Dear LB - my wife is a wonderful partner in every respect except one: she keeps hypnotically thralling our neighbors whenever they annoy her. The man across the street plays loud music - thralled. The woman next door complained about our hedges - thralled. The postal carrier asked too many questions - also thralled. They all come out of it fine, but our neighborhood association meetings have become very confusing and I have had to explain four separate bouts of “amnesia” this year.
— Covering for Her in Connecticut
Dear Covering,
Your wife is treating thralling as a first resort when it should be an absolute last one, and the postal carrier situation in particular concerns me as that is a federal employee. You must have a frank conversation with her about proportionality. Loud music warrants a politely worded note, not supernatural mind control. I suggest agreeing on a household rule: thralling is reserved for genuine emergencies only, to be defined together in advance. In the meantime, “a rare neurological condition affecting only this zip code” is not a sustainable cover story. It will not survive a second news cycle.
LB