ArcaMax

Dear Readers: Many of you will be enjoying your Memorial Day weekend with barbecues and picnics, but we hope you will also remember the purpose behind the observance. Please consider taking the time to visit a veterans hospital or military cemetery and pay your respects. And if you have a flag, it is appropriate to display it at half-staff ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm from a big blended family, and we're the type who believe that family is everything.

I recently moved an hour away from my dad, his wife and their kids. I love my dad with all my heart, but I can't stand his wife. She is constantly talking down to my siblings and me (from Dad's previous marriages). We aren't treated nearly as ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am one of five middle-aged sisters. My father died four years ago, and shortly after, my mother moved to an apartment near me. As her health has declined, I've gradually become a partial caregiver. I am with her every day, sometimes for six hours or more. Mom insists on paying me. She can easily afford it. I was conservative with...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter has a master's degree in education and spent three years as a nanny when she was an undergraduate. She recently began her first teaching job with second-grade children.

The principal is terrific. However, there is an older teacher who has been at this school for years, and she is making my daughter's life miserable. ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have three wonderful young adult children. The oldest two girls both recently graduated from college and are living at home, working and saving money.

The girls were not particularly interested in dating until recently. Our oldest met a guy at work and has fallen hard. She's always been family oriented, but for the past three ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I are caught up in our son's dysfunctional marriage. "Martin" and his wife have three children together, and he has an older child from a previous marriage. All of the children are wonderful. They do well in school. But their mom and dad hate each other, drink too much and fight constantly.

Martin was recently fired ...Read more

Dear Annie: I feel betrayed by my husband, and he doesn't seem to see the problem.

We have been married for 40 years. "Victor" always had a wandering eye and a problem being faithful. For whatever reason, I was never enough for him. He has no idea how much he has hurt me over the years. I put up with a lot, but now he has started watching ...Read more

Dear Annie: I realize that you ladies are not psychologists, but I value your opinion, so I hope you (and your readers) can help me.

My darling 4-year-old grandson looks 99 percent Caucasian, but he is actually 50 percent African-American. His biological father is in prison and has not been in the picture since he slept with our daughter. We ...Read more

Dear Annie: My 22-year-old son, "Nick," spends most of his time playing video games. He was fired from several jobs last year because he stopped showing up. We had no idea.

We finally kicked him out. It was the hardest decision of my life. He lived with various relatives and friends until he started lying to them about work. Nick is now at ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been married to "Ned" for 25 years, and each year it seems to get worse. When we married, he told me I could do whatever I wanted with the house, but he never said I'd be the one paying. The house was barely furnished, the bedding had holes in it, the carpet was a mess, and the curtains were stained. I replaced all of that, ...Read more

Dear Annie: The principal of the school where I teach has some big tattoos on her neck. She says they are Chinese symbols for "good fortune." I think they look trashy. I don't mind tattoos, but I don't think large markings on one's hands and neck are appropriate for school. They don't convey authority, and I have a hard time taking orders from...Read more

Dear Annie: I have an 8-month-old puppy, and I take her to a local dog park so she can run off leash and play with the other dogs, which she loves. In the three months I have been taking her, "Phoebe" has never been attacked or fought with another dog. That was until last night, when Phoebe approached another dog that was on a leash and that ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am finally divorced. My ex and I have a minor child together. He has met my new partner, and they get along great while at our son's sporting events. I thought it would be healthy for our son to see us as friends.

I also thought it would be nice to meet my ex's new girlfriend since they've been a couple as long as I've been with...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been happily married for 15 years and recently decided to try an open-marriage lifestyle. We are doing this with full honesty and respect for each other.

The main problem is that the dating success is not equal. I found it easier to get a date. Whereas, my husband is having a tremendous degree of difficulty. ...Read more

Dear Readers: Happy Mother's Day. Please phone your mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, stepmother or foster mother and wish them the best. And our special good wishes to all the new mommies who are celebrating their very first Mother's Day. Also, please don't forget those for whom this day, for whatever reason, is filled with sadness. Give ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a single mom of a 4-year-old boy who is being abused by my ex-husband and his wife. After a visit, he comes home bruised and scratched with black eyes. He has had scabies more than a dozen times. The worst thing is that my son was just diagnosed with PTSD.

I don't speak negatively about his father. But when it's time for my ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am writing a long overdue thank-you note to my parents. They are faithful readers of your column. Mom and Dad, I am thankful that:

You stood your ground and did not give in to me, even when I threw fits and demanded my way.

You supported me in school and gave me the tools to succeed, instead of letting me waste my potential.

...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm concerned about my sister's parenting style. "Sara" just went through a nasty divorce, so we let her move into a house we own next door, thinking it would help to have family close by.

Sara's kids spend a great deal of time with us. What worries me is my 7-year-old niece, "Andrea." Andrea appears underweight for her age and ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband is the youngest of seven siblings. While they are all successful, some are more financially comfortable than others.

Five years ago, the oldest sibling wanted to give their mother an 80th birthday party. She planned a huge party for hundreds of her mother's friends and neighbors. She rented a party place, hired a band ...Read more

Dear Annie: My grandfather passed away last month, and the wake was catered by a close friend of the family who owns a restaurant. He closed off a section of his dining hall for our family.

The meal included 15 children under the age of 10, and they were absolute monsters. My nephew threw his shoe across the room and then tripped a waitress. ...Read more