ArcaMax

Dear Annie: After five years of dating, my fiance and I have purchased a house and are in the process of moving in together. Everything is going well, except for one thing: "Walter" does not want me to bring any of the furniture my mother gave me.

My mother has kept several couches, rugs and other household items in storage for me, and I love ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was severely abused, physically and emotionally, when I was growing up, mostly by my mother and older sister. After many years of therapy, I have turned my life around and finally am able to feel like a worthwhile person.

The trouble is, my older sister continues to be verbally abusive every time we get together, which, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I took early retirement and moved in with my son and daughter-in-law in order to help care for my five grandkids. At the time, my daughter-in-law was attending college and my son asked me to move in. I help pay the household expenses and also do the daily work around the house.

All my son and his wife do is fight and makeup ...Read more

Dear Annie: My 31-year-old daughter, her boyfriend and my 13-year-old granddaughter have lived with my husband and me for the past 10 years. I never thought they would stay this long.

My daughter, "Tina," asked whether her boyfriend could live with us for two weeks until his car was fixed after a hit-and-run accident. We said OK. Big mistake. ...Read more

Dear Annie: Our daughter and her husband are major hoarders. They have two teenage children who have to climb over things to get into their beds. Every room has piles of junk. They will not get rid of anything because "one day, it may be valuable." They never invite anyone into their home, which is a disaster and in major disrepair.

We are ...Read more

Dear Annie: When my older sister and I were children, we were sexually abused by our stepfather. We are both now in our 50s. We have three younger half-sisters who did not experience this abuse from their father. They loved and adored him until he died four years ago. Before he died, he apologized to us for the abuse.

My mother was told about ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I live in a very desirable area and are happy to have guests often. The problem is, a male friend of mine wants to visit, but my husband doesn't want to have a single man in the house while he's at work. He claims it would make him uncomfortable knowing that I was playing tour guide and sharing wonderful memories in ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife gave her ex (her son's father) a key to our home without telling me. I found out when I got home and he was sitting in our living room surfing the Web on my laptop.

My wife says she gave him the key so he can let himself in on the three nights a month he's scheduled to pick up their son for dinner as part of the custody ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been seeing my boyfriend, "John," for more than a year and love him very much. We are in our mid-20s, and while there are no plans to move in together or settle down soon, I see a future with him.

The issue is that John currently lives with his older brother "Zack." Zack has no full-time job, no prospects and no friends ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am writing to you because of a friend's problem. "Lena" is a divorced woman who lives with her 24-year-old son. Her ex's gambling problem destroyed the marriage. Her son was 10 years old at the time of his parents' divorce, and he was already unruly, uncontrollable and slacking off at school. Immediately after the divorce, the ...Read more

Dear Annie: Last summer, our family spent all of our time helping my newly widowed mother-in-law fix up her large home, which had become run down during her husband's long illness.

During one of the days I took off to help, she backed into the side of our car, causing damage. The repair estimate was $1,000, but she didn't want to claim it on ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was divorced many years ago and raised my daughter primarily on my own because my ex-husband was an alcoholic. When I left him, I was financially responsible for my daughter. I always told her that as long as she did well in school, she could have a great deal of freedom, yet it was a crime if I asked her to pick up milk on her way...Read more

Dear Annie: We have adorable, healthy twin grandchildren who are 2 years old. Unfortunately, they don't live near us, but we are able visit them every few months. We can see that our daughter and son-in-law, both of whom work full-time, are good parents and, in most things, they show excellent judgment.

Our daughter and son-in-law waent the ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I live in a single-story condo that is adjacent to another condo. We have been dealing with a horrible neighbor for seven months.

When I moved here three years ago, the neighbor's son was taking care of her condo, since she traveled a great deal for work. Now she has decided to work at home, and she is a tyrant. She ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a widow in my 80s. I recently was introduced to a widower who seemed friendly and had a good sense of humor. He asked me out for dinner and the conversation went well. But when he took me home, he kissed me and grabbed my breast. I was absolutely not expecting this from a supposedly "nice" guy, and especially not on a first date...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband has decided to plan a trip to a major theme park. It was supposed to include the two of us, plus his three adult children and their families.

Here's the problem: When I could not take the time off from work, his children invited their recently widowed mother. Although we have a civil relationship with her, I do not feel ...Read more

Dear Annie: I see many parents teach their children, from a young age, to kiss on the lips. Do you feel this is correct?

For some reason, I am uncomfortable with this. I was raised in a family where you always kissed on the cheek, whether it was your brother, sister or parents.

I would be interested in what your readers have to say. -- Maine

...Read more

Dear Annie: I am the youngest of three girls and have always been the black sheep of the family. I have two sisters who don't have kids, yet they constantly tell me I'm not a good mother or daughter.

I have always tried to be a good daughter, especially after Dad passed away. My sisters don't do much for our mom. One lives out of state, so I ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been at the same job for eight years, but since the boss' wife died, it's become almost impossible to work for him. He has started drinking at work and making inappropriate comments to customers. I'm at a loss as to what I should do.

This is a small business -- it's just the two of us running the place, so there is no one else ...Read more

Dear Annie: What are the signs of emotional abuse? I think my friend, "Charlotte," is in a relationship with a man who is emotionally abusive.

When Charlotte and "Paul" started dating, he made lots of promises that he has not kept. He said he'd teach her how to drive, but he hasn't. Her mom was always in charge of her financial stuff (she's on ...Read more