ArcaMax

Dear Annie: Normally I'm good at minding my own business, but when I see how my granddaughter, "Susie," manipulates her mother (my daughter), I feel the urge to say something.

Susie is almost 12 and seems to be testing the limits in ways I would never have tolerated. She sasses her mother and dominates the conversation at the dinner table. When...Read more

Dear Annie: I am honored to see citizens and patriots step forward to honor and support one of our nation's greatest assets, the American veteran. Helping those who have given their mind, body and spirit in defense of our nation is woven into the fabric of our society. From the Revolutionary War to the present, everyday people donate their time ...Read more

Dear Annie: I would like to reply to "Arizona Grandparents," whose daughter won't allow them to see their grandchild. They asked whether it will ever get better.

My granddaughter was 6 when my son and his wife divorced and I was no longer allowed to see her. I continued to send her a card and money on every birthday and at Christmas. I never ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am in the process of converting to Judaism. Among other things, this involves eating only kosher food. Initially, it was difficult, but I know that doing this brings me closer to understanding more of my new religion.

My problem is that most of my friends, including some Jewish friends, have an issue with my eating habits. They ...Read more

Dear Annie: After 44 years of marriage, I can no longer trust my husband. "Steve" reconnected with a high school flame, and the end result was late-night emails, texts and calls. He even bought throwaway phones so they could stay in touch and meet out of town.

We went for counseling, and Steve took a stack of note cards to the first session ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been studying abroad in Rome for the past three months. I head back to America in a few weeks. I can honestly say I haven't missed being home. I've absolutely loved my stay in Europe. I feel safe and happy.

The one thing I'm dreading is reverse culture shock. I'm afraid I'll resent my small-town college or that I'll become ...Read more

Dear Annie: My 20-something children attend school in other cities. On occasion, they have asked to bring their current boyfriend or girlfriend home for a visit to meet the family. The friend then stays in a separate room for a night or two.

The problem is my husband. He gets extremely upset about these visits and accuses me of encouraging ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have an 11-year-old daughter, and I feel she may know more about the "birds and bees" than she should because of what she sees on TV and hears on the radio.

It seems that every time I turn on the radio, we hear a song with the word "sex" in it multiple times. When we watch TV (even so-called family shows on family-oriented ...Read more

Dear Annie: My problem is my relationship with my daughter, "Carolyn." It started 10 years ago when she went to visit her grandparents in another state. My parents and I haven't had a close relationship since I was in my 20s. I am now 57.

I raised Carolyn as a single parent without a dime of child support from her father. I worked 12-hour days ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 19 years old and afraid that my brother is gay.

"James" recently made a new friend at work who is gay. He has been going to the library with this new friend and spending the entire day there doing homework. James doesn't own a phone, so it is hard for my mother to get ahold of him. Sometimes he leaves for work at 6 p.m. and ...Read more

Dear Annie: My parents have been divorced for 30 years. Both made mistakes when they were married, but the end was due to my mom's drinking. Dad provided for me and now takes an active role in his grandchildren's lives, always making an effort to show up for their events.

Mom is a different story. She is an alcoholic. When I was younger, she ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a senior in high school. My boyfriend broke up with me a month after he went off to college. We had been together for nine months, and I was devastated. He was my first real boyfriend. He treated me well and cried when we broke up. He ended our relationship because it was his first time being on his own, and he didn't want ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for six months and am crazy for my hubby. He has back problems and some sexual issues that keep us from being intimate. At least, those are the excuses he uses for the fact that we don't touch like we used to.

I recently came across some love notes to an ex-girlfriend, saying how they are going to be happy ...Read more

Dear Annie: I used to travel a fair amount for my job. These trips included lunches and dinners with my co-workers, sometimes in groups, sometimes not. At no time did I ever have the faintest interest in having an affair. But my husband thinks otherwise.

During the entire time I traveled, he constantly accused me of sleeping with "somebody." I ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 13-year-old girl, and I love reading your column. I hope you can help me. My uncle "Ted" got a divorce and had to sell his house. My family was happy to let him stay with us until he found a new home. That was two years ago, but none of us seems to mind.

Here's the actual problem: Uncle Ted has two daughters who come over ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to "Bart" for 21 years. I knew he had issues with alcohol. He has a pattern of getting sober for a few years and then relapsing over and over. He is truly a wonderful guy, but when he drinks, he's like a different man. I feel as if I am living with Jekyll and Hyde.

I've talked to him, cried, begged and threatened...Read more

Dear Annie: Our daughter is going down a bad road, and our 13-year-old granddaughter, "Lana," is in the driver's seat.

Lana has been diagnosed with ADHD, but since we live in another state, we have no way of knowing whether she's staying on her meds. I've heard from my wife that Lana has been destroying furniture and is physically and verbally ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I recently moved to the city where my husband's family lives. One of his brothers has been married for two years. (It's his third wife.) "Pete" is a likable guy who often arranges fun activities.

Pete moved into his wife's house when they married. She had a teenage daughter, a dog and a cat. Pete got rid of all three....Read more

Dear Annie: Two years ago, I caught my husband having an emotional affair with a friend of ours. Even though we went through counseling and he told me he was no longer in contact with her, he lied. He continued to lie for almost a year, even during our counseling sessions. In one session, he tried to blame me for his actions, and after six ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 56-year-old male dating a woman with a 13-year-old son. We plan to marry in the near future.

The boy has no relationship with his father and is very fond of me, as I am of him. The problem is that he's a mama's boy. I think he is jealous of me. He competes for his mother's attention and goes so far as to crawl into bed with ...Read more