ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: My 14-year-old nephew's teeth are rotting, and my brother and sister-in-law are choosing to ignore it instead of taking him to the dentist. My nephew had poor dental hygiene growing up and rarely brushed his teeth. Over the years, I have noticed that his dental health has gotten progressively worse, and now it has reached a point...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My cohort of parents does not want to be counted among those who neglected their children's education, so I am coming to you, the expert, for your list of important courtesies all children must learn and perform. I hope to encourage and inspire them in the teaching and modeling of manners to the next generation.

GENTLE READER...Read more

Dear Annie: I hesitate to write this because I've never seen anything like this subject in your column. I am a grown woman, mom and grandmother and still have a "blanky." When I come home from work and walk in my bedroom and see the piece of the silk end, I immediately feel relaxed. I know this sounds crazy, but it gives me comfort.

I wouldn'...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My friend "Ben" and I had many ups and downs in our 30-year friendship. Three years ago, we had one of our periodic blowouts and stopped speaking. I found out recently that he passed away a year later, and I was never informed. The obituary I found online does not mention a cause of death.

I wrote a letter of condolence to his wife, ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I had an amazing date with someone who's been interested in me for some time now. I was too scared to agree to a date before as I am only about one year out from getting divorced. My date picked me up for dinner and a movie, and it went so well we ended up getting drinks after and shutting down the bar! When he picked me up, he ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I attended a dinner party hosted by a couple who are new friends to me. The evening was lovely, save for one glaring issue: The hosts were constantly sniping and digging at each other.

Occasionally, this appeared to be in jest (although not actually very funny). Other times, they just seemed to really want to put one another ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are both in our 70s, and he's been pushing for us to sell the house and move into something smaller for over a year now. He's not wrong; it's more house than we need.

But we raised our three kids in this house. Every room has something in it -- the kitchen table my dad built, the height marks on the door frame, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a younger brother who has moved back to the area where the rest of our siblings live. He went for 30 years without keeping in close contact with anyone during that time. He's the youngest of 10 children, and our mother spoiled him rotten. He's in his 60s now and still acts like an immature spoiled child. Our father had to bail ...Read more

Once we fall in love, we tend to think it's the other person -- the beloved -- who is filling in the missing part of our emotional neediness and making us feel complete. Both sexes fall into that abyss and never fully recover. Sadly, we tend to look for a person who will make us feel like a real woman/man, totally fulfilled and whole. Well, ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I wanted to do something special for my mom, so I decided to surprise her with a vacation for her birthday. She loves to travel, so I thought it'd be a nice opportunity for the two of us to get away and bond. My mom and I are not as close as I would like us to be. When I was younger, my mom took the "I am your parent, not your ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Strolling through a state fair, a couple run into a national celebrity. Husband asks if he can take a picture of the celebrity and wife together.

He clicks the shutter as the celebrity places a hand on the buttocks of his wife. Impropriety or playful humor? Would it be an exaggeration to call this a groping?

GENTLE READER: ...Read more

Dear Annie: I go to the same nail salon every few weeks, and lately I've noticed something that is driving me crazy. Almost every time I'm there, someone is talking loudly on their cellphone, watching videos without headphones or having a FaceTime conversation while the rest of us are trying to relax.

At my last appointment, the woman next to...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm in love with an older woman. I'm 41, and she is about 35 years older. I have known her since I was a kid. She's the reason I always dated older women. I want to tell her how I feel, but I'm scared she'll be shocked, and I wouldn't want anyone else to find out my feelings, like her kids. I grew up with them.

We always enjoy our ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: For our whole lives, my cousin has had it so much easier than me. Our moms are sisters, and we were born only a year apart. Growing up, her family was significantly wealthier and more connected than mine. As a result, she went to Harvard and became a dermatologist, and her husband got super rich from selling a tech company he ...Read more