ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm struggling with a friendship that used to mean a lot to me but now feels increasingly one-sided. This person was once one of my closest friends, but over the past several months, I've felt more neglected than valued. We live less than 10 minutes apart, yet we've seen each other only twice in nearly eight months -- and both ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband met a very nice, like-minded neighbor during a walk, and we invited him and his wife over for dinner. Almost from the very beginning of the evening, his wife was very critical and rude and insisted on commenting on our home.

She claimed we had too much clutter, too many gallery walls, that our home was a mess, and ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 58, never married, no kids, no siblings, no nieces or nephews. A neighbor of mine is very ill and in a nursing home. She has a daughter, but the daughter barely even bothers to visit her, and it breaks my heart. I call my neighbor often to try to lift her spirits.

At the same time, I've been dealing with some depression myself...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Four years ago, my cousin "Roy" introduced me to his friends, who, once a month, have a party at the home of one of the couples. We would eat and then play a form of dominoes. It was raucous and fun. The second time I went, a couple in the group told me that now I was "part of the family." I always had fun and laughed a lot, which I ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: As a heterosexual man, I found that very little of your columns titled "Feelings Inventory" rang true for me. But I admit I do have trouble meeting decent, stable women. At age 56, I'm a bit worried for my romantic future.

Please let the good woman out there know I'm trying to find her, but if she's always with a big group, how do I...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: A few months back, my boyfriend was laid off. He's done his part to manage financially, but emotionally he's been rather down, and it's put a lot of pressure on our relationship and me. With less to do, he wants more of my attention and to spend more time together. Unfortunately, my schedule and responsibilities haven't changed. ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I went to the symphony, which I've done for many years now. I know that proper symphony etiquette is to refrain from clapping between movements. However, it seems to me that many symphony attendees are not aware of this rule. This has given rise to a rather awkward situation: About half the audience knows the rule and does not...Read more

Dear Annie: My 13-year-old daughter recently came home from two weeks at sleepaway camp, where she became very close to another girl in her bunk. At first, I was thrilled. My daughter has always been a little shy, and she came home talking nonstop about how funny, confident and "grown-up" this new friend seemed.

A few days later, I learned ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: There are two significant secrets in my family, and as I'm a member of the oldest generation and likely in my last decade, I wonder if they should see the light of day.

The first involves my cousin. He's a year older than I am and doesn't know he was adopted. My older sister was 10 when his parents brought him home. She remembers it ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My current form of birth control is about to expire, and my partner does not want me to renew it. He knew this time was coming, but it feels like he deliberately waited until just a few days prior to my procedure to tell me he doesn't want me to renew my birth control. It feels as though if I move forward with the procedure, my ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: At times, a grocery checkout line will be very long, with only one cashier available. Someone with a full cart, three or four customers ahead of me, will offer a customer approaching the long line with only a couple of items permission to go ahead of them. They thereby award the same permission on behalf of all customers ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am in a relationship with my hot-and-cold fiance. I caught him cheating after we moved in together. He had been courting someone at work. I eventually forgave him. That was five years ago. In the time since, he has changed completely -- for the worse.

He doesn't take me out, shows me no affection and rarely talks to me about ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend proposed to me at my best friend's wedding, and I am livid at him for thinking that I would like this type of proposal. It was such a distasteful idea on his part, because I am the type of person who hates to take away attention from people when it's their special day. My boyfriend did ask permission from my best ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first child. I broke the happy news to my best friend by telling her she would soon receive an invitation from them to their baby shower.

Instead of being excited and congratulatory, she huffed and said that expectant mothers were not supposed to throw themselves a shower. She ...Read more