ArcaMax

Dear Annie: Somehow, sometime, it was determined by my family members that since I was living at home after being disabled, that I would be the sibling (out of six) who would be responsible for caring for our parents until their death.

My father passed away about 12 years ago, while Mom is still with us. However, she requires more care than ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 16-year-old girl who will turn 17 in four months. I just started my junior year of high school; school's busy, but I'm doing a pretty good job so far.

My dilemma is that I'm worried that I'll never lose my virginity in my 20s because I don't have "experience." And whenever I read stuff about people saying that they don't ...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend of five months has a female co-worker, "Leslie," who he has known and been close to for five years. She is also a single parent of two kids under 10.

I have met Leslie several times, and she has always been kind. I've never felt threatened by my boyfriend's relationship with her.

Last week, he asked me to meet him at...Read more

Dear Annie: When my mother was in a coma, dying, my brother closed her safety deposit box. He was co-executor of the estate. Life insurance policies, jewelry and all her personal and important belongings were gone.

I was stuck listing, cleaning and selling her home. There are a total of four children, and I had to drive nearly two hours to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I read the letter from "Cat Lady," whose mother-in-law brings unwelcome and ill-behaved dogs to her home. I agree that this is the husband's discussion to have with his mother, but another solution occurred to me.

Maybe the daughter-in-law and son could hire a pet walker to come by the house when the mother-in-law brings her dogs....Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 26 years, and we both are in our 60s, and neither one of us is in good health. When we married, I had three girls and he had two girls. My husband's girls are very jealous of me and my girls. I have always tried to love his girls, but they haven't been very lovable. My girls and I have been ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for eight years and share two beautiful children. About four years ago, I found him gambling, using substances and going places behind my back while he was supposed to be at work.

We have been in therapy since early 2020, both individually and as a couple. Since that time, he has repeatedly made ...Read more

Dear Annie: A month ago, I received some troubling news from my doctor. She said I have a rare bone marrow disorder and have five years at the most to live. What was troubling was that my wife of 35 years started to withdraw from me as if she is already readying herself for a life without me. I tried to tell her how I feel, but she turns it ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a complicated relationship with my siblings. I'm the youngest of four. Now, in my late 40s, I don't speak to any of my siblings or their kids. It's like I'm an only child and they don't exist. My dad has passed, and I'm close to my mother, and there's always been jealousy due to that. Jealousy growing up, jealousy with my ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am married to a man who has an identical twin brother. Our marriage is in trouble because my husband favors his twin over me.

His brother thinks my husband should always help him out when he has a failed relationship -- and that's happened a lot. His twin also has had trouble holding down a job.

My husband and I have helped his...Read more

Dear Annie: My mom probably has narcissism and borderline personality disorders but has never been diagnosed. She is extremely difficult to deal with, and everyone knows this. She believes she is super special, has very high standards and has been catered to by everyone. Her children have taken different paths in dealing with her: One has ...Read more

Dear Readers: Twenty-two years later, our country is still healing from the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001. On 9/11, 3,000 innocent people lost their lives during a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that took down the Twin Towers, damaged the Pentagon and crashed four flights.

Sadly, 22 years later, people are still dying from the ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 65. I live on very little money.

My son had a child 13 years ago; he got sole custody and has lived with me since. I have always supported them, both emotionally and financially, except for one year a few months ago when he had a job.

I was OK with it, until he started treating me like the "bad one." He takes my granddaughter...Read more

Dear Annie: I have an employee who is constantly overbearing and frequently steps out of line in regards to privacy and personal space. She mistakenly sent me a text where she was revealing to a family member who works at a medical office where I was obtaining medical services, and describing my car and what state my tags were from. This shook...Read more

Dear Annie: We have elderly neighbors who have allowed their 62-year-old son and his wife of five years to move in with them while they look for a house.

The son lost his job in California, which he used as an excuse to move here to Washington. That was three months ago. They don't seem to be looking for a house. When the elderly homeowners ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been in a relationship for nine years. In that time, we've had multiple circumstances that broke my trust with him. He would report to his Marine base once a month (as a reservist), get drunk at night and flirt with girls online constantly; he tried kissing a girl at a party we were both at (thankfully, she ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been widowed for 1 1/2 years. I have well-meaning neighbors who want to include me in many social activities -- dinners out, movies, parties and meals at their homes.

The problem is that I am an introvert and have never enjoyed parties, movies or most social activities. I also have huge food allergies, which cause migraines. ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 40 years old and tired of having my siblings always telling me what to do. This has come up recently because my mother has to move out of her home. I've lived with her in the past, and she treated me horribly. Now my siblings expect me to get up and help her move and pack her stuff. I'm not a child anymore.

I asked my sister a...Read more

Dear Readers: Wishing you all a very Happy Labor Day as summer comes to a close and you are enjoying the last of your barbecues and long summer nights. Below is a list of quotes that highlight the importance of hard work, and using your talents and gifts, to benefit yourself and others that I thought you would enjoy reading.

"All happiness ...Read more

Dear Readers: Many readers wrote in regarding "Mum or Never," the letter from the woman who, at age 40, was ambivalent about having children. Below are two interesting letters. One is from a woman who decided to have a child later in life and was very deliberate and responsible on how the child was raised, highlighting the importance of ...Read more