December 4, 2025 • 8 mins
I think we have all considered writing to an advice column at one time or another. Do we ever expect a reply?
Thank you for listening!
Check out our website! www.intothenightpod.com
And while you are there make sure you subscribe to our newsletter for the latest and greatest information about your favorite anthology podcast as well as all of the other Creative Typo shows (which you should also check out while you are there)
To support this podcast as well as all of our other shows please join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/CreativeTypo
You can visit us on:
X @IntotheNightPod
Bluesky @itnanthology.bsky.social
Email us at itnanthology@gmail.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/intothenightpod
Or join the conversation in our Discord server https://discord.gg/knPFJa8NCZ
Narrated and produced by Nari
Find her on X @NariNarrates
Also on BlueSky @narinarrates.bsky.social
Instagram nari.narrates
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nari.narrates
Email contact@narinarrates.com
On the web at narinarrates.com
Written by Caroline Giammanco
Find her on Twitter @giammancobook
Theme music by Nico Rodriguez
Find him Bluesky @nicoroddm.bsky.social
Music
Meditation Impromptu 02 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100162
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Thank you for listening!
Check out our website! www.intothenightpod.com
And while you are there make sure you subscribe to our newsletter for the latest and greatest information about your favorite anthology podcast as well as all of the other Creative Typo shows (which you should also check out while you are there)
To support this podcast as well as all of our other shows please join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/CreativeTypo
You can visit us on:
X @IntotheNightPod
Bluesky @itnanthology.bsky.social
Email us at itnanthology@gmail.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/intothenightpod
Or join the conversation in our Discord server https://discord.gg/knPFJa8NCZ
Narrated and produced by Nari
Find her on X @NariNarrates
Also on BlueSky @narinarrates.bsky.social
Instagram nari.narrates
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nari.narrates
Email contact@narinarrates.com
On the web at narinarrates.com
Written by Caroline Giammanco
Find her on Twitter @giammancobook
Theme music by Nico Rodriguez
Find him Bluesky @nicoroddm.bsky.social
Music
Meditation Impromptu 02 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100162
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to Endo the Night. I'm Narri your guide on
today's excursion down a twisted path. Be careful not to
get lost. Be it dark or light, It's easy to
lose your way. Are you ready, then let's begin Asking
(00:29):
for a Friend? Part one. Sitting in the darkness, the
blue glow emanating from the screen lit up Rodney's face.
His palms felt sweaty, and one foot bounced his leg
up and down with nervous tapping. Tonight, Rodney was lonely.
He'd been lonely his whole life. When he was five,
(00:52):
his father left, never to be seen again. Not long
after that, Rodney knew why his dad abandoned his family.
He had saved himself. Now that his father was no
longer around for her to rail at, his mother turned
her belittling ways toward Rodney. He winced thinking about it
as memories flooded back. You know, Jack isn't really your friend, Rodney.
(01:15):
His mother told me that Jack goes home and makes
fun of you to his family and the other kids
in your class. Rodney could hear his mother's voice say that,
and a thousand other hurtful comments. As an adult, Rodney
knew that his mother wasn't above lying to him. I
don't know that Jack ever did that, but I was
six years old and believed her. In my pain, I
(01:38):
stopped asking Jack over, I stopped playing with him. Eventually
he found other kids to play with. Jack was one
of many people Leonora had driven from her son's world.
She wanted me to be isolated so that she was
all I had, and it worked. Rodney wiped his forehead
with his sleeve. Dad must have gone through it too,
(02:01):
and finally he couldn't take it anymore. I wish he'd
taken me with him. Rodney knew he was socially stunted.
He carried that shame with him every day. He found
himself tonight wondering if what he contemplated was another embarrassing
proof that he was deficient and unlovable. Still, he stared
at the screen on his computer. I've never done anything
(02:25):
like this. Am I being stupid? I'd be so embarrassed
if Mom found out. I can just hear her. Now,
Are you so pathetic that you stooped to this? She'd say.
Rodney rubbed his hands on his pant legs, trying to
rid them of the perspiration that seemed to ooze from
every pore. No, no one is going to know. And
(02:47):
Maggie seems so nice. She gives such good advice and
really cares about her readers. I'm going to do it.
Taking a deep breath, he clicked open his email tab
and then hit compose. He didn't have to double check
the address. He'd memorized it for weeks, months even. He
(03:07):
typed ask Maggie at Ridley Times dot org. In the
address line where it said subject, he typed asking for
a friend. Dear Maggie, I'm hoping you can give some
much needed advice. What should someone do if they are
constantly criticized by a parent? Yes, this person still lives
at home, but he feels obligated to help his mother
(03:29):
with bills. He has a growing online sales business and
brings in enough money to contribute to the household. I
guess what I'm saying is that he's not just a
slouch mooching off his mother. It never matters if he
succeeds or fails. His parent finds reason to complain. Sometimes
she is most brutal when he is successful, as though
(03:49):
she's angry something good happened for him. Any suggestions would
be appreciated. Sincerely, asking for a Friend. Rodney took a
deep breath and hit the send button. The next day,
Rodney scanned the Asked Maggie homepage, hoping for her response.
