ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I am in my mid-20s and fortunate enough to have a job that I've been able to do remotely since the outbreak of the pandemic back in March. Working from home has its drawbacks, but on the whole, I've come to really enjoy it.

For one, I used to drive an hour and 15 minutes each way for work. During the time I used to be sitting in ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have two teenage children, and both of us work out of the home. We try hard to be engaged in our children's lives and be aware of everything they're doing. As working parents, it's not easy, but we try hard.

As our children have become teenagers, we've noticed them becoming increasingly more addicted to their ...Read more

Dear Annie: We all know plastics are polluting our oceans. I don't have numbers, but the proportion of balloons amidst us is frightening. In my family, we released balloons to send love to a child lost too young. Although we did it before plastic statistics were the norm, it still makes me cringe. Please ask your readers to celebrate a life or...Read more

Dear Annie: While I don't hate holidays, nor dread them, as "Holiday Anxiety" expressed, I don't go "all in" either. I believe in moderation, in all things, including moderation.

All my close family has gone to their rewards. None of my high school and earlier friends has time or money for more than immediate family, and my partner passed a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have two grown children living at home. Both are disrespectful to me and to my husband. I feel obligated to allow them to live here since they don't have anywhere to go, stable jobs or means of transportation. How can I get rid of them and move on with my life? -- Tired of Carrying Grown Children

Dear Tired of Carrying: Let them...Read more

Dear Annie: I have always dreamed of moving to Memphis, Tennessee, and would really like to do so. It cost so much to get a hotel there, so I know I would need to find an apartment to rent pretty quickly. Can you give me some advice on what I can do as soon as I get there to get situated? I do not have a job lined up, but I would like to ...Read more

Dear Annie: A few months ago, I found out that my boyfriend was messaging a girl. He says she is just a friend. I've asked where he knows her from, but he brushes it off and says it was just a friendly text. I believe him that she's just a friend, but what bothers me is that the whole time this was happening, he would tell me that he was too ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are 72 and retired. We have always had a special relationship with our 27-year-old grandson, bailing him out financially whenever he was in a tight situation. However, he just recently asked for big help with his rent, utilities and other expenses since he changed jobs again. His new job sounds very promising, but ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am in my 40s, married, with children. My parents were married for 38 years before my father's passing six years ago. My siblings and I had discussed the idea of our mother finding new love at some point. We felt it was inevitable because our mother, honestly, would be quite the catch. She is loving, funny, smart, kind, dependable...Read more

Dear Annie: I have two stepdaughters whom my wife and I have I raised since they were 7 and 10 years old. We also have three daughters from our 18-year marriage. My wife and I worked very hard to put both the older ones through college. We've always had trouble keeping the oldest one engaged with making the best of decisions for herself. She ...Read more

Dear Annie: My girlfriend and I have been together for almost two years. We are both divorced.

I have a few insecurities. She is the greatest thing to ever happen to me, and I'm happier than I have ever been. She is my true love. I will do anything for her, which is why I'm reaching out for advice. I trust her completely, yet one of my ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 58-year-old woman who shares a split-level house with my adult son, "Brad." Brad lives downstairs in what is essentially a separate two-bedroom apartment with his 10-year-old daughter, although it's technically one unit. Brad and I split the rent evenly.

Last year, my mother was dying, and I went to stay with her for some ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a senior at university. I'm living with my boyfriend this semester, so we're in the same "family unit" and are able to be around each other without masks and social distancing.

I've been seeing my boyfriend -- let's call him Raul -- for about a year and a half now. We're getting along rather well, and I can really envision a ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I are in our early 70s. She has had some health problems in the past, so she has been extremely cautious in light of COVID-19. I am very concerned about the virus, too, and want to be careful, but my wife's level of carefulness has been impacting our intimacy. Since the start of the pandemic, she has cut off all ...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend is 48, and I am 39, and we have been together since May 2015. We haven't made too many public appearances since being together. I have two children, a 12-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl. They love him dearly. He has one child, a 14-year-old girl, who barely communicates with my children and me.

When we met, he was...Read more

Dear Annie: It sounds like Shut-Out Grandma's daughter-in-law has borderline personality disorder. One of your readers' advice to read "Stop Walking on Eggshells" by Paul Mason and Randi Kreger was great. It was very helpful for me. -- Another Grandma

Dear Another Grandma: Thank you for writing. As you will see in the next letter, yet another...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a twin sister who I am very close to. In the past year, she has had her share of health problems. She was diagnosed with CNS Vasculitis, an inflammation in the brain vessels that has many side effects, including impaired decision-making. It started in January, and she was told no driving and no work.

Between my husband and ...Read more

Dear Annie: We are on our second marriage and in our 60s. I believe he loves me, but Facebook is coming between us.

I do not think he would go out and cheat on me, but he loves friends/women on his computer. I have not found anything real bad yet on Facebook, but he spends nearly all day and night on it. That's his life.

He used to ask ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 24 years old, and my boyfriend is 64. We have been in a relationship for five years. He's everything I've ever wanted in a person: He's smart, funny, intelligent, caring and handsome. When we first started dating, I assumed that he was divorced, and I never bothered to ask otherwise. But after we'd been dating for some time, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to a caring, sweet, very cool woman for the last 13 years. We have four children. Like all marriages, we've had our ups and downs, but I thought we were solid.

A few months ago, she started spending time with an old friend, "Jimmy," who is a shady guy. One night after spending time with Jimmy, she came home, ...Read more