ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: A good friend of mine just lost her son on Valentine's Day to a random, senseless act of violence. I am completely devastated for her, and I can't even begin to imagine how she's feeling. I've watched her son grow up; he was kind of like a nephew to me.

I know that nothing I can say can heal or soothe her pain, but I need a bit ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was in my previous job for almost seven years, working under a boss who wasn't the best. He was temperamental, and told me I was too smart to promote despite years of loyal service. When COVID hit, an opportunity came my way to move into a new role and a new department within the company.

I asked the hiring manager multiple...Read more

Dear Readers: March 17 is a day to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Born in the 4th century, in Roman Britain, Patrick was taken captive by Irish pirates at the age of 16. He turned to God and Christianity and escaped. He returned to Ireland in 432 as a missionary. When he dies on March 17, 461, he had established churches, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have seen letters in your column from people upset that their guests don't help them after dinner. I am the opposite. I held onto a poem you printed years ago and had it perma-plaqued and posted on a kitchen cabinet.

For more than 20 years, my husband and I hosted a dinner every Sunday after church. I set the table for 10, but we ...Read more

Dear Annie: My ex-daughter-in-law's brother would have been sleeping on the streets for the past two years if it weren't for my husband. He's been paying rent for "Gary," who has not received any help from the other members of the family.

Gary has been unemployed for five years. He was living with my ex-daughter-in-law, her boyfriend and my ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I met a really nice guy a few weeks ago, and we've been getting along really well. We've been on a couple of dates, we text all the time and I'm starting to really like him. There's just one problem that I really cannot seem to get past: He has the same first name as my ex-boyfriend. Their name is kind of on the uncommon side, so...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the etiquette if you accidentally see someone naked -- say, in the house that you share?

I went to brush my teeth quite late at night, later than I am normally up, and my housemate threw open his door -- stark bollock naked -- to find the cat.

We each managed to stammer out a sorry as we went to different rooms, and ...Read more

Dear Readers: The issue of dealing with a narcissist in the family struck a chord and prompted a number of letters offering insights and advice. Most were pretty disheartening because narcissists rarely change. Here are two interesting ones:

Dear Annie: This is a message to the sister in distress because of the abusive behavior of her sister-...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been with the same man for almost 30 years. We are not married and have no children together. He is 15 years older than I am.

We have been living in his house for the past seven years. I feel more like a renter than a partner in this relationship. I give him money every month, and we sleep in separate rooms. He wants to ...Read more

Dear Annie: As a youth anti-tobacco advocate, I'm incredibly proud of our country's progress against tobacco. We've cut smoking among high school seniors by nearly 70% since 1997. I know we can make the next generation tobacco-free, but we've got a lot of work left to do.

Tobacco is still the No. 1 cause of preventable death in our country. It ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend's mother has been nice enough to let me rent out a room in her home. I've been staying with them for a few months now, and I pay only a few hundred dollars each month for rent -- a great deal considering I live in Los Angeles.

The only issue is my friend's older brother does not clean up after himself at all. We have ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Before the pandemic, I attended, along with a few other colleagues, a casual dinner party hosted by my boss. The six of us were gathered around the kitchen island, enjoying hors d'oeuvres and wine. I was drinking a glass of red.

My boss placed onto the island our buffet-style meal, including a bubbling macaroni-and-cheese ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 12 years. Overall, I think we have a great marriage. All marriages have an area where they struggle, and ours is children.

We were both married previously, and all of our children are from our previous marriages. But we consider them "ours." They still have relationships with the other ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My daughter is in her early 20s. When she was younger, she was happy. She socialized, had friends and had fun. She has had several boyfriends, but unfortunately, nothing that panned out.

She feels the only way to be comfortable or worth anything is to have a guy by her side. I think she goes about it in the wrong way. She has few ...Read more

Dear Annie: My oldest and youngest sisters are 10 years apart. They used to be good friends, but in the past three years, something apparently happened and now they can't stand to be in the same room together. At family events, the tension is awful. They can't talk to one another without condescension and sarcasm.

My parents and I are caught in...Read more