He slumped in his seat. Nothing I knew it was
(04:11):
stupid to reach out to her. The next day, however,
he could hardly believe his eyes. There it was. His
letter was featured on the website, and Maggie had responded.
Rodney's heart beat wildly as he read, Dear asking for
a friend, thank you for contacting me. Family dynamics can
(04:32):
be difficult, no doubt, and this situation must feel dreadful.
Parents can have insecurities that make them isolate and belittle
their children out of fear that they will lose the
child and be alone themselves. I suggest that anyone in
this situation should first sit down with the parent and
tell him or her how this makes them feel. Maybe
(04:53):
the parent doesn't realize how badly this damaging habit of
theirs is affecting their child. Give it a try and
let me know how it goes. Sincerely, ask Maggie. Rodney
jumped from his chair and ran around the room. Yes, yes, yes,
she answered, me. That night, Rodney approached his mother. It
(05:14):
did not go well. He returned to his room in
the basement and composed a new email using the same
asking for a friend subject line, Dear, ask Maggie, thank
you for responding to my previous letter. Unfortunately, the parent
in this instance yelled and screamed, calling the sun crazy.
She claimed she never said anything negative and told him
(05:35):
I always knew you were mentally unstable, but this is
over the top. She went on to say, you're always
blowing things out of proportion. If you think I'm bad,
you should have heard what my mother said to me.
But I never attacked her over it the way you
just did me. I hate overused terms, but I think
this parent is gaslighting her son. How can he make
(05:58):
the situation better? Sincerely, asking for a friend? Clicking send,
Rodney rubbed his blurry eyes. The tears he'd cried earlier
and the emotional battering he'd taken added to his exhaustion.
He switched off his computer and climbed into bed. The
next evening, he checked the Ask Maggie sight, I can't
(06:18):
believe she responded already, Dear, asking for a friend. Gaslighting
is exactly what's happening in this situation. If this was
a romantic relationship, I'd tell the person to leave. However,
I understand that right now he feels financially obligated to
live there and emotionally, divorcing a parent is harder to
do than breaking up with a girlfriend. It sounds like
(06:42):
this is learned behavior on the mother's part, and toxic
family cycles can be hard to break. Please check the
resources tab on this website to find helpful methods to
deal with gaslighting. You can't control the other person's behavior,
but you can employ tactics that make life less miserable
when around them. Please contact me any time about this
(07:03):
or any other situation. Gaslighting is difficult to live with,
and I would like updates from you. Sincerely, Ask Maggie.
(07:26):
Thank you for joining me for this episode of the
Into the Night anthology podcast. Written by Caroline Giamanco, narrated
by Nari the music by Nico Rodriguez. You can find
our links in the show notes. Into the Night is
on your favorite podcatcher, so make sure to like, subscribe
and leave a five star review to help other excursionists
to join us. I'll see you next time, and remember
(07:48):
whether in the shadows or in the daylight, all twisted
paths lead you into the night, high excursionists. I'm so
glad you stayed. If you ever wonder what I'm working
on when I'm not here, you can find my current
and past projects at narinarrates dot com. That's also where
(08:11):
you can sign up to be a story in my library,
where every story somehow finds its way back home.
Welcome to Endo the Night. I'm Narri your guide on
today's excursion down a twisted path. Be careful not to
get lost. Be it dark or light, It's easy to
lose your way. Are you ready, then let's begin Asking
(00:29):
for a Friend? Part one. Sitting in the darkness, the
blue glow emanating from the screen lit up Rodney's face.
His palms felt sweaty, and one foot bounced his leg
up and down with nervous tapping. Tonight, Rodney was lonely.
He'd been lonely his whole life. When he was five,
(00:52):
his father left, never to be seen again. Not long
after that, Rodney knew why his dad abandoned his family.
He had saved himself. Now that his father was no
longer around for her to rail at, his mother turned
her belittling ways toward Rodney. He winced thinking about it
as memories flooded back. You know, Jack isn't really your friend, Rodney.
(01:15):
His mother told me that Jack goes home and makes
fun of you to his family and the other kids
in your class. Rodney could hear his mother's voice say that,
and a thousand other hurtful comments. As an adult, Rodney
knew that his mother wasn't above lying to him. I
don't know that Jack ever did that, but I was
six years old and believed her. In my pain, I
(01:38):
stopped asking Jack over, I stopped playing with him. Eventually
he found other kids to play with. Jack was one
of many people Leonora had driven from her son's world.
