Life Advice
/Health
Wife's Friends Are Crossing My Boundaries
Dear Annie: My wife is a synagogue president, which is a highly visible position.
She has come across far more people than I ever have.
First, she has a so-called friend from her time at Mary Kay. This woman was a pushy lady who once called my father a loser. She denied ever saying that. My spouse says that she doesn't believe either of us ...Read more
Partner's Health Troubles Are Impacting My Mental Health
Dear Annie: My partner was made disabled last year and is confined to a wheelchair. At the moment, he is in the hospital and has been since last August. When he was in the spinal unit, I only saw him three days a week but would FaceTime every day. Now that he is closer to me, he wants me to be at his bedside seven days a week.
My doctor, who ...Read more
Snubbed by My Former Pastor
Dear Annie: I'm potentially facing an aggressive and lethal type of cancer (esophageal), for which I'm being biopsied next week. I've known about this for just a few weeks. My former pastor and his wife were my friends, though there's been a noticeable distance in the last year. They helped me through my ex-hubby's death, as I'd been ...Read more
Friend Turned Therapist
Dear Annie: I've been friends with "Ashley" for nine years, and we have supported each other through many hard life events. We hit it off immediately and are very close. We were both single and living alone during the pandemic and became the major part of each other's support system and human interaction during that time.
Ashley rarely makes ...Read more
Forgiveness Changes Everything
Dear Annie: After reading the letter from "Unable to Open Up," the gentleman who was unable to articulate his thoughts to his therapist, I wonder if writing down his thoughts would help. Sometimes we can't bring ourselves to speak up for fear of being chastised, laughed at or embarrassed. I always encouraged my daughters to write down anything...Read more
Love Really Does Conquer All
Dear Readers: Many people had a lot to say in response to "Feeling Torn," who is concerned about the prospect of the interfaith marriage. Below are some letters.
Dear Annie: While love may conquer all, if the parents of these two have voiced concerns, I'd want to make sure each partner feels strong enough to withstand the impact of parental ...Read more
Socializing at the Seafood Counter
Dear Annie: I suspect my son may be gay. He is a gorgeous, smart, successful young man in his mid-20s, who has really never shown interest in girls. I am perfectly fine with him being gay, and I hope he would realize that. I wish he would just tell me if that was the case. I'm really not sure if he is because he seems very masculine. But so ...Read more
Boyfriend Playing Favorites With His Kids
Dear Annie: My boyfriend and I get along amazingly well, and we have lots of interests that we share. But I do not understand his favoritism to his 40-year-old daughter. She has never lived on her own. She was married but still lived there -- with her father -- and had two children. She is now divorced but still living at home. She is an ...Read more
Highly Critical High Schooler Looking to Change Her Ways
Dear Annie: I'm a 16-year-old girl and currently a sophomore in high school. High school is OK, but one thing I've noticed is that I'm really judgmental of others in my school and tend to bring them down in my head. For example, if I see a girl wearing revealing clothing, I'll call her a "slut" or a "whore" inside my head, or if I see a boy ...Read more
Two's Company, Three's a Crowd
Dear Annie: This is about "Unsure," who loved her job at a school but whose husband was pressuring her to find a higher-paying job so she could contribute toward college for their teenage children.
I am writing this from the perspective of a retired public employee who is very glad to have my defined benefits pension.
It is very important to...Read more
World War Wedding
Dear Annie: My son and new wife recently eloped with a small ceremony on a Tuesday (when we all had to take off work), but most of my family was not invited. She invited her parents, grandmother, aunt, uncles, best friend and cousin. But only me, my fiance and my other son were invited on my son's side.
The bride commented that I would never ...Read more
Wife Is Struggling With Bipolar Disorder and Taking It Out on Me
Dear Annie: My wife and I have been together for over 13 years. She is a great person who has issues with bipolar disorder. I've gotten used to it, and with things being off from time to time, but I'm not sure how to handle this last situation.
I knew my work jeans were really getting worn, but even though they had holes worn in the legs, ...Read more
Husband Keeps Convincing Me of His Lies
Dear Annie: I will have been married for 22 years this September, and we have been together for 26 years. But I recently discovered that for the past three years, my husband was talking to another woman in secret. I found evidence in texting voicemails and even a recording showing that they were at a casino once. I mean, if I would have taken ...Read more
Loss of Daughter Makes Me Uncomfortable Around Babies
Dear Annie: Eleven years ago, I lost my 19-year-old daughter suddenly. Up until that point, I loved cuddling with babies. I loved everything about them, including their smell, their soft skin, their innocent eyes, etc. If a friend or family member had a baby, I wanted to hold the sweet thing and cuddle.
Since my daughter passed away, however,...Read more
Thoughts for Mother's Day
Dear Readers: Happy Mother's Day! I hope that you feel appreciated and celebrated. I am also sensitive to the fact that Mother's Day can be difficult for some, either because their mothers have passed on or because they didn't have the idyllic type of mother described in the beautiful quotes below. Know that Mother's Day can also be Love Day. ...Read more
Ditch the Dirtbag
Dear Annie: I've been chatting with a guy online for a few weeks now -- nothing serious, just light, "getting to know you" conversations, with some flirtation sprinkled in.
Well, today, he decided to randomly mention that I reminded him of another woman he'd been talking to, who he ended up having an "amazing sexual connection" with, though ...Read more
Bothersome Belching
Dear Annie: I started seeing someone recently. "Matthew" is a perfect gentleman in many respects, but he has one habit that I find very rude and jarring: He burps, frequently, and sometimes without even covering his mouth. We sit down to watch a movie together after dinner, and all I can focus on is his constant gurgles next to me on the couch. ...Read more
Miscommunications and Misunderstandings
Dear Annie: I come from a large family. I was the youngest of four girls, and there were several years between us. Growing up, I barely knew my two older sisters.
One of the sisters remarried someone from a different religion, though they were not practicing. Fast-forward 20-25 years and this same couple drives by our small town 10-20 times ...Read more
Is a Teenage Bride Ever OK?
Dear Annie: My 19-year-old daughter -- she'll be 20 in July -- is a sophomore at Charleston College. She came home for spring break and informed my husband and me that she had found her soul mate at Charleston, and they plan to marry this summer. He's 24 and a graduate student teaching English.
She wants to go back to school in the fall as ...Read more
Vaping Vice Might Be a Dealbreaker
Dear Annie: My dad died of lung cancer a few years ago, and because of that, I abhor smoking in all its forms. The problem is I just discovered my boyfriend, who is a nurse, has been secretly vaping behind my back. I was shocked and upset not so much that he did it (which is bad enough) but that he went through great pains to hide it from me. ...Read more