ArcaMax

Dear Annie: When I married my husband, he was divorced with a college-aged daughter. For some reason or other, she did not complete her degree. After college, "Connie" got a job and her own apartment. She became pregnant by a co-worker and had a son. Her dad and I were very disappointed. Later, Connie moved to another state and had two more ...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister-in-law, "Marie," has been diagnosed as bipolar but doesn't take any medication. For 25 years, it has caused serious trouble. Marie is a spiteful, evil, controlling human being. You can't find a single person in town with a kind word to say about her. Her own daughters try to keep their distance.

My brother is afraid to ...Read more

Dear Annie: My brother "Nathan" moved into an apartment with my other brother, "Steven," who lives with his girlfriend and her son. Nathan has an alcohol problem that already caused him to lose his job and is now creating problems between Steven and his girlfriend. Steven has forbidden my parents to speak with Nathan about his alcoholism for ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to Sarah for nine years. We have two young sons, both with developmental issues.

When I met Sarah, she had an older son, "Del," who was in the temporary custody of her father's cousins. The cousins have raised the boy since he was 6 months old. He is now 13 and understands that our sons are his half-brothers. ...Read more

Dear Annie: Last weekend, my husband and I invited a few relatives over for a cookout. There were three children under the age of 4. When it began to rain, we moved the party indoors. The parents let their kids run amok, and in a few short hours, the children completely trashed the first floor of our house.

My husband and I do not have ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have been married for 30 years. When our oldest son left for college, my wife began using his bedroom for storage. It gradually filled with clothes, papers and things my wife bought from TV shopping shows. Soon, there was barely a path to the bed. It happened again when our second child left. Now both bedrooms are ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am madly in love with my ex-fiancee. We have been separated since March but have been talking about getting back together and starting a family.

The problem is that while we were separated, I slept with another woman. It happened at a weak point in my life, and I don't plan to do it again. Now the other woman says she is ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for more than 20 years and have never been sexually attracted to my husband. He is a good provider, but there is no passion, no excitement, nothing. I have tried everything I can think of to make sex better, but he acts as if it's part of my wifely duties, which makes me sick.

I don't want to break up our home,...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for 32 years to a horrible man. He is self-centered, controlling, a liar and a cheat. He manipulated me into buying a house I did not want, and when my mother died in this house, he kicked me out of the room we shared and made me move into the same room she died in. He lied to me about not getting paid for a ...Read more

Dear Readers: In honor of Veterans Day, here is one of our favorite pieces, written by John Alton Robinson of Monroe, Louisiana

"Freedom"

From the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

To the silver-haired crowns of our fathers

From the shores of Tripoli

To the Pacific's pearl-green waters

I wish to give a tribute

A four-starred salute today

For...Read more

Dear Annie: A year ago, I had an argument, mostly via text, with my 37-year-old son. He was threatening to leave his bride of two weeks. I tried to get him to understand that he had made a serious commitment and shouldn't throw it away so easily. Unfortunately, things escalated to include more personal feelings on both sides.

Despite a rocky ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband works for a large mental health agency, and five years ago, he had a two-year affair with a fellow employee. I found their illicit emails three years ago.

Even though my husband and I are still together, I am broken and cannot heal. I pray and I strive and nothing works. It is the most painful and devastating experience...Read more

Dear Annie: My older brother and I are both in our mid-30s and have not gotten along for 20 years. He has been verbally, psychologically and at times physically abusive toward me. He has a ferocious temper, and if I say anything he doesn't like, he lambastes me.

I try to avoid him, but since the birth of my nephew (the cutest baby ever), that...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are in our 80s. We have three wonderful kids, all married, who live nearby. We have always been close.

The problem is one son thinks I am trying to control him. He never tells us when he is planning to go out of town. If we can't reach him for days, we worry. He rarely answers his cellphone on vacation, and when ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have been happily married for 27 years. We are both in our early 50s, physically fit and active. My wife looks the same today as the day we married. She's extremely attractive. The problem? She has no sex drive. She never really has. But in the past few years, her cold shoulders seem much more pronounced.

We ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a mother of three children, but it's the oldest my husband and I worry about.

When "John" went to college, he started drinking a lot. I asked him about it then, and he admitted that he might have a problem, but he did nothing about it. That was 10 years ago. He has had two DWIs since, and he drinks every day. I found out from...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently found out that my sister and my husband were engaged in an emotional affair that lasted nearly two years.

I am in remission after having been diagnosed with breast cancer. On the day of my diagnosis, my 38-year-old son died. As a consequence of chemotherapy, I developed osteoporosis and sustained two broken femurs that ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife died five years ago. Two years ago, I met "Lorna," and I recently asked her to marry me. I feel strongly that personal assets that are brought into a marriage should be protected. I made this clear to Lorna early in our relationship and got the impression that she would agree to a prenup.

I've been very successful ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am hurt that my children and grandchildren do not include me when they have family get-togethers. They say they would have to clean their houses if I came or that they don't know when I am available. They expect me to call when I want to see them. They swear they aren't upset with me, but they never initiate a call. When I invite...Read more

Dear Annie: I am one of six boys. We are all very different. My oldest brother, "Tanner," just turned 20. He is more of an introvert, and we realize this, but he has done nothing with his life and shows no interest in doing so. He doesn't have a job and refuses to look for one. He also hasn't applied for college.

We've tried everything from ...Read more