She wanted me to be isolated so that she was
all I had, and it worked. Rodney wiped his forehead
with his sleeve. Dad must have gone through it too,
(02:01):
and finally he couldn't take it anymore. I wish he'd
taken me with him. Rodney knew he was socially stunted.
He carried that shame with him every day. He found
himself tonight wondering if what he contemplated was another embarrassing
proof that he was deficient and unlovable. Still, he stared
at the screen on his computer. I've never done anything
(02:25):
like this. Am I being stupid? I'd be so embarrassed
if Mom found out. I can just hear her. Now,
Are you so pathetic that you stooped to this? She'd say.
Rodney rubbed his hands on his pant legs, trying to
rid them of the perspiration that seemed to ooze from
every pore. No, no one is going to know. And
(02:47):
Maggie seems so nice. She gives such good advice and
really cares about her readers. I'm going to do it.
Taking a deep breath, he clicked open his email tab
and then hit compose. He didn't have to double check
the address. He'd memorized it for weeks, months even. He
(03:07):
typed ask Maggie at Ridley Times dot org. In the
address line where it said subject, he typed asking for
a friend. Dear Maggie, I'm hoping you can give some
much needed advice. What should someone do if they are
constantly criticized by a parent? Yes, this person still lives
at home, but he feels obligated to help his mother
(03:29):
with bills. He has a growing online sales business and
brings in enough money to contribute to the household. I
guess what I'm saying is that he's not just a
slouch mooching off his mother. It never matters if he
succeeds or fails. His parent finds reason to complain. Sometimes
she is most brutal when he is successful, as though
(03:49):
she's angry something good happened for him. Any suggestions would
be appreciated. Sincerely, asking for a Friend. Rodney took a
deep breath and hit the send button. The next day,
Rodney scanned the Asked Maggie homepage, hoping for her response.
He slumped in his seat. Nothing I knew it was
(04:11):
stupid to reach out to her. The next day, however,
he could hardly believe his eyes. There it was. His
letter was featured on the website, and Maggie had responded.
Rodney's heart beat wildly as he read, Dear asking for
a friend, thank you for contacting me. Family dynamics can
(04:32):
be difficult, no doubt, and this situation must feel dreadful.
Parents can have insecurities that make them isolate and belittle
their children out of fear that they will lose the
child and be alone themselves. I suggest that anyone in
this situation should first sit down with the parent and
tell him or her how this makes them feel. Maybe
(04:53):
the parent doesn't realize how badly this damaging habit of
theirs is affecting their child. Give it a try and
let me know how it goes. Sincerely, ask Maggie. Rodney
jumped from his chair and ran around the room. Yes, yes, yes,
she answered, me. That night, Rodney approached his mother. It
(05:14):
did not go well. He returned to his room in
the basement and composed a new email using the same
asking for a friend subject line, Dear, ask Maggie, thank
you for responding to my previous letter. Unfortunately, the parent
in this instance yelled and screamed, calling the sun crazy.
She claimed she never said anything negative and told him
(05:35):
I always knew you were mentally unstable, but this is
over the top. She went on to say, you're always
blowing things out of proportion. If you think I'm bad,
you should have heard what my mother said to me.
But I never attacked her over it the way you
just did me. I hate overused terms, but I think
this parent is gaslighting her son. How can he make
(05:58):
the situation better? Sincerely, asking for a friend? Clicking send,
Rodney rubbed his blurry eyes. The tears he'd cried earlier
and the emotional battering he'd taken added to his exhaustion.
He switched off his computer and climbed into bed. The
next evening, he checked the Ask Maggie sight, I can't
(06:18):
believe she responded already, Dear, asking for a friend. Gaslighting
is exactly what's happening in this situation. If this was
a romantic relationship, I'd tell the person to leave. However,
I understand that right now he feels financially obligated to
live there and emotionally, divorcing a parent is harder to
do than breaking up with a girlfriend. It sounds like
(06:42):
this is learned behavior on the mother's part, and toxic
family cycles can be hard to break. Please check the
resources tab on this website to find helpful methods to
deal with gaslighting. You can't control the other person's behavior,
but you can employ tactics that make life less miserable
when around them. Please contact me any time about this
(07:03):
or any other situation. Gaslighting is difficult to live with,
and I would like updates from you. Sincerely, Ask Maggie.
(07:26):
Thank you for joining me for this episode of the
Into the Night anthology podcast. Written by Caroline Giamanco, narrated
by Nari the music by Nico Rodriguez. You can find
our links in the show notes. Into the Night is
on your favorite podcatcher, so make sure to like, subscribe
and leave a five star review to help other excursionists
to join us. I'll see you next time, and remember
(07:48):
whether in the shadows or in the daylight, all twisted
paths lead you into the night, high excursionists. I'm so
glad you stayed. If you ever wonder what I'm working
on when I'm not here, you can find my current
and past projects at narinarrates dot com. That's also where
(08:11):
you can sign up to be a story in my library,
where every story somehow finds its way back home.
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