ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I've been married for 36 years. The first 20 were loving, but the past 16 have deteriorated to the point of despair.

My husband, "John," is now 68. Though once athletic and active, John is now frail and weak. He complains of chronic headaches and a host of other physical ailments, and worst of all, he suffers from major bouts of ...Read more

Dear Annie: I grew up with a sister who had substance abuse problems. While I studied hard, "Carla" dropped out of school and led a life of partying. My parents always made sure she was well provided for. Every time they gave her something expensive, my mother would say, "Don't worry, you will get the same in my will."

Then one day, my parents ...Read more

Dear Annie: Many years ago, my wife and I lived near my parents. After three years of putting up with their too frequent and always unannounced visits, we moved slightly farther away. My Dad is the worst offender. Mom caters to his every whim. Dad is extremely selfish and really never cares whether he intrudes.

After we moved, the drop-in ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a teenager in the northwest. Recently, I contracted a kidney infection that was painful and needed treatment. I didn't know what I had and wasn't familiar with the symptoms, so the only thing I said to my parents was that I didn't feel well. After a few days, it got so bad that I had to go to the emergency room. I was given a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a question about forced touching. Let's say an 8-year-old doesn't want to hug her uncle or give Grandma a kiss. Do you force the kid to do it? Do you badger, threaten and make a fuss?

I'm wondering about this because if you tell your kid, "You have to give this person a hug" or "You have to shake their hand," aren't you ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 55 years old and have worked at my job for 25 years. A couple of years ago, the company hired a 26-year-old guy. I have been patient, but I am reaching the end of my rope.

"Justin" cannot remember what was said the minute he hangs up the telephone. He doesn't pay attention to what he is doing. He lies all the time, and we all ...Read more

Dear Annie: My 27-year-old son, "Scott," is married with one child. Twelve years ago, Scott's mother and I divorced, and I think he is still angry about it. My ex-wife and I have both remarried, but Scott wants little to do with either of us.

Scott rarely visits. If we want to see our grandson, we have to go to his place. They did show up for ...Read more

Dear Annie: I desperately need your help. I thoroughly love my solitude. I love to garden, cook, sew and read. I grill every few weeks and make it a fantastic outdoor experience just for me.

I could hardly wait to retire so I could finally enjoy myself completely. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. Between my neighbors, relatives and ...Read more

Dear Annie: My family is very conservative, and they are rather religious Christians. For the past seven years, I have known that I am gay. I tried dating boys to please my parents, but it just didn't feel right. During my senior year of high school, I went out with a few girls, but I was still very much in the closet. Now that I'm in college, ...Read more

Dear Annie: What do you do when your husband controls the money? I'm 68 years old, and for the past 10 years, "Robert" has paid the bills and has hidden the checkbook from me.

Robert told me I need to pay my own bills. He has a retirement income, and he still works. I receive Social Security. I have always been thrifty, and although I have a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I don't know how much longer I can handle my daughter and her family living in our home. Five years ago, they came here intending to stay "a few months."

My husband is ill, and he is extremely uncomfortable having no privacy and being limited to our bedroom for days at a time. I try to be kind, but I am still grieving the loss of my...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband, "Clark," and I have been married for 47 years. We both have Facebook accounts. A year ago, Clark became friends with "Toni," an ex-girlfriend from his late-teen years. I am my husband's third wife. Toni has been married at least twice, maybe three times. I've lost track.

The problem is, Clark and Toni were chatting and "...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband hoards cars and is too lazy to fix them. Now he is lying about money, saying, "Oh, this is set aside to fix the cars." But I know he is frittering it away and wasting his time. He always has excuses about why he can't fix the cars, but if that's the case, why hang on to them?

We have more than 10 cars on our lot, and only...Read more

Dear Annie: I am unable to develop feelings of love for my husband of eight years. In fact, deep inside, I despise him.

This is my second marriage, his fourth. In our early years together, I began to notice obvious signs of his having an intimate relationship with another woman. He always refuted this vehemently and became angry with me for ...Read more

Dear Annie: As a geriatrician, I know how thrilled patients are when they are released from the hospital and how upsetting it is to be readmitted a few weeks, or even just days, later.

One in five older patients is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of leaving it. Each year, these repeat hospital visits add billions of dollars to ...Read more

Dear Annie: Two years ago, I married my best friend. I've been with her for 10 years. She has two teenage children from a previous marriage. When we all moved in together nine years ago, there were a few struggles, but I felt they were not unusual and we could overcome them.

But now it's worse. I believe part of the problem is that my wife does...Read more

Dear Annie: Money is a constant issue in our house. I need my wife to quit her part-time job at a superstore and find one with a better salary. She knows this. But every time I bring it up, she gets angry and defensive and says that I am calling her lazy. I am totally not saying that. She's a hard worker.

We have a total of $50 in savings. We ...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend's parents are truly wonderful people, but they have taught their son to rely solely on them. He is in his 50s, and they still pay his bills and give him loans, often for "toys" rather than something necessary. I am self-sufficient. I borrow money from no one, pay my bills and am on a limited budget.

I knew my boyfriend ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a junior in high school. I thought everything would happen this year -- the great friends, the boyfriend, etc. On all of the TV shows, the juniors are having boys over, getting drunk, going on dates, having sex and so much more. I know my life isn't a TV show, but I'm no different than last year.

I want a boyfriend. I want to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 18, and my parents recently went through a messy divorce. First my mom moved out. Then my dad moved out a month later because Mom didn't want him living in our house. She wanted to move back in.

I have an older sister and a younger brother. Mom tried to convince us that she missed being with us. But since she moved back in, she ...Read more