ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: My ex-husband remarried a little while ago, and they eventually had a child. He and I share two kids from our marriage.

My oldest is starting to realize that the new child is getting a lot more attention than he did from his dad growing up. My oldest is in his late 20s now, so it seems kind of random for him to be harping on ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a slightly built young woman, and I often become terrified when confronted by (what appear to me to be) aggressive and rude older men.

Such men have confronted me twice about supposed infractions like jumping a line, which I've never done. In the first instance, the man's daughter jumped to my defense. However, in the ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a mom and have been married for nearly six years. But for the past few years, my husband and I have not been on the same path. We can't communicate without fighting, bickering, arguing, etc. Our sex life has been nonexistent. And I have tried talking and suggesting that we do more things together. I have even tried losing ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband's dad, Adam, is very mellow and can talk to anyone. His mom, Eve, is friendly, but a little more reserved.

Early in their marriage, Adam was a drinker, and my mother-in-law has never forgiven him for the way he treated her during that time. She has always treated him disrespectfully, but as they get older, it's becoming ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have been married for five years and we have two children. In the past year, she has been exceptionally critical and unloving.

I work full time. I also cook every meal, do all of the laundry, clean the house, do the grocery shopping and help with the children. My wife works from home as a private tutor. She pays the ...Read more

No, dear readers, this has nothing to do with exercises. At least not the physical kind. This has to do with attitude and making a relationship (of any kind) run smoothly, with very (very) few flare-ups. That's got to be of interest, since this is a world of many voices and too little calm, rational compromise.

That C word used to bring terror ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My brother has been really depressed lately and is gaining a lot of weight as a result. I've noticed him eating a lot and not exercising at all. It's been gradual; since last November, he's been slowly gaining more and more weight. I think losing our great-aunt may have triggered this depression. They were very close, and he ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I was in line at the post office, a woman stood directly behind me instead of on the plainly marked circle 6 feet away. I asked her politely to move back to the marker -- not once, but twice.

I was furious when she did not move back. She was less than 12 inches away from me. What else could I have done without causing a ...Read more

Dear Annie: A few months ago, someone wrote to you about how uncomfortable the bad manners of children of a relative made her feel at large family gatherings and dinners. I read your column faithfully and did not see any readers' suggestions printed in the following weeks.

Of course, large family gatherings have not happened this past year ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My best friend (since we were babies) and I are having a disagreement. She had two kids when she was 16 and 17 who are now in their early 20s. One of them still lives rent-free under her roof.

My friend struggled her whole life but got a college degree, bought a house five years ago and owns two cars all on her own. She has recently ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a middle school student, and I signed up for drama at the beginning of the semester. I've been working really hard at it.

The problem is, I failed one of my classes (out of seven). Because of that, I am not allowed to participate in drama. I have a speaking role with 17 lines and I don't think they can replace me in such a ...Read more

At my boyfriend's recent high school alumni gathering, it came to light that he had bullied a student (holding his head in the toilet, etc.). We've been together for almost two years and have discussed marriage. However, I'm truly unsettled that he was capable of committing such awful acts. It makes me feel that I no longer truly know who he ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I've been around the same church community for practically my entire life. I'm moving to a new town where I know hardly anyone, so I'm going to have to find a new church family. I have no idea where to begin since I don't have any connections in the new town. I'm in my late 20s, and I want to find a young church with traditional ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My classical guitar society meets online now, which is nice because we now have people involved who live around the world.

It's not so nice, however, when one of our participants performs from his bedroom, where we get to see his unmade bed, the dresser drawers partially open, and this week, a pair of used underwear.

I know ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm married to a wonderful man, and we have four beautiful children. However, since COVID-19 started, we discovered that we have underlying issues within our relationship. For example, he isn't the best person to communicate with. Among other things, I discovered his liking of porn, and I'm not happy about it. I have expressed my ...Read more