ArcaMax

A woman in my town was slapped for asking someone to wear a mask. As it plays out nowadays, outrage immediately happened on both sides.

The early reporting gave her side of the story, chiefly because she stayed at Walgreens to report the slapper to the police. I was shocked because this is "my" store, the closest one for those 2 a.m. ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am really tired of all this negative news about "broken" families. I raised my two children, and we were not "broken." It is time for single parents (mostly mothers) to band together. I could have made three times as much as I did had I taken those jobs that took me away from my children. We just lived on what I made, not on what...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I recently lost my mom. It was very sudden. We were extremely close, and she was the most wonderful grandmother to my children. My mother-in-law and my husband have a strained relationship that I have struggled to navigate for years. I have always reached out to her and made sure she sees the grandchildren.

I have been a little lost ...Read more

Dear Annie: After living and working for 35 years in a large city, my husband and I were able to return to our hometown to help care for our elderly parents. I reconnected with a high school friend who asked me to work part-time in her large, nationally known family business.

One of my duties is to assist my friend with media relations, ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband has a long history of being unfaithful to me. He says that it isn't cheating because he can't help himself. I've forgiven him five times.

Recently, I discovered that he's been going to a website where a girl talks to him on a webcam. In exchange for their virtual time together, he buys her jewelry, clothes and other ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a daughter-in-law I love to pieces and would never intentionally hurt in any way. I recently had contact with my son's ex-girlfriend, Kayley. She had seen me at church with them, contacted me and came by our house for a visit.

She and my son were very young when they dated (high school) and haven't spoken to each other ...Read more

Dear Readers: Happy Fourth of July! Here's one of our favorite pieces, originally written in 1955 as a public relations advertisement for the Norfolk and Western Railway company magazine (now the Norfolk Southern Corporation) and updated in 1976. Although some of the statistics have changed over the years, the sentiment remains the same:

"I Am ...Read more

Dear Annie: Your column is part of my morning ritual. I have three grandchildren, and they're all approaching the age where they'll be learning how to drive. Our adult children are now 48, 44 and 41. Some years ago, when they were learning how to drive, I came across John Violette's "Contract for Drivers," clipped it, and stowed it away. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 60-year-old woman. My house is on a corner lot. Just about every time I walk outside, a male neighbor of mine stares at me. He looks like a hobo.

I felt bad for him, so when he came to the edge of his yard, I asked him from my deck how he was doing because of the quarantine. He responded by telling me to wear a dress because he...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently broke up with my boyfriend of two years. I had been having doubts for a few months and one night he took me out for a surprise picnic. On the way to the picnic, I thought he was going to propose and the only thought I had was: "How do I tell him no?"

We had a great relationship, but I'm not sure he's the one I want to ...Read more

Dear Annie: With this pandemic and people out of work, this might be a good way to get a few people back to work AND to save a ton of money. Both small and large businesses need to purge their mailing lists. I get mail from places I may have sent for a catalog years ago but haven't done business with them for many years. I have even cut off ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have met the most remarkable woman, but after eight months of serious dating, I have realized that she has the worst and most manipulating 10-year-old daughter ever. She constantly claims sickness, and now even mental health issues like anxiety and panic disorder, although they have never been formally diagnosed, to prevent her ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am gay. Two years ago, my partner of 34 years told me that my brother-in-law had touched her breasts inappropriately. I didn't believe her and we had a huge fight over it. She never confronted him or told my sister, and she has continued to socialize with my family.

Last weekend, we attended my niece's graduation, and much to my ...Read more

Sounds a bit corny celebrating your own unmarried state, but trust me not to burden you with same-old, same-old stuff. We may not always agree on things, you and moi, but it's a safe bet we'll learn something from each other most of the time. Take, for example, trumpeting your own singleness. At first reading, it may sound like outsize weirdity ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was reading "Don't Call Me 'Dear'" and wanted to give you my two cents' worth. I am a woman, 72 years old. If someone calls you "dear," "sweetie," "sweetheart" or something like this, you should take it as a compliment. This applies whether the person doing the calling is a woman or a man, and it doesn't matter if the person is a...Read more