ArcaMax

Dear Amy: I'm a happily married woman with a great career, and I'm the breadwinner in our home. My husband does artwork for commissions, which makes him very little money. I'm happy with our arrangement.

The problem is that I cannot decide whether I want to have children.

My husband wants kids, but says he'll support my decision either way.

...Read more

Dear Amy: My husband has a habit of getting involved in family or social events, and at the last minute, making changes to the plans.

Prior to the "last minute," he has NO involvement.

What he actually does is just mess everything up a day or two beforehand.

This Father's Day was my last straw.

Our GROWN children had planned a...Read more

Dear Amy: My boyfriend and I have been dating for four months.

Despite his affection and eagerness to see me frequently, I knew he was still seeing other people.

His birthday was about five or six weeks after we met -- about 10 dates into our relationship.

Instead of being with me, he went away for the weekend with some friends. When he came ...Read more

Dear Amy: I was drugged and raped in college by a fellow student who then convinced me -- and others -- that we were in a relationship.

I was in hell for six months before a miracle happened and I was able to leave him. To this day it's something I never talk about. After five years of marriage I have only just mentioned it to my husband. No ...Read more

Dear Amy: All my life, I have wanted to be a mother -- more than anything else. Two years ago, I learned that the only way would be through IVF. I was devastated, but still hopeful.

My sister-in-law confided in me that she and her husband were struggling to become pregnant. I, in turn, opened up to her about my own infertility.

Last year on <...Read more

Dear Amy: I have an adult son, a college-age son, and a teenage daughter.

I have been divorced for the last 11 years.

I'm finding that, although my daughter still has three years of high school left, I am worn out with parenting!

Although it's not an option, I feel like I could just skip this last stage completely.

What can I do to reignite ...Read more

Dear Amy: I am a happy introvert. Always have been. I like to go to the movies alone, out to eat alone, and other activities by myself. My wife is the same way, though we obviously enjoy going out together.

My question is about our 7-year-old son. We've never done play dates or thrown birthday parties that his classmates in day care or school ...Read more

Dear Readers: I recently ran a question from "Dumbfounded Father" in my column. This man had a 24-year-old daughter who was living with him. She had recently disclosed that she possessed a .40 caliber semi-automatic weapon, with hollow point bullets. This father did not want to have guns in his home.

In my response, I incorrectly stated that ...Read more

Dear Amy: I have wonderful in-laws. They don't meddle or criticize and are generally cool people to be around.

After the birth of our first child in March, they've come from out of state to stay with us a few times. However, I have an issue that I really have no idea how to approach.

My father-in-law is getting on in years, and it seems he ...Read more

Dear Amy: My fiancé, my sister and I are planning a trip to my old hometown for Labor Day weekend in order to visit my oldest friend "Erica."

Erica just bought a house with her husband, "Paul."

Erica tends to avoid conflict. She just sprung it on me that they don't have room to host us in their home.

What? We've always slept ...Read more

Dear Amy: I'm a high school teacher. I'm still in email contact with a transgender student (female to male), who graduated a couple of years ago.

This former student has cycled in and out of treatment centers (for eating disorders, suicidality, etc.)

I'm one of the few adults that this young man still keeps in contact with. The family is ...Read more

Dear Amy: My ex-fiance and I were together for five years, and have been separated for over three years. We have a child.

We have shared custody of our child, and although my ex is very wealthy, I have never asked for any child support or compensation because I just wanted us to focus on co-parenting our child, without the mess.

My mother ...Read more

Dear Amy: My daughter, "Carrie," just started her third year of medical school.

Carrie was out over the weekend with a lot of other medical students when one fourth-year student: a large, muscular guy -- my daughter weighs about 100 pounds -- started talking to her, and then proceeded to grope her forcefully.

Carrie was too shocked to react; ...Read more

Dear Amy: Five years ago, I entered a relationship with a woman I had dated in junior high school, way back in 1980.

We met as friends, the relationship blossomed, and we were married about 20 months later.

At the time we reconnected, my wife's daughter, "Tamryn," was 14. She is now 20. Tamryn and I had the usual battles, but got along pretty ...Read more

Dear Amy: My son is a sweet 8-year-old boy, who enjoys giving to others. He loves giving gifts and even enjoys giving to charity.

He has a friend, "Benji," who has multiple siblings and probably doesn't get a lot for himself. Benji is forever asking, sometimes begging, my son to give him things, including toys and special snacks.

I think my ...Read more

Dear Amy: I'm a happily married woman. My husband of 10 years and I are parents of a daughter.

I recently went on a volunteering trip to Asia. We were a group of women volunteers, who came from all over the world.

Something changed for me during my time there, as I became incredibly attracted to one of the girls in the group.

I have to say I ...Read more

Dear Amy: My husband and I are raising four children.

For many years, we have had a rule about piercings.

Our daughters had to wait until they were 12 years old to pierce their ears.

We felt that this was an age where they had some accountability for taking care of their ears. Each of our daughters has chosen to pierce their ears.

Our 19-...Read more

Dear Amy: I am currently staying in a hotel, and in order to prevent the cleaning staff from trying to come in during my midday shower, I hung the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the outside of the door.

The sign in this hotel depicts an unraveled bow tie draped over the door handle. Other places I have stayed have used neckties on their signs, too.

...Read more

Dear Amy: I am a 53-year-old, never-married woman. I keep in shape, and I'm often told that I'm beautiful.

I've had several relationships over the years but never found "the one" guy I wanted to marry.

Six months ago, I met a very interesting and intelligent man. I am falling hard for him.

Here's the issue: He is 29 years old -- 24 years ...Read more