ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I notice that often the advice you offer is to "get counseling." But what happens in counseling? Can you explain how it helps? -- L.

Dear L.: The point of counseling or therapy is to help you determine what it is you want to accomplish and how to get there. This could be a career goal, a marital dispute, a problem with family ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a widow in my mid-70s and am comfortably well off. A year after my husband's death, I moved to an apartment in a smaller city in order to be closer to my daughter's family. However, they have their own lives and rarely include me in anything except holiday dinners. None of the fun things I envisioned doing with my grandchildren ...Read more

Dear Annie: My brother, "Ned," worked alongside my dad for many years. Now that Dad is getting up in years, Ned has taken over the business.

Ned has had a drinking problem for a long time. Ten years ago, he landed a lucrative contract for the business, and my parents were able to put money in the bank. Since then, however, his drinking has ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am in a relationship with a man I met through an online dating site. I hadn't known him long when he broke up with me. But shortly after our relationship ended, I found out I was pregnant. We didn't talk much at the beginning of my pregnancy, but things improved by the end.

A month before our baby was due, he suggested we work ...Read more

Dear Annie: September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month as proclaimed by the U.S. Senate and President Obama, whose mother battled the disease. Ovarian cancer is the most deadly of all gynecologic cancers, affecting one in 72 women. It is lethal and insidious -- hard to detect, difficult to treat and with no reliable screening test. A ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a proud father of two young children, who both mind and respect me. I know that kids get in trouble. We were all kids once. The problem is, I am the disciplinarian at home, and I wish my wife and her mother did a little more. They can't seem to handle any of it.

My mother-in-law babysits a lot, and I get calls at work for ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 55-year-old woman, the youngest of three. When I married 30 years ago, we moved away for my husband's job. Over the years, we have returned for summer visits, especially since our daughters are close in age to their cousins.

We always have made it a priority to attend all important family events, often at great expense. Last ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married more than 40 years. He rarely calls me by my name and never uses terms of endearment. He just talks at me. I've put up with his emotional neglect and his forcing me to have sex when I didn't want to. He's had so many affairs, I have lost count. He has refused to do any repairs to our home except for...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend's husband is having an affair with his sister-in-law. I have firsthand knowledge of this and also heard it through several different, unrelated sources. They are pretty blatant about being seen together.

My friend needs to get rid of this creep. I believe he's a serial cheater who thinks he can get away with anything....Read more

Dear Annie: I met the man of my dreams at the workplace. At the time, I was in an abusive marriage and had given up all hope, and then I met "Howard."

Here's the problem: Howard is 45, still lives in his parents' basement and works from home. He doesn't pay rent or utilities, although when he gets a paycheck, he gives his mother some money. On ...Read more

Dear Annie: My girlfriend, "Tammi," and I have been together for six months. We saw each other only briefly over the summer because she took a job in another state. I feel that our relationship is getting serious.

The only problem is her friends. They don't like me. The reason is that while Tammi flew home from her summer job to see me, I didn'...Read more

Dear Annie: When my father died 15 years ago, my mother was in reasonably good health. When she reached the age of 91, she needed caregivers 24 hours a day. I tried to be the best daughter possible, calling twice a day, taking her to doctors' appointments and doing her shopping and cooking. She frequently told me (and anyone within earshot) how ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 21-year-old college student. I have found someone I am really close to and would love to have a relationship with. The problem is, she is already in a relationship with someone else.

We worked together for two years and became best friends. Unfortunately, she left the job to focus on school. We still talk, and I always ask ...Read more

Dear Annie: My granddaughter "Rachel" is 14. Her parents raised her to attend church regularly. In the past year, however, they quit going to church and got divorced. My daughter was seeing a married man who left his wife and children and moved in with my daughter. What a mess.

Rachel asked me, "How can Mom be such a hypocrite? She taught me ...Read more

Dear Annie: We were happy to see a vacant house on our block sell and were pleased to meet the new neighbors. We were willing to overlook the reek of tobacco and the cigarette butts in our driveway. The cat droppings in our flower and vegetable beds were harder to take.

The real problem is that their teenagers race up and down the street at all...Read more

ATTENTION CLASSIC ANNIE'S MAILBOX EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2014. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION -- CREATORS.COM

Dear Annie: I cannot stand to be around my mother-in-law. Since the day I married, "MIL" has been telling my wife and me how to live our lives. She issues opinions on everything from how to raise our dog...Read more

ATTENTION CLASSIC ANNIE'S MAILBOX EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2014. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION -- CREATORS.COM

Dear Annie: My daughter, "Nina," suffers from depression. Recently, I went to Seattle to help Nina and her husband move to Texas. It was our family's hope that I could get her to come back east with me ...Read more

Dear Annie: When my mother died, my two siblings and I inherited 24 large boxes of photographs. These include pictures Mom inherited from her parents and grandparents. Many are of distant relatives and acquaintances we do not recognize. They also include hundreds of travel photographs, which I am sure brought back fond memories to my parents but...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 23-year-old man who has just come out of the closet publicly. I received so much love and support from friends and family. It feels amazing to be out in the open, never having to worry about someone finding out that I am gay.

The sad part, however, is that my father has disowned me. He removed me from all his social media and...Read more

Dear Annie: My cousin is 53 years old and is in and out of jobs. He has no place to go and parked his van on my property on the condition that he stay no more than five months. He asked for permission to use my laundry equipment and electricity. But he's already stayed 10 months, uses my facilities without permission and leaves things all over ...Read more