Masked Memoirs

09/11/2024

I have a very close relationship with the same group of girlfriends since middle school. One of the girls (Nicole) is getting married in 2025, and our friend group is to be her bridesmaids.

Nicole's bachelorette party is to be held in Mexico, and us friends decided that we would split the cost of her portion of the trip, as a gift to her. The cost is roughly $90 per person, which isn't too bad. We were so excited about this that we actually already told the bride we'd love to do this for her. Btw, we are all independent adults that have decent jobs.

In our bridesmaid chat, one of our friends (Jen) has been extremely vocal about not contributing. The reason is because we paid for our own bridesmaid dresses, and she believes that was the engaged couple's responsibility. We thought this was something special to do. Is Jen just being cheap or are we really overdoing it?

09/05/2024

I grew up being a caregiver, that was all I knew. My younger brother was born with a rare condition that causes him to be non verbal and a paraplegic. He needs around-the-clock care. I assisted my parents with his needs, but over time my parents began to rely on me only to do everything for him. I couldn’t go out or do much outside of the home because I had to watch my brother. I didn’t even realize until around age 17 how wrong it was for them to place the responsibility on me. I hold a ton of resentment! Currently I’m saving up so I can find a place of my own as I cannot continue to live like this. As much as I love my brother, it’s hard to move past the fact that I was put in this position by my parents. I don’t know why my parents would do this, but they are expecting another baby. It’s beyond selfish of them.

09/05/2024

My brother became a single father of two kids, about a year ago. The children’s mother got involved in some drug related issues, and has chosen that over everything. My wife and I allowed him to live in one of our rental properties, and charged him way less rent compared to what we would normally charge. We thought it would be a good way to help him get back on his feet. He’d do the same for me. We are very close and my brother has always been a responsible father, so I had no concerns doing this.

In recent months, he started asking us to help watch his kids. It gradually led to longer periods of babysitting and then some nights the kids just end up sleeping over. He has been late on rent lately and he also warned me that he can only pay half his rent next time it’s due. This has led to many arguments between me and my wife. I don’t know how to handle this situation without ruining me and my brother’s relationship.

09/04/2024

I was born and raised in Thailand. I was married there and had one son with my ex husband. He ended up cheating on me and married the same girl he had an affair with. He said hurtful things like my son wasn't his, and that I would suffer without him. My wonderful parents stepped up to help me raise my son so I could work as a tour guide and provide for us all.

Ed was traveling through southeast Asia with a few of his friends and I was fortunate enough to be chosen as their guide. After his visit to Thailand, we kept in touch and he traveled to see me a few times. How lucky was I to run into this beautiful man? We eventually got married and he brought me over to the U.S. Four years after my arrival here, we successfully brought my son over so we could share this life together.

During the time that I was living in the U.S. without my son, my ex got divorced and starting contacting my son. My ex had become very ill and also had no children with the woman he married. He tried to repair the relationship he had with my son, knowing that he had absolutely no one else at this point.

Today, my son is a successful man and he still keeps in touch with his biological father. The other day, he told me that he'd like to bring his father to the U.S. so they could be closer. I was devastated to hear this because his dad once left him and even said that wasn't his son. How do I make my son realize that he's doing the wrong thing?

09/04/2024

Me and my significant other, Rodney, have been together for 17 years. His daughter Kenni was 12 years old at the time we met. I made it clear to him that I wasn't interested in being a mother, nor did I ever want to be married. A happy and healthy relationship does not require marriage.

Kenni lived primarily with her mom, 6 hours away and visited mainly during the summer months. Even though this wasn't easy for me having her at our home for months on end, I survived and we both developed a friend-like relationship as I did not want to take on a mother role.

Kenni has a toddler now that Rodney absolutely adores. He offered to watch her child while she travels out of state for work training. It's going to be a weeklong trip, and Kenni is bringing her child to stay with us. I don't believe it's my responsibility to help care for the child during this time because Ive made it clear that I do not want children. I told Rodney he can stay at Kenni's house or at a hotel during that time. He says I'm overreacting! How is it fair that I have to deal with this when I didn't ask for it in the first place?

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09/04/2024

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