Welcome to Dear Prudence. I'm your Prudence, Janay Desmond Harris. This week we'll be discussing

how to respond when everyone thinks your toxic ex is brave and amazing. Where to turn when your

absentee dad has done psychedelics and forgiven himself a little too enthusiastically,

and what to do when you can't stop making bitchy comments to your dog?

Here to help me out is the writer and comedian Maeve Higgins.

She's the author of books including Tell Everyone on This Train I Love Them, and Maven America,

essays by a girl from somewhere else.

She's a panelist on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and co-hosts the weekly stand-up comedy show Butterboy.

Welcome, Maeve. Thank you for being here.

Thank you so much for having me.

And of course I have to mention, you know, my mom who likes to be called Prudy Senior is one of your biggest

fans, mostly based on wait, wait, don't tell me. And when I told her you were coming on the show,

she sent me a text that said, she's 41 and she's an Ares. Like, she knows everything about it. Yeah,

she sent like a little, like, potted biography of me that I found so funny and charming. Yeah, she sent like a little like potted biography of me that I found so

funny and charming. Yeah, and a link to one of your comedy shows. Yeah, and she kind of like directed

you to a piece of my stand-up that's online. Yeah, she's kind of my hype woman. I hope that's okay,

even though you're her daughter. We both love you. So say hi to Prudy Senior. Hi, Prudy Senior. And thanks for the invitation to Thanksgiving that I'm pretty sure

is coming up soon. We would absolutely love to have you, believe me, with you some buffers.

Before we get started, I want to ask you for a piece of unsolicited advice.

So I wish I could credit who said this.

Maybe you'll remember, this is not from me, okay?

But it's something I heard and it's go where you're wanted.

...