How Do I Save My Family From a Cycle of Avoidance?
Dear Penina, My wife and I are struggling with a deeply painful issue that now threatens to shatter our marriage and family life. We have a child with significant behavioral problems, and as the years have passed, our approaches to managing his behavior have diverged entirely. My wife just wants medication from the pediatrician rather […]
Bridging the Distance Between Parents And Their Married Children
Dear Penina, My heart is aching— Shabbat and the chagim are a constant source of pain because my husband and I are never invited to our son’s home, and they refuse to come to ours. Our son’s children genuinely love us, but we know the issue is our daughter-in-law, who simply can’t stand me and […]
In-Law Drama: When Yom Tov Plans Threaten Shalom Bayit
Dear Penina, I’m at my wit’s end. Every holiday season, my husband and I get into a huge fight about where to go. I want to spend all the holidays with my parents because our time there is short, loving, and calm. I would prefer to visit his parents for only a single Shabbos, but […]
Finding Connection Beyond Co-Parenting
Dear Penina, I feel like I’m completely alone in my marriage. My wife is happy as long as I go to work and help her with everything, but she doesn’t ask to spend time together or greet me warmly. I do all of the initiating, and I’m completely burned out. I feel alone, ignored, and […]
Worried About My Wife’s New Friends
Dear Penina, We recently moved, and my wife has made a wonderful new group of friends. I’m genuinely happy she’s found nice people, because she’s a great person and a wonderful mom. The problem is, her new friends are a little less observant and more materialistic than we are, and I’m starting to worry about […]
Feeling Alone in Marriage: How to Reconnect With Your Spouse
Dear Penina, I’m reaching out in desperation, hoping you can offer some guidance. My marriage feels like it’s floundering, and I constantly feel misunderstood by my husband. He’s become complacent, leaving me feeling alone, unprioritized, and unheard. Many of our arguments stem from fundamental disagreements about parenting and household cleanliness. For example, I want to […]
Is It Time to Set Boundaries With Our Adult Children?
Dear Penina, I’m at my wit’s end with my husband and our adult children. We both have good jobs and should be looking forward to a nice retirement soon, but there’s a significant issue that we don’t see eye to eye on, and the unresolved fights are really starting to linger for me. I feel […]
Estranged From My Children After Divorce: What Can I Do?
Dear Penina, I’m a divorced dad in my 60s, and my heart aches over the strained relationship I have with my adult children. When their mother and I divorced in their teens, it was anything but amicable. We focused all of our resources fighting about the kids and not paying too much attention to them […]
When Marriage Feels Like a Tug-of-War Between Spouse and Family
Dear Penina, I’m desperately seeking guidance. My wife and I have been married for four years. While dating, she was mostly easygoing, but since marriage she’s become judgmental, entitled, and critical, which takes a serious toll on our relationship. The most painful issue is her relationship with my mother. Over minor disagreements and misunderstandings, my […]
We’re Drifting Apart, Can Our Marriage Be Saved?
Dear Penina, I’m reaching out in desperation, hoping you can offer some guidance. My marriage feels like it’s floundering, and I constantly feel misunderstood by my husband. He’s become complacent, leaving me feeling alone, unprioritized, and unheard. Many of our arguments stem from fundamental disagreements about parenting and household cleanliness. For example, I want to […]