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When Pregnancy Tests Relationships
Dear Annie: I'm struggling badly with something that occurred over a week and a half ago. I'm a mom. My son is 15. I've been dating a man for two years now, but I've known him for over six. He has no kids and has always expressed his interest in becoming a dad.
A year ago, we decided to try for a baby, but I was a bit hesitant considering my ...Read more
Ask Amy: Siblings’ estrangement is a tangle over money
Dear Amy: My brother and I are both in our 70s. We've only spoken once in the last three years.
We lived miles apart for much of our lives, but still kept in touch.
After our father passed, our mother sold their home. My father had previously told my brother that when they sold the house, he wanted to give a certain amount of money to each of ...Read more
Newlyweds Butt Heads Over Career And Family Choices
DEAR ABBY: I am a teacher. I have a young son, and I love being off when he is out for school holidays and spending summers together. I feel I have the best of both worlds. I recently married a woman who is 14 years younger than me and is also a teacher. My wife hates the profession. She feels it isn't exciting or respectable enough. Her ...Read more
Daughter Upset When Parents Cut Her Off
DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband and I have recently made a decision that's caused a lot of tension in our family, particularly with our 22-year-old daughter. She now has a stable full-time job, and we've decided to cut off her financial support completely. Understandably, she's extremely upset about this. We've always striven to provide for our ...Read more
Yes, Tattoos Are Now Ok At Many Workplaces
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My 27-year-old granddaughter says most people her age have tattoos, and don't even cover them up at work.
Is this the new norm? I thought legitimate businesses made employees cover them up.
GENTLE READER: There are two things here that Miss Manners would like to avoid: finding out what you believe constitutes a "legitimate ...Read more
Newlywed Notices Husband's Attention Drifting
DEAR HARRIETTE: I got married to my husband about seven months ago after dating him for five years, and while I expected some adjustments in our relationship, I've been feeling a significant shift lately. It seems like my husband is pulling away, and it's leaving me feeling confused and insecure. Before we got married, we were so connected and ...Read more
No Good Can Come From Discussing This Further
DEAR MISS MANNERS: A 30-year friendship with my neighbor was threatened when he sent my wife an overt text message expressing his feelings for her. She was flabbergasted, and responded by simply stating, "I love my husband." He then texted back "I'm sorry."
Now a week has passed, and he has not apologized to either of us in person or provided ...Read more
Having Fun Beyond the Party Scene
Dear Annie: I've always disliked house parties. During the first ones I'd been invited to, I had to leave early due to the loud music, vulgar dancing and drunk classmates -- an environment that would only make me feel anxious, disgusted and sick.
I thought this feeling would wear off and I'd eventually be able to integrate and have fun just ...Read more
Ask Amy: Sex offender lives in the neighborhood
Dear Amy: I have a neighbor who was previously convicted of a sexual offense involving a “child.” He served time in jail.
I don’t know the exact circumstances, but I do understand that the term “child” may include a person as young as an infant and as old as a teenager.
The sexual offender is married with two young children.
I know ...Read more
Three's More Than A Crowd For This Tiny Apartment
DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend is 18 years younger than I am. Our relationship hasn't been perfect, but I love him to death. Unfortunately, I'm going through menopause and have all the side effects. Long story short, he found another girl. It was just supposed to be for sex, and he told me he wouldn't get into another relationship or marry anyone but ...Read more
Lender Wants To Ask For Money Back From Boyfriend
DEAR HARRIETTE: Is it considered inappropriate or unreasonable if I request money back that my boyfriend borrowed? I know that there is a fine line between borrowing and giving, especially in a relationship. My boyfriend bought a car but then faced a layoff due to low profits at his workplace. Over a period of four months, I covered his car ...Read more
Break Room Conversation Shouldn't Be This Stressful
DEAR MISS MANNERS: During a casual conversation with a co-worker in the break room, another colleague entered in a hurry. We often share friendly banter about a sports team, and a significant event had occurred with the team the night before.
Wanting to make a quick comment to the second co-worker, I excused myself from the first. However, what...Read more
New Love Amid Grief: Navigating Timelines
Dear Annie: I am a 45-year-old man, and I was married for 17 years to my lovely wife until her untimely death a year ago. My wife and I have three children, one of whom is from her previous relationship. I love her so much, and when she passed, I was heartbroken and severely depressed.
Recently, an old girlfriend from my teenage years reached ...Read more
Ask Amy: Daughter pays for mother’s abusive behavior
Dear Amy: Have I been gaslighted?
My mother was a difficult person. She was often not nice to my sister-in-law.
I admired my SIL for taking the high road and for being respectful toward my mother, and I told her so many times.
I bumped heads big time with my mother, too, but had a good last six years when she moved near me and dementia ...Read more
Two Daughters Make Clear Whose Side They've Taken
DEAR ABBY: I have been divorced for nine years. Before that I was a stay-at-home mom raising four children. I had an in-home business, and most of the money went to our family's needs.
My husband became an alcoholic 20 years into our 28-year marriage. After we divorced, my two adult daughters abandoned me because I receive spousal support from ...Read more
Single File: The New Look of Love
The days are waning when women make financial clout the main prerequisite for serious interest in a man. No longer economically second-class (if not financially whole, at least with more earning potential and hope than ever), women are asking something different from men. They're insisting that their love object recognize and actively nurture ...Read more
Erika Ettin: Keep your conversation on the dating app… until the date
I am known for saying texting is the “death of a first date” (morbid, I know… but true), and I stand by it. What I mean by that is this: Once numbers are exchanged, if you haven’t already set up the details of the date (time/date/location), then there is now a 65% chance of the date no longer happening. Here’s why:
- Someone simply ...Read more
Ask Anna: Mastering the art of being happily single
Dear Anna,
I'm a 28-year-old woman who has recently ended a long-term relationship. Over the past five years, I've gone from one relationship to another, hardly giving myself any time to breathe and truly be on my own. My last relationship ended about three months ago, and for the first time, I'm consciously deciding not to rush into another ...Read more
Cousin Allows Family To Stay In Cramped Apartment
DEAR HARRIETTE: My cousin "Sheila" agreed to split the rent with me when she moved into my apartment, with me covering the entire deposit. Our apartment has two rooms, one for my fiance and me, and the other for Sheila and her boyfriend. I am a person with a physical disability and constant need of a wheelchair, so the limited space in the ...Read more
'hello, Joe! I Just Called To Complain About Joe'
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have been mortified, twice, by close friends while talking on the phone. They each told a story about another friend who repeatedly annoys them with a certain behavior. It was only later that I realized they were talking about me!
What does Miss Manners think of this way of criticizing a friend?
GENTLE READER: That your ...Read more
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