap" him. I've tried taking to her and explaining myself but she says because she's older she knows better was even trying to tell ME I was Brain washing him. We've had unprotected sex once because I ran out of latex free comdoms. I'm really allergic to latex. . She didn't believe me she said I was tricking him into having a baby!! My mom has even tried talking to her, I was out of line once because I was already stressed out and I lost my temper sending a rude text I apologized multiple times and she still won't forgive me I've even admitted I was out of line. My grandmother even tried talking to her she said "well miss Lynda, I am 34 year old woman and I think I know more than your granddaughter and you" she was trying to convince everyone I'm brainwashing him!! She even has an app where she reads all his texts without his permission and tracks his phone!! Is this unfair?? Or am I really the one causing all these problems

He is going to turn 18 in June and all he and his brother do are sit at home with my sister and tag along with her everywhere (even manicures) instead of being a little independent. It may not be any of my business but I think they need a little bit of a male influence since their dad works 6 days a week and on his own off day refuses to take his teen boys out or spend any alone time with them without mom like he is afraid to. I feel the kids are a little isolated and are either on video games or tagging along with my sister. My sister has always refused to let them do sports or any after school activities and it has affected my older nephew in a bad way and it shows. She only lets them play video games at a neighbors house every once in a while.