ArcaMax

Dear Annie: Every summer for the last 15 years, my mother has insisted on driving 1,500 miles to spend 10 days with me. We have had some really fun visits, but now she is 88 years old and just had heart surgery. She frequently falls despite using a walker. Additionally, she drives with my brother with special needs, who also has mobility ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm in a really bittersweet situation. I hit it off with a friend who happens to live quite far away. The time we've spent hanging out has been awesome, and I'm beyond thankful to have them in my life. But I'm frustrated by the distance. I'm not scared we'll drift apart, but I am anxious about how little face time we have between ...Read more

Dear Annie: My co-worker, "Jane," is the front-desk person and has a bird's-eye view to everything. For the past several years she has noticed that it appears that my supervisor is having an affair with another co-worker. I, too, have noticed what appear to be signs of an affair. Although I do not approve (if this is the case), I am able to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am hoping you can help me sort this out. I am an avid animal lover, and I have had animals all my life. I am now on the brink of turning 65 and have no pets. I am in very good health. Also, I am on the autism spectrum (high functioning). Despite 30 years of counseling, I have no friends (and no family). I am yearning to adopt a ...Read more

Dear Annie: Each year for the past 10 years or so I have gotten together with four close friends I've known since middle school. We are now in our early 60s. Usually we gather in a place that has wonderful clothing stores. I live in an area where shopping is limited, so I often see items I'd love to buy.

My problem is that my friends are ...Read more

Dear Annie: Mother's Day and Father's Day always present a dilemma for my family, and I was hoping you and your readers could offer some advice. Unlike individual birthdays, Mother's Day and Father's Day celebrate multiple individuals on the same day. As a kid, my family spent the day visiting both sets of grandparents, in addition to trying ...Read more

Dear Annie: My three siblings and I are in a terrible situation right now over our 88-year-old mother. When she first moved into her seniors residence almost a year ago, one of the papers that we were asked to fill out was a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) form. We didn't think it was a good time to talk to our mom about it because she was going ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband has a friend, "Ralph," who is half his age and was recently married. Ralph's wife, "Katherine," is always texting my husband, and not me, to make plans to go out to eat. I have asked my husband several times to text Ralph back instead of his wife, but he has not. When we go out to eat, Ralph's wife always wants to sample...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend and I agree on almost everything, but something has come up that has caused us to argue, and we decided to turn to you for advice. We both have children who are in their first year of high school, and when they graduate they want to go to college.

Our argument has been over the college cheating scandal that has sent...Read more

Dear Annie: I am feeling so conflicted. My niece, "Melanie," is getting married in June. Melanie is paying for her own wedding, with a little from her mom. She's 31 now and was 5 when her parents (my brother and his wife) divorced.

Long story short, things are acrimonious between Melanie and her dad, and she's decided not to invite him to the...Read more

Dear Annie: My oldest sister has five grown children. Four live out of town, and one lives with his mother. My sister has never been able to stand up for herself very well. The out-of-town children have been trying to get her money. They have even somehow made the court send her a letter to appear for a 30-minute evaluation to see if she has ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am trying to decide if I should print out the following letter and give it to my wife. What do you think?

Dear Leigh:

My goal here is not to blame or accuse or criticize. I just want to find a way to better communicate. Please don't get angry or frustrated or feel like I am trying to attack you because that is not the case. ...Read more

Dear Annie: For the past four years, I have taken a yoga class at our local senior center. I am there to work on my physical self, as well as to learn a new way of exercising, and I have enjoyed yoga a great deal. However, I have found that there is a level of competitiveness among a few women in this class that really takes away from what I ...Read more

Dear Annie: Usually active and energetic, I will be turning 80 in the spring. How I dread that birthday! Once my favorite season, spring now haunts me.

A fine artist, a painter, I still have dreams of finding a house to buy -- one where I could hang my paintings and invite people in to see them. I've been looking for several years. I'm ...Read more

Dear Annie: I enjoy my job, but I'm not satisfied. I'm not sure what I'm missing, though. I think I'm just daydreaming about an ideal job that probably doesn't exist. But I don't know how to reconcile that. I don't want to be at my current job longer than another year or two. But that time is time I could be spending being happier, more ...Read more

Dear Annie: My family is dealing with an aging mother. Since my father died, she has moved often. Every place she moves to eventually has some issue, and she starts complaining. Soon she is driving me crazy about whatever it is. Even after the problem is solved, she'll find something else to focus on.

I have tried to get her interested in ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am in my mid-60s and retired, as is my husband. We have family scattered around the country and travel quite a bit. It has become quite obvious that our kids' generation is totally consumed with a certain famous coffee brand. I like to refer to it as "Fancypants Coffee." Every morning starts with rushing off to the Fancypants ...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently went no-contact with my father. We had a tumultuous relationship when I was growing up because of his struggle with mental illness. Before going no-contact with him, every phone call caused me intense anxiety and triggered symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. My decision to go no-contact was a long time coming, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've noticed that these days, people say "I love you" almost as a way of saying goodbye to friends or "see you later." For the most part, I think this is sweet. However, I find myself in a situation in which I am uncomfortable with this practice. A family member who has, for many years, treated me as a resource (i.e., as someone ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been suffering from various symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder since I was about 11 years old. In addition to all of this, when I was 17, my "boyfriend" forcibly had sex with me at a house party. I was not ready, and he forced himself on me. I was raped. I went to counseling very briefly.

When ...Read more