Life Advice
/Health
Balancing Parenthood's Struggles and Sacrifices
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Unable to Buzz My Babysitter
Dear Annie: We have a very close friend whose 16-year-old daughter, "Lily," babysits for us quite often.
There have been a couple of times, however, that Lily has not had her phone with her when she comes to babysit. I like to check in often with Lily to ensure things are going well with my kids, a 3- and 4-year-old. So when I couldn't get a ...Read more
Desperate to Decode This Dating Dilemma
Dear Annie: I've found myself in a dating maze and desperately need some advice. I've been dealing with some mixed signals from the person I'm dating; he's all about making plans and being super affectionate one day, then is distant and elusive the next. I'm getting whiplash. How do I make sense of this behavior without coming off as needy or ...Read more
Family Strains and Friend Flakes
Dear Annie: My husband and I are both in our second marriages, and we've been together nearly 27 years. I have no children. He has two grown sons. The younger one has lived with us since he was 11 years old. The older one was 17 when I moved in, and he decided to live with his mother instead of staying with us. Somehow, he resents both me and ...Read more
Love Letters and More for Valentine's Day
Dear Readers: Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day. I hope it is filled with lots of love, laughter and joy. Below are some famous quotes about love.
"Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love." -- William Shakespeare
"If I should think of love / I'd think of you, ...Read more
Seeking Harmony in the Household
Dear Annie: I have been married for 23 years. This is the second marriage for both of us.
My wife has a couple of so-called friends who I have bad vibes about. In the first case, her friend "Carolyn" called my father a loser. I told her off, and when my wife questioned her, she denied it, and then my wife accused me of being a liar. She said ...Read more
Finding Voice at Family Gatherings
Dear Annie: At holidays and other family get-togethers, my parents-in-law prefer that I speak only when spoken to. They host every holiday. I believe they see me as extremely opinionated, which makes me vulgar at worst and irritating at best, in their eyes. My father-in-law once explained that he would teach me how to refrain from speaking, as...Read more
Navigating Family Bonds With Care and Concern
Dear Annie: I just read your response to the letter regarding the lack of appreciation for a wedding gift. While I completely agree that the couple should have sent thank-you notes, an awful thought crossed my mind. We just had our wedding last year, and we sent out combination personalized thank-you/holiday greeting cards to our friends and ...Read more
Depressed and Desiring Love
Dear Annie: I've been in a nursing home since I was 60. I would love to find someone to fall in love with, but I have a problem socializing. I can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm in a nursing home. I'm depressed and see myself not having much time to live with my several health issues. I can't walk and I'm wheelchair-bound. I've tried ...Read more
Unsettled by Friend's Mid-Divorce Behavior
Dear Annie: For three years, my husband and I got really close with another couple. But in the last year, our friend's marriage hit a rough patch. She's been acting different -- bragging, being arrogant and talking a lot about meeting other guys.
Now she's going through a divorce, and every time we talk, it's all about the men she's meeting ...Read more
Other Solutions to a Potential Stalker
Dear Readers: A number of you wrote in in response to "Tired of Being Scared at Work and at Home," about the 26-year-old woman who was struggling with how to handle a co-worker she suspects of stalking her. Below are some of your helpful insights.
Dear Annie: Your answer to "Tired of Being Scared at Work and at Home" didn't address the ...Read more