ArcaMax

Dear Amy: Every year my husband and I host a holiday get-together for several of our friends and neighbors. We provide the main dish, a couple of sides and drinks. We ask friends to fill in with other salads, sides and desserts.

This year, with little notice, my friend "Barb" reached out to me via text, saying, "This year, I will need you to ...Read more

Dear Amy: I like to think that I am a caring and sensitive man -- one who respects women and appreciates the spirit of the #MeToo movement.

Therefore, a recent experience has me disturbed. I am looking for some objective feedback.

One recent evening, I was with a woman that I know well. We had drinks before, during and after dinner.

It became...Read more

Dear Amy: I am close with my niece, who recently got engaged. Her now-fiance was up front, by saying he didn't really believe in marriage. She was up front, too, saying that if he ever wanted to buy a house, her name would not go on a mortgage if they weren't married. Not that she would break up with him -- she would stay, but she would want a ...Read more

Dear Amy: My young-adult daughter and her partner have lived together for four years. They live 300 miles away.

I am very fond of my daughter's partner and send her a birthday gift each year.

I have never received a thank you. I'm flexible on the format -- a text would be fine with me, however ... nothing.

This year I asked my daughter if her...Read more

Dear Amy: I am a 71-year-old man, retired and happily married for 44 years.

We have a son, age 45, and a daughter, age 43.

Do you remember the Harry Chapin song "Cat's in the Cradle"? That song describes our relationship with our son perfectly.

When I was working, it was go, go, go -- lots of travel, building for the future.

When I was home,...Read more

Dear Amy: My partner and I have been together for almost three years. He has two adult children from his previous marriage, and one adolescent child from a previous relationship. When we met, I was getting divorced, and his other relationship was dissolving.

We now have a 2-year-old, and we're expecting our second child together soon.

He has ...Read more

Dear Amy: "Charlotte," my dear lady friend of many years, looks more like a string bean than a human being, because she has been purging.

Charlotte has recently overcome addictions to smoking and alcohol, concurrently. She has a distorted image of her figure and exercises to extreme in order to maintain that appearance.

I realize that she ...Read more

Dear Amy: I've been dating my boyfriend for almost two years.

The first year of our relationship, his twin sister was living in another country. She came back to live in this country last year.

Upon her return, I very quickly discovered that they are extremely affectionate and obsessed with each other.

She acts like his girlfriend or mom. She...Read more

Dear Amy: I was curious about my DNA history, so I purchased a kit from one of the major testers. The results came back, indicating that I have a half-sibling.

This half-sibling then contacted me and said he never knew his dad because his mom was artificially inseminated from an anonymous sperm donation.

I asked my parents if it was possible ...Read more

Dear Amy: My husband had a long first marriage. He got divorced two years ago, and we started dating shortly after.

We have been married for over a year now, and we have a newborn daughter.

The problem is that my husband talks to and communicates all the time with his ex!

I confronted him about this and told him I was not confident about his ...Read more

Dear Amy: I am a lucky dad to have three great kids: ages 26, 24 and 22. They are dealing with life's curveballs like all of us do, and they are all doing very well.

Our youngest daughter began competitive dance at four, started acting and singing at 14 and graduated from college with a degree in musical theater.

Her goal is to be on Broadway....Read more

Dear Amy: I have had a woman in my life who has been like a mother to me since childhood. When I had each of my three children, she came out to help me. She has been like a grandmother to my kids for their entire lives. She is lovely and we all adore her.

This past summer I visited her with two of my children. She had two second cousins ...Read more

Dear Amy: My 16-year-old nephew has been struggling.

He's failing in school, and has been arrested twice in the last couple of months. The first time he was with a bunch of his buddies, and he was found with marijuana on him.

Four weeks later, and he was arrested again -- this time for dealing!

Evidently, he's known not only by the local ...Read more

Dear Amy: I'm a woman in my 30s, and happily single. I live in my own apartment with my dog. I have a great career, a great family and wonderful friends. I'm on the younger side in my family, so by the time my milestones hit (turning 21 and 30, college graduations, etc.) they were not big "new" events.

While I would like to get married and ...Read more

Dear Amy: What do you think about former in-laws continuing to display photos of ex-spouses?

I'm a divorced mother of one child, and my boyfriend of four years is a divorced father of two. We are both in our 40s.

My grandparents kept a photo of me, my ex-husband and our child in their living room after we divorced. While my ex and I get along ...Read more

Dear Amy: My husband and I are at a crossroads. I learned several years ago that he had been smoking marijuana daily for nearly the whole of our 25-year marriage. I always knew he used pot, but I had no idea of the extent.

He finally said he wanted to be able to smoke freely. I agreed to this, and then I was shocked. He smoked in the morning, ...Read more

Dear Amy: My husband and I are childless by choice. We have one nephew -- a delightful 5 year old.

We love spending time with him. He is, however, "spoiled" by the fact that he regularly receives toys from his parents in exchange for good behavior.

I am concerned with what lies ahead. He has already figured out that he can get what he wants by...Read more

Dear Amy: At what age can I let my 7-year-old son ride his bike to his best friends' house (two blocks away) on his own? The other family is fine with it. I'm not afraid of traffic or crime (quiet, safe area), but of being reported. I've heard about parents being arrested for allowing unsupervised play. Is there a law or a rule-of-thumb ...Read more

Dear Amy: I have known my ex-husband, "Bart," for 30 years. We were married for 18 years and divorced six years ago.

He has lost all his money and has drained all of his friendships over money.

He is now coming to me for money.

Recently he was in a small car accident. The other driver called the police because my ex was driving without ...Read more