Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Dear Carolyn:

I'm a newlywed and sometimes I get unnerved (by problems in other marriages). Is it stupid to ask how not to end up in a bad situation? I love my husband very much and I would really like...

Dear Carolyn:

I have a longtime friend who I once considered a "best friend." We connect at the heart, and have relied on each other a lot over the years.

Several years back, she went through a tough professional transition and completely cut...

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Dear Carolyn:

Our son's 5th birthday is next week. A birthday party will make for an enormous amount of presents, and we have this problem at Christmas, too. This year, I would like to have our son ...

Dear Carolyn:

I live with my boyfriend in his elderly mom's paid-for vacation home. She comes to visit a few times a year for a few days each time, and we are expected to provide meals and entertain her. I'm totally OK with this. When she's ...

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Dear Carolyn:

My wife is an avid reader and enjoys a lot of different types of books. Among them are series usually geared towards teenagers, like "The Hunger Games" or "Twilight." Before the premier ...

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Dear Carolyn:

My parents are getting divorced, which wouldn't have surprised me 10 or 20 years ago, but by now I thought they were fine with the status quo. How do I begin to build a (long-distance) ...