Life Advice

/

Health

Balancing Boundaries and Support

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I have been dating my boyfriend for four years and am very lucky to call him mine. He loves me well, gets along with everyone he meets and is very giving. His mother, on the other hand, is a taker, financially and emotionally. She hates her job and where she lives but is not willing to make a change. She relies on her two sons ...Read more

Love, Loss and Longing

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I'll be married for 25 years this coming June, 30 years together. My husband is great, but he is not interested in sex anymore. He told me, "It's just not important to me."

I'm in my mid-40s and am desperate for intimacy and affection. But aside from that, I enjoy my family dynamics. I don't want to break that up for my own selfish ...Read more

Terrible Twos and Tough Talks

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I have a son who's going to be 3 in August. He's been going through the "Terrible Twos," and as you can imagine, it's been terrible. His thing right now is that he will throw a fit, and then when he's done, he will wrap his arms around me and say, "I love you, Mommy!"

Well, my husband's aunt has rolled around after her partner died ...Read more

Balancing Family Loyalties

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: My daughter has a 13-year-old son by her first husband and a 14-month-old by her new husband. She and the new husband have been living together for over seven years.

She moved eight hours away with our grandson, then 6, and the boyfriend immediately moved there and moved in. He stated many, many times that he never wanted kids and ...Read more

Are My Hygiene Standards Really Too High?

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: How can I get people who visit me to wash their hands after they use the bathroom? I have provided pump soap so they don't have to use a bar of soap. I have put in decorative paper towels so they don't have to use a cloth towel and a sign that says "Wash your hands."

What else can I do? What can I say to them that won't be insulting...Read more

Boundaries When a Relationship Is All Give, No Take

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I have a cousin who I grew up with (literally in the same building) for eight years of my life. After our families moved, we stayed close, often kept in touch on social media or through phone calls and text messages. We've often said we were sisters, not cousins.

In recent years I've begun to realize how selfish, self-centered and ...Read more

When the Spark of Love Dies Out

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: This is a tough situation and I'm at a loss for what to do next. First, I've been battling a worsening depression for a few years now. I was 34 when I lost my mom on Memorial Day of 2022 and then my dad to a broken heart the next year. After many trials and tribulations through life, I brought myself slightly out of my depression ...Read more

Mother-in-Law Longs for Order

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I need advice on how to approach my son about the disorder in his house. He was raised in a very neat home. When he lived alone for several years, his house was immaculate. He's now been married for four years. They have a 2-year-old and one on the way.

Their house is in total disarray -- laundry basket full of dirty clothes, ...Read more

Navigating Forgiveness and Boundaries

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I am 70 years old and blessed with two well-settled and caring grown children (one son and one daughter), who have each been blessed with two kids of their own, making me a grandma of 4 under 4; for which I'm very excited and grateful. Every day of my life, it gives me positive energy.

My marriage of 36 years fell apart six years ...Read more

Family Wounds and Forgiveness

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: When I was 6 years old, my father left my mother for another woman who was 14 years his junior. She had actually been his secretary and had been with him for a couple of years before the divorce. My dad went so far as to even get an apartment for her in the city. She was 16 at the time.

Fast forward, he stayed married to her for ...Read more

Balancing Parenthood's Struggles and Sacrifices

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: Thank you for letting people know the importance of donating pet food to food banks and shelters. Right now we are facing a record number of pets whose families can't feed them! If everyone who could helped pets who have been cared for and loved their whole lives, they wouldn't end up in a noisy, scary, crowded shelter -- where ...Read more

Navigating Marriage 30 Years In

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I have been married for 30 years and feel sad about the way things have been for the last couple of years.

My husband and I were married in May 1993, and I feel like our lives have sent us in two different directions. He is now a pastor of a church, where he has worked for more than two years. I know this is what he has been ...Read more

Passing Down Wisdom

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: Here are some suggestions for grandparents who feel worthless:

1. Love your grandchildren; let them know your love.

2. Show them the world around us: parks, zoos, theaters, book stores, libraries and museums.

3. Teach love, patience, honesty and integrity by example.

4. Be available.

5. Listen.

6. Give advice only when asked....Read more

Feeling Like I'm Falling Short

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I am the sole caregiver of my partner of 30 years who started suffering from dementia five years ago. I am at a point where I do nothing all day if I can avoid it. I read compulsively. I start stressing days ahead of when I know I'll have to make a trip to town -- 40 miles roundtrip for groceries, etc.

My partner doesn't require ...Read more

Bride Gets Giddy Over Wedding Gift

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I have a friend whose son was taking a job across the country after his wedding. She hosted a bridal shower since many of us had met her future daughter-in-law and her parents didn't live nearby. We were asked to give our best marital advice and bring a gift. Since I wasn't married and I had a custodial job, I made a list of ...Read more

Balancing Boundaries

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: We have a female friend that we have known for years. She lives alone and lost her leg a few years ago, which has limited her ability to venture out.

We have made sure to invite her to events like baby showers and our Christmas cookie exchange, which she tells us are a big deal for her. She always seems excited to attend, despite ...Read more

Husband Wants to Reconcile After Affair

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been having a rough time. He cheated on me with a young woman and got her pregnant. I think this was her goal, secretly. She knew he had a wife and wanted him to leave me.

Anyway, the baby will be 1 soon, and now that my husband is seeking reconciliation, I feel stuck in the middle. I've already been through my...Read more

Bad-Tempered Sister-in-Law

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I was close to all my brothers when we were growing up, especially because we had no extended family around. Our grandparents and aunts and uncles were quite a distance away. All of us really felt it, and the siblings always wanted spouses who could provide what we never had -- a close relationship with our family.

Recently, my ...Read more

Slowing Down

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I am old, and I worry about falling. I have read advice to us old people on numerous websites on how to avoid falling. But one thing is missing: It is important not to hurry.

I have only anecdotal evidence, but I have observed that hurrying often leads to falling. One friend died after a fall rushing to answer the phone. My wife and...Read more

A New Beginning Up North

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: Please help me. I am in my mid-40s and have been with a man for seven and a half years. He has four children who I absolutely adore. His youngest is 12. We started dating when she turned 5. We have had them full time for the past seven years. I have gotten pregnant five times with this man. There were three miscarriages and two other...Read more

 

Comics

Caption It Kevin Siers Speed Bump Wallace The Brave Randy Enos Rose is Rose