Party Host at Loss over How to Handle Friends' Adult Son
The advice column suggests name cards and a discussion with W’s parents to help the adult guest join conversations more naturally.
- An empty-nester couple reports that a frequent guest, an adult child named W, disrupts social gatherings by repeatedly choosing central seats and turning their back to the host in the kitchen.
- Though the host finds the behavior increasingly draining, they do not believe W intends to be rude and speculate the guest might be neurodivergent, selecting seats based on appeal rather than social impact.
- Advice columnist R. Eric Thomas suggests the host discuss W's social habits with the guest's parents to improve integration or use name cards at place settings to strategically manage seating.
- Resentment toward their own stepsons also weighs on the host, who reports they rarely visit or offer support after the host provided thousands of dollars and emotional care over eight years.
- Thomas encourages the host to release expectations regarding the stepsons and consider closing this chapter with acceptance, aiming to move forward with less resentment and find support elsewhere.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Helena Independent Record
Party host at loss over how to handle friends' adult son
Dear Eric: We are an empty-nester couple in our 50s. We entertain often, and in one group is a couple who have an adult child, W, who lives with them. This couple frequently asks if W is invited too. We…
Asking Eric: Not-so-welcome guest always takes the best seat and kills the conversation
Dear Eric: We are an empty-nester couple in our 50s. We entertain often, and in one group is a couple who have an adult child, W, who lives with them. This couple frequently asks if W is invited too. We always say yes. The problem is that W tends to put a significant damper on gatherings. They never engage in conversation, literally zero other than to answer direct questions.
Asking Eric: Our friend's adult child sits in the middle of every gathering and never talks
Dear Eric: We are an empty-nester couple in our 50s. We entertain often, and in one group is a couple who have an adult child, W, who lives with them. This couple frequently asks if W is invited too. We always say yes. The problem is that W tends to put a significant damper on gatherings. They never engage in conversation, literally zero other than to answer direct questions.
Asking Eric: I dread hosting this couple because their adult child refuses to engage with anyone
Dear Eric: We are an empty-nester couple in our 50s. We entertain often, and in one group is a couple who have an adult child, W, who lives with them. This couple frequently asks if W is invited too. We always say yes. The problem is that W tends to put a significant damper on gatherings. They never engage in conversation, literally zero other than to answer direct questions.
Asking Eric: How do I tell someone their adult child is ruining my dinner parties?
Dear Eric: We are an empty-nester couple in our 50s. We entertain often, and in one group is a couple who have an adult child, W, who lives with them. This couple frequently asks if W is invited too. We always say yes. The problem is that W tends to put a significant damper on gatherings. They never engage in conversation, literally zero other than to answer direct questions.
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