ArcaMax

Dear Annie: Lately, I find myself thinking a lot about old roommates, friends and co-workers. I'm talking about people from over 30 years ago, whom I haven't spoken to in decades. I think I would like to tell them how they have impacted my life in positive ways. Should I reach out to them or would that just be self-serving and weird? I mean, if ...Read more

Dear Annie: My older brother and I have been dealing with a touchy situation for years. We are both adopted; our parents divorced when we were very young, and they both remarried.

Our adoptive father was abusive, and our mother had her own share of issues stemming from major depression. We were primarily raised by our mother and stepfather, ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter is the co-owner of a salon in Florida. All the folks there work extremely hard trying to make a living.

Here is the problem: Let's say "Karen" books a hair color treatment that requires three hours to complete on a Thursday. That time frame is now blocked off on the schedule. On Wednesday, Karen is contacted to verify ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been seeing this guy for almost a year now. We practically live together, in fact. At first, to be honest, we just "hooked up" for, as he put it, "pleasure." But over the course of about three months of these hookups, our relationship got a little more serious, and now, almost a year later, we have deep feelings for each other. ...Read more

Dear Annie: My "Laura" is the light of my life. It's been more than a year since we found each other, but my whole body still shakes with anticipation every time I see her. Recently, though, I can't help but feel a growing tension between us. This is my first real romantic relationship, and I know that I have a lot to learn, but Laura can be so ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a man in my late 50s. Until recently, I was in a long-distance relationship with a woman -- let's call her "Maria" -- who lives about a thousand miles away from me. Last month, out of the blue, she accused me of cheating on her with her cousin, who lives about 45 minutes away from me. This is 100% not true. I met the cousin only...Read more

Dear Annie: For years, I have tried to have a relationship with my two daughters-in-law, and at some point, I finally gave up. Now, when we get together, the family gatherings are not horrible. But at best, they are superficial.

It is very difficult to have conversations when they text nearly the entire time -- which I never address -- or ...Read more

Dear Annie: I never thought I would send one of these letters. I have been married for almost 20 years. Last September, my wife asked for a divorce after what was a rough year, one that was much rougher than I even thought. A week after the request for a divorce, I found out she had been having a long affair with my son's Boy Scout leader ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been with my boyfriend, "Mike," for five years, and we've lived together for three. I've noticed he's been distant lately. I can't quite put my finger on why; he says he has just been stressed about work.

He has also been spending more time on his phone. Last week, I saw messages pop up on his phone from a woman named "Sarah,...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband, "John," and I have been married for eight years, and we have two young children. Recently, he's been working late almost every night and spending weekends at the office. When I ask him about it, he says he's trying to secure a promotion that will benefit our family in the long run.

I've always admired his work ethic ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've experienced couples being completely tone-deaf to the single friends in their lives. Sometimes they have no interest in helping their friends find a relationship. I'm not even talking about setting someone up. I'm talking about having no interest in even going to a place where single people might be.

In my case, it resulted ...Read more

Dear Annie: When I was a teenager, I had a big dilemma, and I would like to know how you would have solved it. My closest friend, "Joanne," lived just a few minutes away but had terrible punctuality when it came to getting together. She would often be up to a few hours late getting to my house, which sometimes led to me having to cancel our ...Read more

Dear Annie: There have been two different occasions where I sent a baby shower gift because I couldn't make it to the shower. On both occasions, I never received a thank-you note. One was for the niece of a friend, and the other was for my own nephew and his wife's baby shower.

I told my sister about not receiving a thank-you note from her ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been in an on-and-off relationship with a guy for four years. He has a lot of female friends, and I'm not really sure how I am supposed to feel about that. He goes to dinner with them for their birthdays and meets them out for drinks, and yet he won't introduce me to them as his girlfriend. He tells me that my jealousy is a ...Read more

Dear Annie: My girlfriend's father has a knack for calling or texting me at the most inconvenient times during the day or night. I get random texts from him while I'm in meetings or have my boss in my office.

Over the last few weeks, he's started calling and texting me until I answer or reply to his text during the middle of the night. The ...Read more

Dear Annie: I wanted to write in with a mindset shift that I have had over the past couple of years. What helps me get over childhood trauma is the realization that I am who I am because of the things I've experienced -- both the good things and the awful things that stem from my childhood and how I've lived as a result. Our parents were ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have an elderly family member who constantly interrupts me. Not only does she interrupt when I'm talking to her, but she eavesdrops on my conversations with others and interrupts those, too. She has been doing this for decades, so I highly doubt it's related to age. It's extremely rude, and I've tried to kindly tell her many ...Read more

Dear Readers: So many of you were relieved that I printed a positive letter about mothers-in-law. Please find some more letters in praise of MIL. I'm sure any mother of a son appreciates these letters.

Dear Annie: I share "Change's" feelings about my mothers-in-law. I, too, won the mother-in-law lottery, twice! My first husband's mother was ...Read more

Dear Annie: My heart is broken, and so is my wife's. This past year, we planned a family vacation because my daughter and her family and my son and his live in a different state. We were meeting in the middle to save everyone from such a long road trip. My wife and I have been married almost 35 years, and she helped raise my two children. My ...Read more