ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I am an attractive 30-something female who began experiencing thinning hair in my late 20s due to a thyroid disorder. Many women have the confidence to accept their hair loss and do nothing to hide it. I admire that. However, for me, it contributes to embarrassment, low self-esteem and a lack of confidence.

When I started wearing ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been with my boyfriend for eight years and find that I'm not as happy as I used to be. But we have a child together, which makes it harder to decide what to do.

For the past few years, I have been talking to another man. Nothing has happened between us, but we are very attracted to each other. We hang out occasionally, and I ...Read more

Dear Annie: "Daniel" and I have been going out for six months. We really connect and feel as if we are meant to be together. There is only one problem.

One of our best friends, "Jordan," has developed strong feelings for me. I found out he's felt this way since before I began dating Daniel. When Daniel found out, he was outraged and felt ...Read more

Dear Annie: Six years ago, my 54-year-old divorced sister, "Sue," decided to move in with my parents because she was afraid to live by herself. At the time, Sue had a part-time job and my parents were in good health. Within a year, however, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Mom developed heart problems.

The other day I visited Mom,...Read more

Dear Annie: When a person says "no," what does it mean? Some men just don't get it. Or do they believe it really means "yes"?

I have a wonderful friend, "Homer," and I love him dearly, but I am not "in love" with him. We are both in our 80s and widowed, and I thought it was nice to have him as a friend. But Homer's kisses are getting too ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been seeing "Bud" for a year. He lives in a trailer park and has a 23-year-old daughter who is on Bud's checking account and charge cards. This girl insists that her mother (Bud's ex-wife) spend weekends at the trailer, so Bud spends those weekends at my house. He will not tell his daughter no.

This has put some stress on our...Read more

Dear Annie: My college-age daughter is very hard on herself. "Sharyn" is a beautiful, intelligent and wonderful person at heart, but she cannot see it, even though everyone else does.

For 12 years, Sharyn has been in some form of therapy. She has damaged herself, starved herself and even run away. As a child, she was "different," and so she ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to an amazing woman for two years. I work away from home, and she manages to take care of everything and work full time. She also is a caregiver for her mother, and for this reason, we have decided to put off having children.

I have a 4-year-old son with my ex. I pay regular child support, but until recently, I...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister, "Lena," has been a problem for decades. She abused her children physically and continues to abuse the rest of the family emotionally. She is haughty and manipulative and lies to everyone. Her own kids want nothing to do with her.

I am the last person left in the family who talks to Lena. She constantly expects me to run...Read more

Dear Annie: My fiance, "Clyde," and I have been together for three years. We have a great relationship. We have lived together for two years, and my 5-year-old considers him "Dad."

Clyde is divorced and has two daughters, 16 and 18. His marriage was destructive and abusive, yet he still goes to his ex-wife's house three times a week to see ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a middle-aged man who has been divorced for four years. I am currently a caregiver for my mother, so I don't get out much. I've taken to many social media sites as a way to meet people with similar interests and have developed several relationships, purely platonic, with women I've met online. I also started an on-again, off-...Read more

Dear Annie: My fiance and I cut corners for four years so we could have a nice wedding. We didn't ask either set of parents for money, and they didn't offer. We're footing the entire bill, including the formal wear for the attendants.

The problem is my 34-year-old socially awkward sister, "Allie." Allie was hospitalized 20 years ago when she ...Read more

Dear Annie: My parents divorced acrimoniously when my siblings and I were young. My brother, "Tim," was a difficult child and was arrested when he was 11. The local law officials offered the option of handing custody to my father as an option to avoid a sentence to juvenile hall. Once my father had custody, my sister and I had very little ...Read more

Dear Annie: My mother and I have had a poor relationship for years. She is self-absorbed, demanding and consistently hurtful. She seems to find great amusement in upsetting me and takes every opportunity to do so.

On one occasion, I was talking to my family about an individual whom I particularly admired, and my mother interrupted me to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been dating "Dayna" for eight months, and we moved in together three months ago. We fell in love from the moment we met.

I'm normally a calm guy. However, two months ago I made a mistake. I went out drinking with friends and was dropped off at home so drunk that I briefly blacked out. I got into an argument with Dayna and ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband, "Kevin," and I have been together for nine years. Every summer, Kevin used to go to the beach for a week's vacation with a family he was close to. The entire group numbered about 15 people. Three years ago, Kevin told me he wanted to start taking vacations with them again. I was not invited. Kevin said there wasn't ...Read more

Dear Annie: Let me say that I am grateful my parents are alive and well enough to enjoy their grandchildren. However, they expect to be included in everything involving their grandchildren. Each of my children plays a sport (sometimes two) in addition to school plays and recitals. This adds up to multiple events every week. If my parents find ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for 24 years to my high school sweetheart, and we have two sons. For most of this time, I have put up with my wife not allowing any mention of my family or involvement whatsoever in any activities. I don't know why this is so, and she won't tell me. Although I can see my family on my own, I am not allowed to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been with "Jason" for eight years, married for four. Between us, we have raised five children.

The problem is that Jason is controlling and verbally abusive. When we met, I was willing to overlook many things because he was so good to my kids. As a single mother, I needed the stability he could provide. But a couple of ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter and her husband moved in with us last year in order to save money and someday raise a family. We enjoy having them here.

The issue is my son-in-law's 5-year-old boy from his previous marriage. The custody arrangement states that he is entitled to have the child for a month during the summer for extended visitation. I ...Read more