ArcaMax

The unmarried are in a global revolution, largely unheralded by our media, that has -- without fanfare but with unerring grace and dignity -- moved most of the world's developed countries to adopt laws giving them broad rights and protection. It is a sad irony that America, known for its pioneering spirit and respect for human rights, is still ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son is having a difficult time finding a job after graduating with his computer science degree. He graduated last May and still hasn't been able to land a job after applying to more than 400 job postings. He has been beside himself with anxiety, stress and embarrassment. Not being able to find a job has heavily affected his ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A friend is wearing me out. She and I belong to the same church and social circles, and are close to the same age. When she couldn't drive herself to church and other events due to health problems, I took her with me.

I soon found out that she seldom has a positive word to say about anyone or anything. She starts complaining ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am Jewish and have been dating a wonderful Catholic man for almost two years. We love each other and have started talking seriously about marriage. Until recently, our different religions did not seem like a problem. We respected each other's traditions, celebrated holidays with both families and never pressured one another to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My 33-year-old daughter is getting married, and the mothers have taken over her wedding plans. They want more than 200 guests, a full Catholic ceremony, fine wines, a full bar, plated dinner and a live band.

My daughter wants to please everyone but is not a practicing Catholic. She wants a small, intimate wedding with twinkling ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband asked me for a divorce and then a week later he said he changed his mind and wanted to stay with me. I now want to divorce him because that was such an odd change of heart that I don't think his motives to stay with me are good ones. He keeps telling me it was a mistake and he said it in a moment of weakness. He says ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Some months ago, you asked your readers for a way of addressing strangers whose gender is not obvious, but I have not seen the answer. We need it, so as to keep from insulting unknown people when we need to get their attention and don't want to say "Hey, you."

Didn't anyone have any ideas? Did you give up?

GENTLE READER: No;...Read more

Dear Annie: My father died two years ago after more than 50 years of marriage. Since then, my mother seems to have stopped living.

She spent her entire adult life caring for my father and raising our family. She rarely did anything just for herself. My father handled the finances, made most of the decisions and was the more social one.

Now ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My brother "Earl" and I always had a very bad relationship. When I was 6 and Earl was 13, he molested me. Actually, he took my virginity. My mother caught him but whipped both of us and told me I should have known better than to allow it to happen. Fast-forward to when I was 17. I woke up to find him lying in bed with me, stroking my ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My neighbor's child recently vandalized my fence and got caught lying about it. My husband and I have security cameras, so when we first saw the damage to the fence, we immediately went and checked them. We clearly saw our next-door neighbor's child do it purposely. We went over to their house and asked if anyone in the family ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I am sick, I need to rest and conserve my energy. I don't want visitors, as then I feel I have to host, perform and even offer food and drink when all I want to do is sleep.

I don't look presentable, and I shouldn't feel obligated to shave and shower to receive guests. I don't want them to see me in pajamas, unshaven, ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are at odds over whether to send our two children to sleepaway camp next summer. He went every year from the time he was 8 and talks about it as one of the happiest parts of his childhood. He says camp taught him independence, helped him make lifelong friends and gave him a confidence he never would have developed ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have friends who are kind, intelligent and warm. However, as we have spent more time with them, "Phyllis'" compulsive talking has become a real problem for us. She hijacks whichever one of us is sitting next to her and starts a monologue that goes on and on.

Phyllis doesn't even look at the person she's talking to ...Read more

It was a meeting-heavy week. They were mostly one-on-one, which I like best, but those tend to take the most effort. The morning of day three, bracing for more meetings and sitting outside a cafe with the creeping heat starting, I watched a mother and son walk past me into the shop. Cute, I thought. Then, a continuation: Even though those two ...Read more