DEAR NATALIE: My best friend just told me that she paid an escort to flirt with her husband while he was away on business to see if he would be open to cheating on her. They have always had a challenging marriage, but I think this is extreme. To make matters worse, the escort reported back that he did proposition her to go back to his hotel room but that she turned down his advances. Now my best friend doesn’t know what to do because she set him up. Now she knows he would cheat given the opportunity. Should she confront him? She’s been a mess about this for over a week and has been asking for my advice. I’m single and have no idea why she did this and what she should do. What do you think? –BED OF LIES

DEAR BED OF LIES: If their marriage is so tumultuous that she feels the need to have to hire someone to see if he is cheating, then there is nothing you can say or do to help repair this. She needs to tell him what she did and what she discovered. But more importantly, she needs to ask herself why she is staying married to someone she doesn’t trust. I understand why she is asking for your advice – she is looking for permission from someone outside of herself to do the thing she already knows she needs to do. But the reality is, only she can make that decision. Instead of advising her, walk through her process together as to how she landed in this moment. Hopefully, she will be able to piece the puzzle together and realize that the picture it makes is not a happy or fulfilling one.   

DEAR NATALIE: My sister-in-law has always been overweight. Recently, my brother told me that she started using Ozempic and has dropped a dramatic amount of weight in a short amount of time. The only catch is that she has been telling everyone that she did it “the old-fashioned way” through just diet and exercise. Everyone is fawning all over her and she’s blatantly lying to their faces. I find this all very annoying and want to tell her to stop lying. People are even asking me what her secret is. I don’t want to lie for her, but I also don’t want to tell everyone that she is lying. Should I confront her about this? It’s a small town and only a matter of time before someone realizes she’s lying and she looks like a conceited fool. What should I do? –BIG FAT LIAR

DEAR BIG FAT LIAR: If you were overweight your whole life and finally lost a bunch of weight, how would you feel? Perhaps growing up, she didn’t feel good about herself because of the weight stigma that we place on people in our society. Fat-phobia is a real thing with real-life implications. I can understand you may want to roll your eyes in the background but why rain on her parade? At some point, maybe she’ll acknowledge that it took more than just lifestyle changes to get to where she is now, but can’t you afford her this small moment in the sun? It may seem conceited or foolish to you, but what if this was the first time you had ever been noticed in this way? Let her process what all of that means and why she needs that external validation in the first place. It is not your place to call her out. If it blows up in her face, then she can be the one to deal with the fallout. But for the moment, let her be happy. 

Please send your questions to Natalie Bencivenga to

asknatalieadvice@gmail.com.

Check out her new radio show every Saturday from 2-5pm EST on KDKA Radio 1020AM, 100.1FM, stream it on the

Audacy app or at www.kdkaradio.com

Watch her award-winning video series with Pennsylvania Capital Star, Facts Over Fear: www.penncapital-star.com

Follow Natalie on Instagram @Natalie_Bencivenga

and on TikTok @NatalieBencivenga

DEAR NATALIE: I slept with my good friend’s new boyfriend a few weeks ago. I didn’t know he was with her as I hadn’t met him yet or seen a photo. I only discovered this when I was out with my friend getting a drink and he showed up to meet her. He looked as surprised as I did. Now I feel conflicted. Do I tell my friend what happened? He said that they aren’t even that serious, but when you talk to her, she paints a different story. If this guy is a cheater, shouldn’t she know? But I worry if she finds out that I’ll be the one she gets mad at. Should I just keep my mouth shut? But what if they get serious? The whole thing is so uncomfortable. – KEEPING QUIET 

DEAR KEEPING QUIET: This is a mess but not of your doing. If he is out there sleeping around without her knowing, she deserves to hear the truth. The unfortunate part – to your point – is she may flip out when she realizes you both have slept with him. But if you don’t say anything, and then eventually she finds out, she may feel as though she can’t trust you again. I would tell her immediately. I would say to her, “You aren’t going to want to hear this – and obviously I had no idea who your boyfriend was – but he and I hooked up a few weeks ago.” Be prepared for her to be upset. Once the dust settles, she may be glad to know so that she can make a decision about him knowing that he was sleeping with other people. If nothing else, being honest with her will lift the weight off of your shoulders and put it squarely on his – where it belongs.    

