Dear Abby: My podcast might cost me my marriage

"DEAR ABBY: I've hosted a live podcast for years. It's my creative outlet, my therapy. Recently, my wife gave me an ultimatum: I am not allowed to host the podcast anymore, or she'll divorce me. She says it's for us, not her. Her reason is mostly because I preach atheism as well as discuss many other topics. She's a Christian. I was a Christian when we met and married, but I am no longer."

"DEAR HOST: I don't know how far away in exile you are, but if you live within the borders of the United States, there is a certain amount of freedom of speech here. Living according to your wife's dictate leaves you frustrated and unhappy. You have the right to express yourself, and you have an audience who appreciates it. If she chooses to divorce you over this, you may find it's a relief. Call her bluff. If you do, you may discover you are happier following your own path rather than hers."

"DEAR ABBY: I am the stepgrandmother of Laura, who has Down syndrome. She is 38. A few years ago, she weighed more than 300 pounds at only 5 feet tall. She ended up in the hospital with blood clots and almost died. The courts gave guardianship to her dad, my son-in-law. Laura's mother has visitation with her only one day a week for four hours. When they are together, she feeds Laura so much junk food that when Laura comes home, she gets sick."

A man who previously was Christian now hosts a live podcast and preaches atheism; his wife threatened divorce unless he stopped hosting. The podcast serves as his creative outlet and therapy, occupies only a few hours weekly, and he fulfills marital and work responsibilities. Advice presented notes that living under a partner's dictate can cause frustration and that exercising the right to express oneself may lead to relief if the marriage cannot accommodate that expression. Separately, a stepgrandmother reports that Laura, age 38 with Down syndrome, became morbidly obese, was hospitalized for blood clots, and now has a guardian father while her mother’s limited visits include excessive junk food that makes Laura ill.

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