Dear Queenie,

  My husband has a relationship with a woman he works with. She wrote him letters about how much she missed him when we went away on vacation and couldn’t wait to see him again.

  My husband says he enjoys their conversations and he admits that he has kissed her a couple of times, but he says it’s not cheating because they never had sex.

  Queenie, I say this is an affair even if they don’t have sex. My husband says it’s not cheating if there is no sex. What do you say?—Angry wife

Dear Wife,

  An emotional affair can be just as damaging to a marriage as a physical one. Even if he has not had sex with this other woman, your husband has not been faithful to you.

Dear Queenie,

  My husband thinks he should have the passwords to my phone and my email account. I don’t have anything to hide, but I think I’m entitled to some privacy.

  Queenie, what do you think?—Annoyed wife

Dear Wife,

  Wanting some privacy does not mean you have anything to hide. Don’t you close the door when you go to the toilet?

  Your husband may not trust you, or he may not have any interests of his own to keep him occupied. However, I cannot give you a final answer to your question with so little information about other aspects of your relationship. Professional counselling might help you find the answer you are seeking, especially if you can persuade your husband to go with you.

Dear Queenie,

  My husband’s parents live with us, so they are always there to take care of the children when we want to go out or just have some private time together. We can even go on vacation just the two of us without having to worry about the children.

  However, my husband has two brothers and his parents never do anything with them. They hardly even know their other grandchildren.

  Queenie, I feel like I should apologize to my sisters-in-law, but what do I say to them?—Favorite daughter-in-law

Dear Daughter-in-law,

  Your sisters-in-law may not get along with their mother-in-law as well as you do.

  You can suggest to your mother-in-law that she spend a little more time with her other grandchildren, and you can invite the families to your home now and then to give her a chance to see them – and hope that they all get along with her as well as you would like to see.

Dear Queenie,

  My wife and her mother talk to each other during the day, but every night her mother calls again while we are eating dinner or after the kids have gone to bed. It seems like whenever we have some time alone together Mama manages to butt in with a phone call.

  Queenie, am I asking too much to have some time together with my wife without her mother butting in?—Angry husband

Dear Husband,

  No, you are not asking too much.

  If your wife cannot explain this to her mother, or if Mama refuses to cooperate with the boundary you request, you can always turn off the phone (or take it off the hook if it is a landline) during the time you do not want to receive her calls.