Neighbors with opposing values

A lesbian couple with a transgender child live next to neighbors whose fundamentalist church teaches that being gay is a sin and transgender people are mentally ill. The neighbors' daughter wants to have playdates with the couple's child.

“I don't think it's emotionally safe for my kid to be over there.”

A kind way to say no

Abby advises saying you're not comfortable with your daughter spending time at someone's home you don't know well. This gives a polite reason without stating the real ideological conflict.

“Tell her you aren't comfortable letting your daughter spend time inside the home of someone you don't know well.”

Build connection through dinner

Abby suggests inviting the neighbors over for a casual outdoor barbecue to test whether the families are truly incompatible. If they are, the playdate invitations will likely stop naturally.

Boyfriend won't set boundaries with adult son

A woman in her late 50s says her boyfriend constantly brings takeout or half-eaten meals home for his adult son during their date nights, blurring boundaries and spoiling their intimate time together.

“I feel suffocated and like I'm dating two rather than one in that household.”

Years of unresolved conflict

Despite two years of conversations, the boyfriend refuses to change his behavior and uses his single-parent history as justification. The woman worries moving in together would be impossible.

Abby's verdict: end it

Abby tells the woman that unless she wants to become a family of three, she should end the relationship. Living together would doom it from day one given her feelings about his son.

“the relationship would be doomed from the moment you unpacked your bags.”