ArcaMax

Dear Readers: Yes, this column is a rerun. But because the concept (and the reality) is very much on our minds today (and rightfully so), it deserves another go-around. So here's the letter as it was written, and your reactions are mightily welcome. (For obvious reasons, the writer's name is omitted.) She's a thoughtful reader whose musings may ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son is in his 40s and throws temper tantrums! Any little thing can set him off. It's so bad that his son asks him if he's mad, fearing that something has set him off. He is going to marriage counseling and admits he has a temper, but nothing changes.

When he loses it, he becomes like a different person. His eyes glaze over, and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My father has been mostly absent from my life. We reconnected when I was an adult. I have always had feelings of abandonment, and because of this, I have constantly tried to build a relationship with him and allow him to have one with his grandchildren.

Dad met my friend of 10 years, Danielle, two months ago when I threw him a ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son lives in California and is going to marry a local girl in the fall. Our entire family lives in the Midwest. My husband and I, along with our daughter's family, will attend. But I know it is far too expensive for any of my relatives to be there.

Should they receive invitations even though we know they can't come? I don't want ...Read more

I've been dating this guy for a month. Things with him are really average. However, we met through a mutual guy friend, and I'm actually really into that guy. Could my staying with the guy I'm seeing spark jealousy in the friend and lead him to make a play for me?

--Wrong Place

Sext your boyfriend and ask him to forward it to his friend...Read more

Dear Annie: I understand what "Unable To Open Up" is saying. I was never able to communicate with my parents. It carried over into my marriage and caused problems.

My suggestion is for him to write down his thoughts and feelings before he meets with the counselor. I have found that I can put thoughts into words on paper better than I can ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: This is an open letter to all those women who write to you knowing their men cheated on them and then ask, Should I marry him? In their hearts they already know the answer; they just want YOU to tell them NO!

My mother saw my fiance's car around town, parked at various churches and parking lots. He parked there so I wouldn't see ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for three years and lived together for 15 years before that. Sex has always been difficult. Last week, I found him masturbating outside in the backyard.

What should I do? Should I consult a doctor? My husband refuses to talk about it at all. --

Dear Need: If sex has been an issue for the past 18 ...Read more

Dear Annie: Please help me with a problem I'm having at home. I'm a 15-year-old girl still living at home, and my mother is insisting that I go to her OB-GYN doctor, who is a man. She has already made an appointment for a few months from now.

I am a very modest person and have never had an intimate exam by a male doctor, and the thought of it...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I had a boyfriend for two years until a few days ago. He's a 40-year-old easygoing paraplegic (from a car accident long before I met him), and I'm an easygoing 36-year-old woman with two kids from a previous marriage.

We had a great connection, a similar outlook on life and had the same interests in pretty much everything. He adored ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 13-year-old boy, and I'm too embarrassed to talk to my parents about this.

I have been best friends with "Danny" since the first grade. We are like brothers. A few weeks ago, Danny and I were at my house, and he said he had something to tell me but was afraid of my reaction. I finally got him to confess that he thinks he is ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was lucky enough to make several wonderful friends in college a decade ago, and a number of them are still in my life. A kindred spirit amongst them moved to the same city as I did after we graduated, and we conquered and failed our way through the many obstacles of our early adult lives. We were like a living, breathing Taylor ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband barely speaks to me. We both work full time and are facing the empty nest very soon. At home, I have to initiate even the smallest of small talk. He'll never say Good morning or ask How was your day? Although I work hard to keep the house the way he likes it, he speaks up only to criticize the few times I don't meet his ...Read more

Dear Annie: A year ago, my husband's grown daughter announced that she would be getting married this summer. She has lived in another state since her graduation from college five years ago. Despite heated conversations, she decided to marry there, saying her friends' attendance is more important than having her family there.

Her father has ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a senior woman. Recently, my husband, our adult son and my caregiver have been bullying me.

It began when I witnessed inappropriate behavior between the caregiver and my husband. When I confronted my husband about it, he denied the obvious transgressions and instead verbally abused me. My son piled on and added to the verbal ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've had an 18-year-old girlfriend for six months (I'm 24). She's a sweet girl who's caring, thoughtful and respectful. Every day typically goes well, and we never argue about anything -- except for when it comes to her health.

She is terrified of dentists and doctors. I used to be as well. But I have tried repeatedly to make her ...Read more