ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My best friend and I are widows in our 70s. "Agatha" has suddenly gone gaga over a widower who wants her to move into his place, pay rent, and split the grocery and utility bills. He will take care of the garage, yard and car, and she will take care of the house. This man also wants her to rent her house for income for the two of ...Read more

Dear Annie: Our son, "Cody," is 11 years old and a good boy. This was his first year competing on the school track team, and he did well, mostly third-place finishes and one second. We could not attend his last track meet, and when I picked him up, he excitedly told me that he'd placed first in the mile run. My husband and I were very proud of ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a young-looking, middle-aged woman and recently married a man several years younger than I am. My figure is petite, and I'm small-chested. Though he told me early in our relationship that breast size doesn't matter to him, he has made several remarks about breast implants and most recently said, "Everyone likes to look at a nice ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am married with three children. Recently, my husband, without much research, discussion or preparation, decided that he was going to join the Army National Guard. (He had served in the Army before I knew him.) I know this is something he really wants to do, but I am worried about the impact his choice will have on me and our three ...Read more

Dear Annie: I work in an office of about 100. About six months ago, two co-workers (male and female) began arriving at work early, together, walking each other to their offices and hanging out. Both of them are married to others.

At first, their actions weren't noticeable, but now, more and more people are talking about the obviously close "...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 35-year-old mother of five. In January, I was rushed to the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack. It turned out to be a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs). After leaving the hospital, I did everything the doctor told me. I quit smoking cold turkey after 20 years, and I changed my diet.

Physically,...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 20-year-old, single female. I have been friends with "Tony" for two years. Tony is 25, married and has two children.

About a year ago, I started having feelings for Tony. He and his wife were separated at the time. (She'd had an affair.) Then he and his wife got back together. Two weeks ago, Tony told me he has feelings for ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am one of three adult children in our family. We had another brother, but he died several years ago, leaving a wife and child.

When our mom passed away recently, she left me as the administrator of her trust. Mom had the idea that since one of her four children was gone, her inheritance should be split between her three living ...Read more

Dear Annie: Last week, I made a shocking discovery while cleaning my bedroom. My husband had several pornographic tapes that he had recorded from the adult-channel network.

We work opposite shifts and see each other only on weekends. I had no idea he was keeping this pornography in our house. We've been married 30 years and have always enjoyed ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 55-year-young woman. On Mother's Day, I went to lunch with my family, at my sister's house.

One of my brothers was giving the other brother advice about something that was happening in his life. They were sitting across from me, and when my brother was finished, he looked in my direction, and I started to sing. It was only a ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have a baby girl, "Alice," now a year old. My wife's divorced sister, "Leora," stayed with us during most of my wife's pregnancy and moved into an apartment across the street several months after Alice's birth. She has been around constantly ever since.

The sisters always have been best friends. The two of them ended ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband, "Jack," and I have been together for 11 years and married for one. When we first met, he was dating "Sofi." He broke off the relationship with her when he met me. The breakup was extremely difficult for Sofi, and she had trouble letting go.

Recently, Jack's job has brought the two of them back into contact. This job is a...Read more

Dear Annie: During a recent family gathering, my mother-in-law referred to me as an "out-law" instead of an in-law. This comment was totally out of the blue. Not only was I embarrassed, but I have never felt so unwanted and hurt in my entire life. With that one statement, she has completely destroyed our relationship.

My in-laws and I never ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 40-ish mom to three children ranging in age from 2 to 8. My husband and I have been together 14 years. When we first started dating, sex was awesome. Over the years, our responsibilities, priorities and workloads have changed.

My husband works full time and also does projects around the house. I work full time, and my ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 28 and have been with my 23-year-old boyfriend for over four years. We have lived together for the last three. Last month, "Kyle" talked about our relationship, and he acknowledged that we might be headed in different directions. He said he wanted some time apart.

Throughout our relationship, whenever I felt something wasn't ...Read more

Dear Annie: Every summer, my husband and I go away to our beach house for several weeks. My husband leaves the key to our suburban home with a neighbor in case of an emergency. The problem is, when we arrive back home after our vacation, I find things not the way I left them. I would never go out of town and leave spills on the kitchen floor and...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I recently moved to a new town due to a job transfer by my company. We have two sons, ages 7 and 10, who have quickly made new friends. It turns out two of their buddies are children of neighbors living two houses away. They recently have taken to playing in our backyard and get along extremely well. We really like their ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a wonderful daughter-in-law who is the stepmother to my two granddaughters, ages 8 and 9. My son has had custody of his little girls since they were toddlers, and "Jeanette" has been a real mother to them. She has done a good job teaching them responsibility and how to behave like young ladies. However, I am concerned that she...Read more

Dear Annie: I am dating a very nice guy whose politics are completely opposite mine. We've gotten into shouting matches about recent Supreme Court decisions, gun control, abortion, etc. He tells me that it seems like he says "potato" and I say "sunflower." He's also hyper-rational, and I am more emotional.

Other than this, we get along well. He...Read more

Dear Annie: I am an African-American female and have never been faced with this problem, and I really do not know how to handle it.

Recently, an older Caucasian lady moved into our apartment complex, and she has hung a blackfaced doll on her patio, which faces the parking lot. This doll is of the Al Jolson variety that was used in times past to...Read more