Big Mood, Little Mood with Daniel M. Lavery

First up: An enthusiastic endorsement from Prudence for walking out of movies you don’t like! Then, academic and pop culture writer Anthony Oliveira joins to tackle your letters: How do I get my husband to stop using a body spray that makes me ill? My husband and I married young – should we open up our marriage to try new things? I adopted a lost cat as my own, but now I think I might’ve stolen it...

Advice enthusiast and diversity consultant Valerie Aurora joins for a discussion of keeping your Christmas costumes away from Thanksgiving. Then onto your letters! First up: My best friends are growing closer and leaving me behind. Help! Should I tell my boyfriend I had an affair even though we’re breaking up anyway? I just found out that a former co-worker who assaulted me changed his name and be...

Listener Rachel Tibbetts joins for a doozy of a batch of sibling and family related letters. First up: my sister is repeating the same mistakes as my homewrecker father and she expects my support. Help! My parents never gave me a dime growing up and now my siblings are throwing a fit that they helped me buy a house. My ex is getting married three weeks after our divorce – what do I tell our kids?...

Dear Prudence is back with her annual reminder: it’s okay to ruin the holidays! Then, advice columnist Anna Pulley joins to respond to your letters! First up: can an open marriage save my sexless one? I moved to a retirement community where 1970s-style sexism runs rampant. Help! I’m in a happy and healthy relationship with a man slightly younger than me – why is my family so convinced he’s using m...

Author Sarah Gailey joins Prudence to advise on matters of laundry, sisterhood, salary, and more! First up: what’s the protocol for abandoned clothes in a public dryer? Then: Should I tell my sister I think marrying her fiance is a mistake? My friends are icing me and I didn’t do anything wrong. Help! My therapist told another client – my dad – things I told her in a session. What do I do? And fin...

Prudence is back to tackle your letters! First up: I think my workplace is about to hire the terrible boss from my last job. Help! The love of my life left me for a friend of ours when I was pregnant with his child – am I supposed to try to co-parent with this woman? My new co-worker is giving off transphobic vibes – how can I open up her mind? Should I believe the stranger who told me my husband...

Writer Rachael Herron joins Prudence to tackle a bundle of tricky letters! First up: Should I have said something to the men making sexist comments within earshot of my wife? My friend ignored my warnings about her terrible ex – now she says I abandoned her after their breakup. Help! How do I politely refuse donations from sources that my workplace is morally opposed to? How can I get my superiors...

Writer and Bitch magazine co-founder Lisa Jervis joins Prudence to hash out how to be the best “mysterious widow” – and respond to your letters! First up: Should I tell an acquaintance her boyfriend is a known rapist? My sister’s fertility battle is making her step-daughter feel like she doesn’t count as a child. Help! I’m disappointed with my wedding photos – what can I do to solve this? My frien...

Dear Prudence and guest Mary Goss navigate your family and relationship quandaries. First up: Is it selfish to feel fear after surviving tragedy when other people had it way worse? How can I get my hearing family to accept me? My adoptive sibling doesn’t get along with my biological family – what do I do? My friend gave me her blessing to date her ex and now she’s bad-mouthing me online. Help! My...

In a spirit of excitement and terror, Prudie and Washington Post writer Amanda Erickson, jump into your letters. First up: I punched an emotionally abusive family member in the face – how do I make it up to her? How do I get my in-laws to stop calling my bi-racial children “little monkeys?” My mom is neglecting my kid sister – what do I do? My adult friend carries a doll with her everywhere and I’...

Y.A. fiction writer and advocate for the disabled Maggie Faid joins Prudie to consult on matters of wedding guests, grief, and giving iPads to strangers. Should I tell my best friend how sad I am that she can’t come to my wedding? My sister tells everyone she lost a child, but I don’t think a miscarriage counts. A stranger got mad at me for not letting her kid play with my iPad – did I do somethin...

Former Toast editor Nikki Chung joins Prudie to tackle a thorny bunch of your letters! First up: I’m living with a slob and I can’t afford to move out. Help! How do I get my husband to be kinkier in the bedroom? I might have prompted my daughter to make a false accusation of sexual abuse – what do I do? I can’t fall out of love with my lesbian wife. Help! How should I split rent with my partner? A...

Writer and commentator Lindy West joins Prudence to encourage Thelma-and-Louise-style road trips for jilted lovers and discourage kicking people out of wedding parties. First up in your letters: My boyfriend period shames me. Help! My fiancé has been postponing our marriage for five years – what should I do? Should I tell my sister-in-law that her kids’ grandpa is a convicted sex offender? And fin...

