ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I was married 45-plus years when my husband passed away. After being alone for a few years, I married a longtime family friend. His wife had passed away several years earlier. He pursued me and is a good man, and we seem to be happy together.

But at times, I do feel like his first wife lives with us. My question is, should he be ...Read more

Dear Annie: For close to 50 years, my friend "Chloe" and I have met for dinner once a week, and she always discusses her husband's past affair, which occurred over 50 years ago and lasted a year. They are still married and had a few children after the affair ended. She seems to refuse to believe he has told her "everything" and still asks him ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been very happily married for several years to a man I love deeply. Suddenly, his son from a previous marriage, who lives in another state, wants Dad to move to his state to be close to him, as he and his wife are planning a family. His son and I have never been close.

My husband works for himself and has a major client -- a ...Read more

Dear Annie: In a recent column, a reader stated his wife has a serious addiction to pain pills after years of being prescribed them, hasn't worked in those years, spends most of her time in bed, breaks into pill safes and begs for more pills. You told him that his wife has a severe opioid addiction. This is entirely possible. However, it is ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for nearly three decades. Up until seven years ago, my husband, who is very sensitive, had a difficult time making friends. Oh, he's super funny, charismatic and adventurous, but he struggled outside the home.

Then he started finding groups of guys who were as adventurous and fun as he was. ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter is a 57-year-old divorced mom of four. All of her children live with her except for one, who is a college student. She has been divorced for 10 years. Her husband was having an affair and denied it, but my daughter has proof he did have an affair.

Since her divorce, and even prior to the divorce, I have helped her ...Read more

Dear Annie: One of our two sweet dogs died recently. Do you have any suggestions for how to explain it to our two children, who are 3 and 7 years old? She had heart disease that progressed quickly -- within a month and mainly over the last five days of her sweet life.

Thank you very much. -- Explaining to Our Children

Dear Explaining: Losing a...Read more

Dear Annie: My mother passed away earlier this year. I'm sad to say that I did not like her. She was never nice to me. I was having a hard time in my life and for a while didn't talk to anyone. My mother would say mean things to me like, "Your father wants to take you out of the will," along with her favorite line: "I hate you!" She said that ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 39-year-old man who is married to the greatest wife in the world. We have three boys and one girl; our oldest is 19, and our youngest is 8. A couple of years ago, I started a cabinet-making business, and it is growing faster than I could have imagined. Our oldest son works full time with me. Even with his help, I am falling ...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend and I have been dating for two years. He's a hard worker, which appealed to me, as I've always been the breadwinner in previous relationships. But lately, I feel like he's not putting any effort into the relationship.

For one, we always hang out at my house. I've only been to his house three times in the two years we'...Read more

Dear Annie: You recently printed a letter from two physicians with an alcoholic daughter. Al-Anon is the organization that supports friends and families of alcoholics, and Alcoholics Anonymous is support for the individual with a drinking problem. You recommended Alcoholics Anonymous.

We were in this couple's shoes recently. Our daughter ...Read more

Dear Annie: While reading the letter from the "Parent Who Does Not Want to Get Divorced," the way she was describing her husband sounded very much like he might have narcissistic tendencies.

My husband is a narcissist, and the worst thing you can do is go to marriage counseling. I know that sounds crazy, but very few counselors know how to ...Read more

Dear Readers: Being a good neighbor can be more complicated than it sounds, at least when it comes to finding financial help for the elderly who are seeking home care. That's what experts in the field have discovered, and I am very grateful that so many of them spelled out the problems and offered possible solutions for helping out. Here are ...Read more

Dear Annie: I feel the need to provide a different view to the "Grieving Grandmothers" who wrote in saying that their daughters-in-law keep their grandkids and sons away from them.

First, your son is a grown adult who can make choices for himself, so maybe start taking the blame off the daughter-in-law. Second, maybe reflect on yourself to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a woman in my mid-30s, and my wife is in her early 40s. We met a little less than two years ago and haven't left each other's side since. We got married about a year ago. Needless to say, we both fell fast and hard for each other. When I met her, my whole world changed, and I look at the world in a completely different way. ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 34 years. We have two grown children, both of whom still live with us. They work and pay rent toward our mortgage. I have no problem with their living at home, and I don't think my husband does either. The problem I have is that both my husband and my son are alcoholics. They both work hard, but...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend and I have been in a relationship for 10 years. We've had a lot of trials but always managed to hold onto each other and weather the storms. The last major trial was that I cheated on him with one of our best friends. I feel terrible about it; in fact, I think I may have managed to break my heart more than my boyfriend...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend and I have been talking about moving in together for a very long time. I became pregnant and had our baby, but he didn't move in with me because he was upset that I was talking to other people about our problems.

Well, finally, almost a year later, he has moved in his dresser and bookshelf. But he is mad at me again ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife "Monica" has been having a mostly texting affair with "Mike" for almost two years. There are emails where they address each other with, "Hey, babe." It is disgusting. I accidentally discovered this years ago, and again recently after I thought they had not talked for years.

Upon this discovery, I texted Mike angrily -- he ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband passed away in April after suffering for many years from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. I was his caregiver for over a year, along with hospice. It was very hard on me. Since he passed, I have been lost, depressed and have a lot of anxiety.

I don't have much of a support system because my family members have all...Read more