ArcaMax

Dear Annie: About 10 years ago, I was working on a remodel project and discovered a hidden "treasure": three dusty books stashed above some ductwork. Two were personal journals, and another was an art book with sexy photographs from the 1980s.

I briefly glanced at the journals and noticed they dealt with some romantic breakups. I didn't read ...Read more

Dear Annie: Eight months ago, I met the love of my life online. Everything started off great. "Jay" and I chatted every day.

However, at one point, a past lover of his intervened and warned me about some of his "issues." I became a little bit paranoid and asked Jay to explain his side of things. He didn't want to at first, but he finally ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a close acquaintance who is a fitness instructor at the health club where I often work out. Two years ago, I saw her at a local peace parade and got very worked up over something she wrote on the signs she was wearing. I became so crazed over it that I forgot myself and said some awful things about her. I also stopped going to...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently saw the results of a survey that said the more work men do around the house the less sex they get. I have seen many comments in your column from women who stated the opposite -- that if a man did more around the house, he might "get more" in the bedroom.

I have always helped out with cooking, mopping floors, doing laundry...Read more

Dear Annie: I am expecting my first child. My mother is a wonderful, intelligent 68-year-old woman. She is also bipolar and seems incapable of keeping herself physically healthy and her house clean. I know her poor health almost certainly stems from the fact that her living conditions are filthy. She also has a sour smell about her that makes me...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband has the emotional IQ of a 10-year-old. I recently spent six hours in the emergency room for some tests to rule out a potentially life-threatening problem. I asked my husband to please drive me to the ER because the doctors did not advise that I drive myself home afterward. His response was that he needed to stay home and ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am the mother of a 4-year-old girl. My mother, "Edna," watches her for a few hours every Friday while I'm at work.

Last Friday, after I brought my daughter home, she told me, "Grandma was crying today and told me that 'Grandma Kitty' is not my grandma." Annie, Grandma Kitty is my Dad's fiancee. Kitty was the reason for my parents'...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a 30-year-old son. "Brad" was the perfect child, loving and affectionate, until the age of 16. That's when I divorced my drug-addicted husband. I sheltered the children as much as I could from what their father was doing.

When I transferred Brad to a public school, he got involved in drugs, quit school, became verbally ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to "Jerry" for 10 years. We each have adult daughters from previous relationships.

Jerry has a peculiar relationship with his daughter, "Serena." She was taken from him by her mother at a very early age, and he did not see her again until she was 13. At age 15, she got into a fight with her mother and came to ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son lives in California and is going to marry a local girl in the fall. Our entire family lives in the Midwest. My husband and I, along with our daughter's family, will attend. But I know it is far too expensive for any of my relatives to be there.

Should they receive invitations even though we know they can't come? I don't want ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for three years and lived together for 15 years before that. Sex has always been difficult. Last week, I found him masturbating outside in the backyard.

What should I do? Should I consult a doctor? My husband refuses to talk about it at all. --

Dear Need: If sex has been an issue for the past 18 ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 13-year-old boy, and I'm too embarrassed to talk to my parents about this.

I have been best friends with "Danny" since the first grade. We are like brothers. A few weeks ago, Danny and I were at my house, and he said he had something to tell me but was afraid of my reaction. I finally got him to confess that he thinks he is ...Read more

Dear Annie: A year ago, my husband's grown daughter announced that she would be getting married this summer. She has lived in another state since her graduation from college five years ago. Despite heated conversations, she decided to marry there, saying her friends' attendance is more important than having her family there.

Her father has ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are successful professionals with no children. Our mothers are both well off and have been generous to our siblings, who, for various reasons, have needed a lot of help. My husband and I tender free professional and some financial assistance to both sides of our families.

My mother-in-law takes opportunities to show...Read more

Dear Annie: My youngest son is 34 years old and lives with my wife and me. He is an alcoholic and is unemployed, with no interest in getting a job. He helps at home by doing the cooking. He is a great cook by trade. He was laid off as head cook at a restaurant and can't get over it.

My son is a good person, and I love him very much. He claims ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am very concerned about my brother's daughters, ages 18 and 20. My brother and his wife divorced when the girls were young. He and his ex do not get along and communicate poorly. She often berates him, and he remains silent.

Their daughters were shuttled back and forth between their parents' homes, but they lived mainly with their...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a male, over 60, gray, balding and noticeably overweight. Because of back problems, I choose to wear suspenders instead of a belt. So, why is it that women of all ages think it's OK to snap my suspenders, or at least express a desire to do so? Most recently, it was a younger woman on the staff of a hospital ER while I was ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 24-year-old male who has been crossdressing since the age of 8. It started with collecting my own bras and panties, and now I have an entire wardrobe of women's clothing.

Because I currently live on my own, I change out of my male clothes into my female ones as soon as I come home from work. I've also had very serious thoughts...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 55-year-old man, divorced for the past 15 years. My daughter is 24 years old and married to a good guy, and they have two lovely boys. Although I have struggled with depression over the years, I try to live a good, honest Christian life. I raised my two children as a single parent, and my ex has become a deadbeat mother. My ex...Read more

Dear Annie: At least once a week, I get an unsolicited phone call from "Rachel from Cardholder Services." This seems to be an obvious scam to get me to switch to another credit card or maybe just to get personal information. I have received these calls both in Connecticut and Florida. When I ask, "Who do you represent?" they hang up.

I am now ...Read more