Today on Dear Prudence: baby-stealing, stalking, and insufficient wokeness. First up: My boss keeps joking about wanting to take my baby. Help! Should I tell potential employers I had a stalker? My husband’s kids found out he smokes weed and he’s blaming me for it. How do I put an end to the ongoing social justice one-upmanship by my friends? I’m a bisexual man who practices very safe sex – do I n...

Buzzfeed's Nichole Perkins joins to help out with your letters! I was open about my depression on social media and only some of my friends reached out to me – should I stay close with the others? The woman who ruined my marriage got hit by a car... and I’m happy about it. Am I horrible? I’m a balding white man with a shaved head – could people think I’m a skinhead? I want to spend my recent windfa...

First up: an exciting update on the one true way to date a former boss and how Prudie helped make it happen. Then, your letters! My mom wants me to discourage my daughter from doing “boy” things. My friends are convinced my boyfriend is a stalker! My boyfriend has bad table manners and I’m worried it’s going to have professional consequences for him. Help! I want to support a business trying to un...

Today, it’s a coming out party for first-time fig-eaters, brothers, people who don’t want to talk about their hair, artists, and more! First up: My dad wants my brother to wait to tell my conservative grandma he’s gay, but I think he should come out now. Who’s right? Then: I told my friend I loved her – now I want her out of my life and she won’t go away. Help! My parents stifled my creativity as...

Today we’ve got a very important update regarding the bidet letter! Then, Ali St. James & Olivia Pourzia join Prudie to triple-team your problems. My parents are insisting on helping me furnish my grad school apartment, but keep hinting that it’s a financial burden on them. I abandoned the daughter I was forced to have – am I heartless? Help! My husband died in a car accident and all I feel is...

Writer, commentator and professor Roxane Gay joins Prudie to tackle your problems with online dating, bosses, exes, kids, and more! How do I avoid matching with my students on online dating apps? My boss won’t stop telling me to smile. Help! Should I report the places my ex-husband frequented for sex for human trafficking? I’m in love with a prude – how do I spice up our sex life? And finally: How...

Prudence is joined by guest Alyssa Furukawa to get real about what it means to say “I’m on my way.” Then, onto your letters! I’m a pansexual woman married to a cis man – should I still come out to my homophobic family? My in-laws won’t accept my disability and my husband’s not stepping in. Help! I told my tomboy friend she was “unf**kable” in college, but now she’s hot – can I try to date her? How...

Dear Prudence is joined by BuzzFeed’s Bim Adewunmi to respond to your letters. First up: how do I handle people who tell me I’m not brown enough to be Indian? Then, romance issues: my best friend can’t get over my fiancé’s past and won’t come to our wedding. I told my parents I’m poly and my dad refuses to meet the man my husband and I are dating. And finally: how do I found out if my boss has fee...

Matt Albrecht and Hannah Malyn of the podcast “ Matt and Hannah Know it All ” join Prudie to advise on your inquiries. First up: I know I should end my friend-with-benefits relationship, but I don’t want to. How do I cut ties with an emotionally abusive friend? I’m in love with my child’s mother. Help! And lastly: am I supposed to tip every time an iPad asks me to? Hear more Prudence by joining Sl...

First up: is a movie franchise trying to gaslight Prudie? Then, onto your letters: I’m a think I’m a pretty progressive mom, but I don’t understand the gender fluidity movement. I asked my friend not to drink with my alcoholic parents and she turned around and told my mom I said they couldn’t hang out. What do I do? My friend told me I was too fat to be in her wedding! And finally: I bought my boy...

First up: how Prudie and her ex, Jamie Shuler, bonded over Flowers in the Attic. Then, the two tag team your letters, starting with a workplace matter of misplaced credit. Then, onto sibling strife: My sister lied about her dog dying – should I confront her about it? My sister expects me to watch her kids on our family vacation, which I’m paying for. Help! And, I think I’m in love with my ex-step-...

Writer and journalist Laurie Penny joins Prudence today to tackle your family and work quandaries! How can I convince my husband to buck social pressure and stick to being a stay-at-home dad? My apartment building reeks of pot and makes me nauseated – how do I make it stop without getting my neighbor in trouble? My husband keeps inviting his toxic father to visit and then ghosts me. Help! And fina...