ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: Someone recently made assumptions about my race, and I lost my cool. This happens all too often for me, and that was the straw that broke this camel's back. On a date, I showed a photo of my parents while we were discussing something totally unrelated, and his only comment was, "I didn't realize that you were these two races." He...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have a close neighbor who has now berated my husband and me several times for comments she found offensive.

The first time, her 6-year-old child was close to harming our infant daughter, and my husband asked him to back off -- not unkindly, and only after giving the neighbor a chance to intercede first. The neighbor ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have been together for 20 years and married for four. We have three kids. In the beginning of our relationship, it was bad -- and the bad all came from me. I cheated on her and hurt her. She stayed by my side, and that's when I realized that I have a wonderful woman. I got my act together and ended up marrying her.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I helped plan a 12-guy bachelor party in Boston. The best man's initial email outlined the itinerary -- two nights away and a Bruins game -- and included a link to the Airbnb. Everyone RSVP'd with an enthusiastic "yes." With headcounts locked, we booked the lodging and group-rate tickets. The total came to $565 per person (including ...Read more

Catapulted into young widowhood with a small son to raise, I was totally unprepared to be a single parent. During my eight-year marriage, I had been a cheerleader, on the sidelines applauding my young husband. It was his role to make all the big decisions. After all, he was head of our family, right? Hmm. So when I found myself on my own, a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mom always shares our family gossip with the church, and I just don't understand why. She seems to believe that another member of the congregation is flirting with my dad. This woman will often ask my dad for help with errands or call him at unappreciated hours for advice about her children, but she never makes an effort to ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a young child with a severe and visible disability. He is under the care of a well-trained team of professionals.

My husband and I often receive well-meaning but unwanted advice. When we receive unsolicited information, it is helpful to remember these people are usually sharing it out of a place of love because they ...Read more

Dear Annie: I need your advice. My very musically gifted high school senior appears to want to go to college and major in music performance. But he is refusing to visit colleges. He won't discuss why; he just gets very belligerent when the subject comes up and won't expand on any reasons. Should I let it be or make the contacts for him and force...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my husband for many years. We are both over 60. About eight years ago, I was diagnosed with, had surgery for and rehabbed from a benign brain tumor. It left me with considerable facial paralysis that I had further surgery to repair -- all in all, 10 facial surgeries.

Since my initial tumor surgery, my husband ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have multiple passions and actual skills, but I feel like I'm constantly being shamed for having a career path that doesn't fit neatly into one box. My parents seem disappointed because they expected me to choose one clearly defined profession and stick with it. Employers seem similarly confused by my resume, which spans ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When we asked Grandma about when she met Gramps, we got a lot more than we expected. She started talking about her various boyfriends, how popular she was, and how she kept them dangling, not even knowing for sure how many she was seeing at the same time.

Our Grandma was a slut! How are we supposed to take that? And Gramps ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter is single and raising two sons. Her husband died in an automobile accident four years ago.

I am worried about the relationship between her sons, "Steven," 16, and "Frederick," 10. I think they are too close and too affectionate with each other. Steven is very protective of Frederick, and Frederick worships his big ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My parents divorced when I was 5 years old, and my father moved out of state shortly afterward. For many years, I rarely saw him in person. However, he stayed in touch through phone calls and letters, and he always called on my birthday and holidays. Eventually, he settled in Alaska, far from where I lived. Even with the distance, he ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Last week, I learned that the man I have been dating for two years is homophobic. I was shocked to hear that he's completely against the LGBTQ+ community. We are both in our 50s, but I didn't think he was into that kind of hatred, especially since he has always treated me and others around us with kindness and respect.

Recently,...Read more