ArcaMax

ATTENTION "SINGLE FILE(R)" EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WAS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED IN 2018. THANK YOU. -- CREATORS

Family Councils (Part 1)

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 ...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

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My friend and I were invited to a costume party, so that means I had to make or rent a costume. The woman who was hosting told everyone to bring a beverage and a gag gift.

This might have been OK, but she also said every guest had to pay $5 to attend. We are not teens or college kids, we are all adults.

I feel that if you ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son and his wife have been married for 11 years, and my daughter-in-law, age 31, has struggled with alcoholism, depression and anxiety for the past six years. She's also attempted suicide a few times in the past three years. She is under the care of a psychiatrist. But who knows whether she is telling him the truth? She also is a ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a single male who's happy with his life, with plenty of friends and family. My issue is what I endure during the holidays. Every year, I'm invited over to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I look forward to seeing family that I only see once or twice a year.

These get-togethers usually consist of 15 to 25 people. Yet, other than ...Read more

Dear Annie: I met my boyfriend, "Tyler," almost six years ago. For the past two years, I've been wondering whether he truly loves me. There is very little physical contact between us. We're intimate maybe once a year. If I try to touch him at night, he pulls away, even if my foot just brushes against his. He only kisses me and says he loves me ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My twin sister and her husband are expecting their first child. I run a small business with my father. Although I work hard, neither of them seems to see or acknowledge my efforts. They consider me to be "sponging" off my father. They also disapprove of my relationship with my boyfriend because we have chosen to remain unmarried and ...Read more