ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am in the process of moving and have come to the realization that I have too much stuff. I'm aware that I need to throw some things away; however, I feel selfish getting rid of things. I don't come from a lot of money and often feel like getting rid of things is just throwing money away. By no means am I a hoarder or live in ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have an unusual first name. When I am introduced to a new acquaintance, often they will make a comment. When the comment is, "What a pretty name!" or "How lovely!" it is easy to respond with, "Thank you."

But when the comment is, "Oh that's different," how does one respond? "Yes" seems a bit weak.

GENTLE READER: Well, it's...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently cleaned out my mother's house after she moved into assisted living, and I thought the hardest part would be the boxes. I was wrong. The hardest part was realizing that every drawer held a memory, and every memory came with a decision.

There were birthday cards she had saved from 1987, chipped coffee mugs from family ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married 12 years, and we were together five years before getting married. He's an alcoholic who has been sober for several years, but he wants to argue about everything. He has anger issues, possibly because he was in the military. His health is bad, too.

I have reached a breaking point and am thinking ...Read more

I consumed a lot of horror movies during my teen years. For a couple of my friends, my room became the hub where we watched the standard fare of slashers, munched on overly processed snacks, and critiqued the characters' decisions as they ran for their lives. We, of course, would make better, smarter decisions. Ah, to know more as a teenager.

...Read more

Dear Annie: Every year, around Memorial Day, I tell myself this will be the summer we slow down. I picture lazy mornings, dinners outside, long walks after sunset and maybe even reading a book that is not interrupted every three minutes.

Then somehow, by the second week of June, my calendar looks like it was planned by a cruise director with ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My nana is a gossip. It doesn't matter what type of boundaries you try to establish -- she will inevitably cross them and say something she shouldn't. My mom has a complicated relationship with her, not talking to her as often as my nana deems appropriate. Due to this, my nana assumes and makes up reasons and scenarios. I try not...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: In my senior year of high school, I got pregnant, and back in those times, I was not allowed to graduate. I married my child's father and raised two children with him. We were divorced many years later, mostly because we had not finished growing up when we married.

I did go on to attend classes at a local community college, ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for over 20 years. When we met, we had both already lost our parents. During all our time together, my husband's younger brother has spent Christmas at our home -- even after we got married and he got married, after we moved out of state and had children (now 17 and 20), and after he and his wife ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My boss doesn't set boundaries between work and our personal lives. I adore her, but the job is very stressful and comes first. She recently became engaged, and I don't know how to accept her husband-to-be. When we're all together, he's constantly on his cellphone or makes mean-spirited jabs at my husband over sports. We can't all ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend is currently not talking to me after we got into a huge argument over who should drive. He's usually the driver, but I wanted to take the wheel for the day, which set him off. He feels like I do not let him play his role as a man in our relationship and that I'm often overstepping boundaries. I do not think it's that...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A friend told me he had been contacted by his former college roommate. Clyde and Stan are in their 60s and live in different states. They have remained good friends since college, and see each other sporadically at informal reunions of their large group of common college friends.

Stan's daughter is getting married and he is ...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister and I have not spoken in three years following a falling-out over our mother's estate. I won't rehash the details -- suffice it to say, neither of us came out looking entirely clean. We were never close growing up, but we were friendly enough as adults, and I miss that.

Last month, she sent me a card for my birthday. No ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have scheduled a long road trip with another couple. All four of us are retired with a zest to explore. We share common interests, enjoy each other's company and intend to share the driving. The catch is, we recently experienced the erratic driving of the other gentleman, and my wife is understandably unwilling to be in ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I need a change. I've lived in the same city my entire life and have the same friends I've always had. I even attended college in my hometown, thinking it would give me an advantage because I didn't need to readjust to a new setting. Although it allowed me to focus on my academics, I feel like I am limiting my growth by not ...Read more