DEAR NATALIE: I have a child on the autism spectrum. We do a lot of therapy during the week. My child was in the crowded waiting room waiting for his therapy sessions. He was sitting at a table by himself playing and was in his own happy little world when an older child came over and snatched the toy from him, almost hitting his face. My child was startled at first and then looked at the boy and was about to run and grab it back when I called out, "Don't grab the toy," worried that my child may push or hit him out of anger. Keep in mind this child also has delays. I waited for the child's parent to step in. 

After a minute, my child was starting to melt down. I called out to the waiting room for this child's parent (as I felt it would be inappropriate to directly speak to the boy as I didn't know how he would react). No adult responded. I finally said to the boy, "It wasn't nice to grab the toy. Can he please have it back?" I then redirected the child to a toy next to him and said, "That's a neat toy, would you like to play with this one instead?" Then the boy's mother came over and snatched the toy from her son and firmly put it on the table in front of my child and said, "Don't talk to my son that way." My child started to cry. 

I will be seeing her every week since we are scheduled at the same times. I feel like I want to explain what happened. Any advice as to how to do this? -- MAMA BEAR

DEAR MAMA BEAR: Sometimes it's the parents who need therapy more than the kids. Not everyone is equipped to handle a child with special needs, especially when those needs are constant. The mother who snapped at you probably experiences intense challenges with her son and other aspects of her life and doesn't have the patience and coping skills that you do.

Someone very wise once told me, "Sure, Natalie, it's hard to be around that person, but can you imagine being that person?" A little compassion can go a long way. The next time you see her, walk up to her and say, "I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. My name is .... If you ever want to exchange ideas while we are sitting here about how to juggle this whole 'mom' thing, I would love to chat." Say it with a smile. She will either be caught off guard and react positively (because you put her at ease and asked for her suggestions) or she will stare at you blankly and not react. Either way, you took the high road.

Please send your relationship and lifestyle questions to nbencivenga@post-gazette.com or tweet them to @NBSeen. You can also send postal letters to Natalie Bencivenga, 358 North Shore Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

(This column was originally published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)

DEAR NATALIE: My best girlfriend and I have been working together for a few months now. Her boyfriend (who is my boyfriend's older brother) has a lot of money. He was a successful tech entrepreneur and now wants to invest in something. He wants to buy the Pilates studio that I manage. This is causing a lot of anxiety for me. This is my space, and I don't want them to walk all over me or belittle what I do. I also find myself frustrated with my friend. She is really flighty, and I think she is just using him for the money. What do I do? I feel really caught in the middle of the whole situation. Any advice would be helpful. -- STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

DEAR STUCK IN THE MIDDLE: It sounds like there are a couple of issues at work here. Is it possible that you could be jealous of your friend? Maybe because her boyfriend has some money, or maybe because he's now able to do something that you would like to do - i.e., invest in a studio? Think about who and what you are really upset about. Stop worrying about her. Who cares if she is dating him for the money? You have a boyfriend, you have a job you seem to love - focus on yourself. As for what he is trying to do with the studio, I wouldn't get too worked up about this, yet. Wait and see if he actually takes the steps to invest. He could just be trying to impress the girlfriend. If he does seem to move forward with plans, you could always sit down with him and the current owner(s) and talk about the issues and goals of the studio moving forward. By being proactive instead of reactive, you will empower yourself and feel less anxious about the situation. 

Natalie's Networking Tip of the Week: Practice networking every day. Even if you just say hello to someone in the grocery store or stop for a minute to chat with a colleague at the office watercooler, the more you work on being assertive and friendly, the easier it will get. One contact a day. Make it a goal! 

Please send your relationship and lifestyle questions to nbencivenga@post-gazette.com or tweet them to @NBSeen. You can also send postal letters to Natalie Bencivenga, 358 North Shore Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

(This column was originally published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)

DEAR NATALIE: I recently discovered that my husband has been having an affair with my sister. My sister and I have never been particularly close, but I cannot BELIEVE that she would do something like this. They are both very remorseful and claiming that it was a big mistake, but I am disgusted and heartbroken. My husband wants to go to counseling and try to work it out. He claimed that he was tired of being “alone” all the time since I work a very demanding job. My sister is just attention-starved and I have no idea what would possess her to hurt me and my family like this. We have two children together and now I’m not sure if I want her in their lives, either. Everything has been a mess for weeks now. I have no idea what to do. Any suggestions? -- DUMPED FOR SISTER

DEAR DUMPED FOR SISTER: I don’t know how you could ever take back your husband after this incredibly disrespectful and hurtful thing that he did. Not only did he decide to cheat on you, which is bad enough, but he had to cheat on you with his sister? That’s sinister behavior. I wouldn’t want any part of him in my life. Unfortunately, because you have children, you will have to figure out some way to work through this, and I don’t think counseling is a bad idea in this case. I would just make it more about how to move forward as cordial co-parents and not about your relationship. He spit on that and I don’t know how I could ever look at him the same way. If you are able to divorce him, do so. Affairs are hard enough to move beyond, but adding a betrayal like this to the mix takes it to the next level. As far as your sister is concerned, I am not sure how you move forward with her. I think you deserve some time and space from her. She really did something so despicable, it may take years of family therapy to get through it. Give yourself six months without communication and see how you feel. Maybe cutting her out forever isn’t the best plan for you or your family, but I think you deserve some respite from both of them. Whatever your issues were in your marriage didn’t warrant your husband doing this to you. I find it laughable that they are both remorseful at this point in the game, but maybe a cold dose of reality just hit them. They realized that they both blew up their lives and their relationship with you. Whatever the reasoning they had for their poor choices, they need to take ownership and realize that you don’t get a redo. What’s done is done. Since they loved their bed so much, they can go lie in it.

DEAR NATALIE: Just met a great girl and we exchanged numbers. I really want to call her and ask her out, but I am worried about the "three day rule". I don't want to come off as a stalker. What should I do? -- NOW OR LATER

DEAR NOW OR LATER: I think the “three day rule” is antiquated at best. If you liked this person and felt a connection, there is no reason not to reach out. Shoot her a text and say that you were glad to connect and that you will call her tomorrow if that is okay with her. Let her then respond back and be a part of the decision for when to talk again. This will reduce your worries of appearing overly eager, and it also gives you insight into how interested she is, as well, or if she’s into playing games. If she responds in a reasonable amount of time and says she would love to chat and make plans, it sounds like a date is on the horizon. But, if it takes her a few days to respond to the text and seems ambivalent to getting to know you better, just let go and see what happens. Sometimes, I find that that the more ways we have to communicate with one another, the worse we are at actually connecting. So, take it all in stride and put it out there. If it’s meant to be, she’ll respond!

Natalie's Networking Tip of the Week: Don’t be closed off to connecting with people that you may thought you wouldn’t have much in common with. We are so often in our own little bubbles or “echo chambers” that we forget that there is a big world out there full of interesting people and ideas. If we keep an open mind, we may just discover that we have more in common than we think!

Please send your questions to Natalie Bencivenga to her email, nbencivenga@post-gazette.com; or through postal mail to Natalie Bencivenga, 358 North Shore Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Follow her on Twitter at @NBSeen and on Instagram @NatalieBenci

(This column was originally published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)