Dear Doctors: Our family moved from Orlando, Florida, to Boston last fall.
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. Your questions and comments are keeping our inboxes busy (and as always, thank you!), so we’ll dive right in.
DEAR HARRIETTE: A childhood friend of mine has been in a relationship for more than five years now. He and his partner live together and share a car, and he covers some of her expenses, etc. They are fully enthralled. But honestly, I get the sense that he was never truly fulfilled by his choice. He always tells their story as if things just sort of happened, not so much that he chose things this way.
• Do you want to prevent moths from destroying your clothes? The most important step is to make sure you vacuum regularly in your closet. Closets typically are dark and dusty, and moths and their larvae love these living conditions. Over time, moth eggs can build up and hatch into sweater-eating pests.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I made the mistake of getting involved with a co-worker.
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DEAR HARRIETTE: Whenever my girlfriend and I are intimate, she showers immediately after. At first it was just her, but now she forces me to join her in a post-intercourse shower. In these showers, I’ve noticed that she scrubs relentlessly – ferociously, even. It scares me a bit because I wonder what she’s trying to get rid of or wash away. She also changes the sheets as soon as we shower. As you can imagine, this is a tedious routine to keep up with at night when all I want to do is pass out. What do you think all this is about? – Clean Freak DEAR CLEAN FREAK: Seems that your girlfriend has some deeprooted discomfort about sexual intimacy. For some reason, she associates it with uncleanliness. Perhaps something happened in her childhood that scarred her. Maybe she listened to religious dogma about having sex before marriage being a sin, and she is trying to wash the sin away. The only way you will know is to ask her.
Dear Doctors: Ever since I was little, I have absolutely hated the sound of other people chewing. Whenever I try to explain this to someone, they think I’m overreacting or even making it up. Is this something you have come across before? Does anyone know why it happens?
Dear Doctors: Our 11-year-old son is fascinated with those astronauts who are stuck on the space station. One of the things he asks about a lot is how being in space for that long affects the human body. Do you know what the latest research says about that?
DEAR HARRIETTE: A friend of mine is in a relationship, and in my opinion, her partner is not good to her. From what she tells me and what I observe, he seems selfish, abrasive, cheap and not affectionate or protective of her. At a social event, he asked me jokingly why it feels like I don’t like him. I gave him a serious answer – a diluted version of my thoughts on how he treats my friend. I did not disrespect him or raise my voice, and although he initiated this conversation, my friend is upset with me for sharing my opinion with him. Was I wrong? – Crossing the Line DEAR CROSSING THE LINE: