Life Advice
/Health
Need Help Muting My Mouthy Mother-in-Law
Dear Annie: I have teenagers who are in multiple sports. My mother-in-law is a huge fan of sports and attends most events. She gets extremely excited about the game going on and is incredibly loud -- shouting during a majority of the game.
For the most part, her comments are positive, but I can tell the constant shouting of how the players ...Read more
Setting Free Sibling Drama
Dear Annie: My one sister and I took care of our parents for the last 20 years due to their poor health and dementia. We have another sister who always made promises to our parents to stop by and take them out to eat or make them some of their favorite food, but they hardly ever did that.
What hurts is that this sibling really hurt our ...Read more
House Can't Fit the Whole Fam
Dear Annie: My oldest son is 43. He lives in another state. He has a girlfriend that he lives with. They are serious but not married, but they do plan to get married. The girlfriend has four children, ages 22, 21, 14 and 12.
My son wants to come visit. He has two kids. One is 18 years old (adopted through a previous marriage), and one is 7 ...Read more
Teenage Marriages, Hidden Vaping and Pornography Addictions
Dear Annie: I am one who married at 19. If "Disapproving" wants to maintain a good relationship with her daughter, she should voice her concerns but assure her daughter she trusts her judgment and will always be there for her.
My mother was not supportive at all. She told me in the limo on the way to church that I could change my mind even if...Read more
Daughter Deserves Better
Dear Annie: My daughter has two wonderful little boys, ages 2 and 1, with a man who has proven time and time again to be unfaithful. My daughter is 24 and dated "Marcus" in high school. He seemed like a nice enough young man. He went off to college and ended up losing his scholarship due to drinking.
Marcus moved back home and met an older ...Read more
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