ArcaMax

DEAR READERS: A couple of years ago, a friend of mine lent me a pair of pants. Soon after the occasion, I stopped by to visit her and totally forgot to bring her pants with me. I admitted my mistake, and then she told me I could keep them because they don't fit her well. A few days ago, she reached out asking for her pants, and when I made a ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I frequently attend team lunches and dinners with my immediate department members, both supervisors and associates. These dining experiences are mostly personal affairs and come after a week of hard teamwork.

We work in an industry where we will be in one location for a few months, and then move on to another city. We all get...Read more

Dear Annie: After dating a guy who turned out to be a narcissist, my question is, how can I heal? I've tried everything, and I've even felt like I'm over it and I'm OK, but then I have my days. It's like grieving.

I fell in love with this man, and feel like I let my guard down way too soon, only to be disappointed. Yes, he pursued me heavily, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Please help me move forward. My brother-in-law is dating a woman my husband was intimate with once before we were married. It makes family functions very awkward for me, but most of the family sees it as the past. It was the past, but it is now in our faces. My husband feels the same way.

Do we just keep the peace and stay away from ...Read more

This is more than an exercise; this is a commandment! You absolutely must make being good to yourself a daily event. And very few people, even those closest to you, can even begin to know what that means; even that inner circle can't read your mind. No, only you can give yourself what you need to grow and thrive. But now that I've got your ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: When my husband and I first got married, we started off in Georgia. He wanted to go to medical school and was accepted to a school in Virginia. At this point, we already had our first child, but I wanted him to have the opportunity to achieve his dream, so I stayed in Georgia, and he went to Virginia. Along his med school journey...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I do a lot of recreational traveling. In some cases, we take local tours. I'm finding that these tours often include a significant number of comments using America as a source of ridicule.

How should I handle this? Just stand there and be humiliated?

GENTLE READER: There are three general approaches in the ...Read more

Dear Annie: One of my good female friends graduated from a rival college of mine. We love talking smack about who has a better football team. When her school loses games, I gloat. One time this year, I said her school had zero chance of winning against my school. I did this level of trash-talking for two months, practically daily.

She said that...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 51-year-old mother and grandmother whose kids don't talk to me. The reason: My son, "Aaron," was sexually assaulted by his friend, "Eli," and I told him his friend was no longer allowed to come over. I spoke to Eli's mother. She told me she'd take care of it and agreed the two shouldn't hang out. They were both underage at the ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter got married about a year ago and moved to New Jersey with her husband. He is from there, and his whole family lives in New Jersey as well. I have always been close with my daughter, so this has been a difficult transition for me because I live in Ohio. However, what has been even more difficult is how my daughter has ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I went to stay with a dear friend of many years who had moved several states away. Never having stayed at her house before, I was dismayed to find that the television in the main living area was on ALL the time.

The political views expressed were very extreme. It was also very loud, because her husband is hard of hearing. I ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been with a man off and on for seven years. He is my best friend, and I can't live without him. A few years ago, he stole my stimulus check of $1,200, and he brought other women home, claiming he was only doing business with them.

He doesn't have a job. I'm paying all the bills by myself, and I'm struggling. I have my own ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My grandson "Ethan" and his fiancee lived with his mother until four years ago. When they moved out, they decided not to give his parents their new address. It has been several years since my daughter has seen her son. Apparently, they occasionally text.

Ethan was married seven months ago. He didn't invite his parents as he felt they...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have three adult grandchildren I love and adore. Unfortunately, when they were growing up, I didn't see them often; they lived three hours away from my husband, so I saw them only for the holidays. Now that they are adults, all three of them have moved across the country, which makes the three hours seem like nothing. I regret ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: In my high-rise condominium building, I must leave my flat and travel (generally via carpeted hallways and elevators) to various common areas in the building to deposit trash and collect mail. The whole building, including all common areas, has a single, guarded entrance, through which only residents and guests may pass.

What...Read more