DEAR NATALIE: I have a 27-year-old daughter who lives with me and her grandmother – my mother-in-law – is resentful towards her. Her grandmother is a very difficult person and doesn’t get along with anyone. Recently, my father-in-law passed away and now my mother-in-law will be moving in with us. I am wondering if I should sit them both down ahead of time and discuss how we can all live together harmoniously. I have always told my daughter to be kind to her grandmother, but she’s an adult. I am not sure how to navigate this now? I don’t want to end up in the middle. – FAMILY DRAMA

DEAR FAMILY DRAMA: Having multiple generations under one roof can be very challenging because everyone has their own way of moving in the world. I would work to set healthy boundaries for everyone to minimize the anxiety you could feel in the house. Having a family meeting prior to her moving in is smart to help build open communication to offset any issues. Talking with your daughter alone is another good idea because she needs to remember that her grandmother is older and recently widowed. Even if it is difficult, she needs to try and remain calm and patient when communicating with her. I don’t know if your daughter needs to live at home with you or not, but perhaps this could be the reason for her to start looking for her own place. I give you a lot of credit for opening your home to both your adult child and your mother-in-law, so I hope you will set boundaries for yourself, as well. 

Please send your questions to Natalie Bencivenga to

asknatalieadvice@gmail.com.

Check out her new radio show every Saturday from 2-5pm EST on KDKA Radio 1020AM, 100.1FM, stream it on the

Audacy app or at www.kdkaradio.com

Watch her award-winning video series with Pennsylvania Capital Star, Facts Over Fear: www.penncapital-star.com

Follow Natalie on Instagram and TikTok

@NatalieBencivenga

DEAR NATALIE: My husband and I have been struggling for the last year or so. I feel like he doesn’t take my feelings seriously and I’m tired of feeling alone in our relationship. Whenever he’s out of the house, I genuinely feel so much relief. Lately he’s been having terrible stomach pain. I’ve tried to tell him to go to the doctor. I make other recommendations for things that might help. Because he’s in pain, his mood has been even worse, and he really won’t do anything to take care of himself. He doesn’t seem worried that it might be something serious, but I am. The way he’s behaving is so unattractive to me. I feel like I’ve married a child because of the way he’s taking care of himself and how he’s interacting with me. I don’t think I can tolerate it anymore. Should I leave him? – PAIN ALL AROUND

DEAR PAIN ALL AROUND: It sounds as though you want to leave him but you are trying to come up with a “legitimate” excuse as to why you can’t just walk away from the relationship – as if your feelings aren’t enough. This may just be the straw that broke the camel’s back. You need to have a serious talk with him. It’s been shown over and over again that men benefit much more from marriage than women do, so even though you feel alone and depressed in your relationship, he may not. You are not under any obligation to stay in an unhealthy and unhappy relationship. The fact that you felt relieved when he was out of the house tells me everything I need to know. This marriage may be over and the sooner you confront that reality the better for you. If he isn’t willing to work on himself or the relationship, then what are you doing? Choose yourself. 

DEAR NATALIE: My son just went back to school and we found out that his teacher is the mom of a kid who bullied him last year. Last year, I didn’t get the district involved because it came up at the end of the school year.  I felt it would be easier to see if it would blow over. His teacher’s son isn’t in his class, but I’m worried that she will treat him differently. Plus, what if the teacher is unkind to him, too? I don’t want to switch him out because he’s in class with a few of his close friends, but I’m not sure what to do. Should I approach the teacher off the bat and tell her about her son’s actions last year? Or should I just hope for peace all around? I want to be proactive, but I also don’t want to stir things up if it’s unnecessary.

– NOT SURE

DEAR NOT SURE: Normally, I am all about confronting an issue right away, but in this case it may be best to see how things play out at first. If your son seems to be doing well and the bully isn’t in his class, let it be for now. If your son starts to show signs that he is upset or anxious going to school, or if he seems withdrawn or depressed, then you should talk with him first. Find out what is going on. If you need to discuss this with his teacher, you will have to give her the full context of the situation to make sure that she is aware that you are aware of what happened last year. Try to be diplomatic because she is in a position of authority with your son and could make things worse. If things do get worse, you may have to pull in another administrator at the school and see how best to resolve the situation. Whatever you do, keeping your son’s mental health at the center of it will help you decide what is best moving forward. His education and wellbeing are what matter most.

Please send your questions to Natalie Bencivenga to

asknatalieadvice@gmail.com.

Check out her new radio show every Saturday from 2-5pm EST on KDKA Radio 1020AM, 100.1FM, stream it on the

Audacy app or at www.kdkaradio.com

Watch her award-winning video series with Pennsylvania Capital Star, Facts Over Fear: www.penncapital-star.com

Follow Natalie on Instagram and TikTok

@NatalieBencivenga