ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I have a dear male friend, "Trey," who is in quite a predicament. Some background on him: He suffered a lot of abuse at the hands of his mother when he was a child.

His current problem is that he is in a loveless marriage. He and his wife have been married 32 years. But five years into their marriage, after they'd had a child ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am dating this guy who's married but separated. We've been doing this almost three years. I am just not feeling the love from him. Will he ever love me like I need to be loved? -- Waiting on Him

Dear Waiting: If you've been waiting three years, you'll be waiting 300. I wouldn't count on this man divorcing his wife anytime soon. ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife's brother-in-law, "Mike," is the family character, always quick with a quip, just a fun-loving guy, seemingly without a care in the world. He has a few flaws, which are mostly tied to his excessive drinking, but they have always been overlooked, because, well, that's just Mike.

Over the past few years, Mike has become a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I just found out tonight that my brother's second-oldest adult son passed away today. My brother's oldest son passed three years ago. My brother has been estranged from the family for a long time -- since he was in Vietnam. I have maintained a relationship with him by calling him a few times a year. He never calls me. I am the only...Read more

Dear Annie: My mother-in-law is a widow and lives next door to my husband and me. I have never felt like we had privacy, as she would walk over whenever she felt like it and visit without calling first.

Even when we were newly married, she would just walk over to our house without reaching out beforehand. My parents always told me to never ...Read more

Dear Readers: A great many of you wrote in with wonderful suggestions for the father and stressed-out grandma who are having trouble with his ex-wife because she is making visitation with the kids difficult if not impossible. Thank you for your recommendations. I hope they allow the children's father to have more quality time with his children...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a man with a very difficult problem. My deceased wife and I separated. I was halfway through a six-month cancer treatment when she left. After a few days, she called and told me that she had made the biggest mistake of her life by leaving me. However, she would not return home. I got tired of the everyday battle with the chemo,...Read more

Dear Annie: I would like your input on how to handle a tricky situation. Many times, I am asked to write a letter of recommendation or make a recommendation for someone seeking a new job or promotion. What do I do if the person is qualified for the job/promotion but I do not feel comfortable writing the letter of recommendation as I have ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband is in the high-risk category for catching COVID-19, and we have lost family and friends due to the disease. The issue is that we love seeing our grandchildren, but some people in our families view the pandemic as a "hoax" and are lax about following safety precautions. This makes it dangerous for us to spend time with ...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend follows more than 3,000 people on Instagram. And almost all of them are women. It didn't bother me when we first started dating, because I figured that now that he had a girlfriend, he'd stop investing so much time in looking at women.

A few months into our relationship, he was showing me something on his profile when...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are 77 years old. Our lake home has four bedrooms and plenty of space for family visits. During the summer, the family knows they have to make "reservations" to visit. Sometimes, we will have seven immediate family members here, and once we had 18 nephews and nieces and their families. They have use of our boats ...Read more

Dear Annie: I had two brothers die within a year of each other. One was 53, and the other was 62. They were my only remaining siblings. They resided in Ohio, and I live in Arizona. I had to plan both funerals by myself and clean out and sell whatever I could of their homes and possessions.

At the same time, my mom was diagnosed with dementia ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a friend who is of Pentecostal faith while I'm of Catholic faith. She monopolizes the conversation on her religion and doesn't allow me to talk. I hate being preached to, and she has nothing else that interests her but reading her Bible and preaching.

She complains that no one calls her or visits her. It has been nine years...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend and I have been dating for about a year and a half. While maintaining separate homes, we spend the majority of our days and evenings together. I have three children and get along very well with my ex-husband and his girlfriend. My boyfriend has a son, "Tommy."

The problem is that my boyfriend's ex-wife creates ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was a high school teacher for nearly 40 years, and, before I landed a full-time public school job, spent a year or two as a substitute. I know the frustrations of students who assume you don't matter because you're not "our real teacher." It can be even more annoying when the students are teenagers. Yes, parents should teach ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have just celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. Two years ago, she decided to become a vegan for moral and dietary reasons. I respect her greatly for that, though I didn't love constantly hearing about it. I have also adopted many of the same eating habits, but I do still eat meat. We have both learned to prepare ...Read more

Dear Annie: As we live in an electronically connected world, there is a downside that bothers me. I have had a couple of friends die and their Facebook and LinkedIn accounts have remained active. On their birthdays, I receive notifications. I find it creepy. In my mind, LinkedIn is for connecting with others for work reasons. That said, there ...Read more

Dear Annie: My adult daughter, who lives in a southern state with a notoriously high incidence of the coronavirus cases, informed us she would be bringing her boyfriend to our home when she visits us at Christmas. I've never met this gentleman and do not know his personal or social habits. My wife and I have been quite cautious in our physical...Read more

Dear Readers: A number of you wrote in with very touching stories about your loved ones and handkerchiefs. I'm printing a few so they bring you some comfort.

Dear Annie: I've been smiling at the letters you've received on this subject, because they reminded me that that's how my mother taught me to iron as a kid, ironing my dad's ...Read more

Dear Annie: I liked your response to "MYOB" and "Freedom Lover" on the subject of reporting to authorities one's neighbors for allowing their children to play together during COVID-19 times. You taught a much-needed lesson in admitting you were wrong and that sometimes you have to rethink a situation and look at all implications. If more ...Read more