DEAR AMY: I am a woman in my 40s. I’m very successful in my career and life. My mother is in her 70s. She is extremely unhealthy – she always has been (mostly due to lack of exercise and poor diet).

Dear Amy: You often mention the need to exercise “compassionate detachment,” especially with adult children. I need advice on how to make that shift. There is a saying that being a parent is like ...