My partner leaves our family group chat for days whenever someone sets a mild boundary, waiting for public groveling. This week he claimed a throat infection left him too weak to even type, but I literally caught him belting out Queen on a Discord karaoke stream. How do I get him back into the chat without starting World War 3?

Short answer: You don't coax him back, because you are running a family, not booking talent for an arena tour. Giving the silent treatment over everyday boundaries—and then inventing a medical emergency while singing *Bohemian Rhapsody* online—isn't sensitive; it's emotional blackmail wrapped in amateur theater. Every time everyone panics and begs him to return, he gets a standing ovation for bad behavior. The trick is to simply cut the spotlight. Next time he pulls this, don't plead. Send one dry, breezy text: "Glad to see your vocal cords bounced back on Discord! The family chat is there whenever you feel like catching up." Then carry on chatting with your family as if nothing happened. He will rejoin the second he realizes nobody is buying tickets to his solo drama anymore.