ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I'm overwhelmed with anger and resentment. My 86-year-old mom, who has lived in the same town as me for 30-plus years, blindsided me by announcing she was moving an hour and a half north to live with my brother. My husband and I have taken care of her -- and my father when he was alive -- for the past 20 years.

I feel extremely ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was married for 30 years, and some of them were very happy. The man I fell in love with was joyful and excited about life. Over time he grew bitter and withdrawn and critical about nearly everything I did. We tried counseling twice. In the end, we were two people who were no longer compatible, and we divorced.

I'm now 60 and ...Read more

Dear Annie: What do you think about friends who give gifts such as thrift store items or items that they no longer want in their homes? I have one friend who gives thrift store items to me as gifts. They are almost always cracked or chipped with the thrift store tag still on them and wrapped in used tissue paper.

Then I have another friend ...Read more

Dear Annie: Every year, as soon as October rolls around, my husband and I start having the same argument: Whose family gets us for Thanksgiving?

We've been married for 12 years and have two children, ages 7 and 10. Both sets of grandparents live about an hour away, and both families expect us to spend Thanksgiving with them.

My mother starts...Read more

Dear Annie: My in-laws are in their mid-80s, and for most of their lives, they appeared to be quite wealthy. They lived in beautiful homes, entertained lavishly and traveled frequently. They were successful in real estate and should have been financially comfortable in retirement.

Over the years, extravagant spending, poor investments and ...Read more

Dear Annie: For years, I've been the person my family turns to whenever they need help. Now, after everything I've done for them, I'm the one they've turned against.

During the pandemic, my husband and I moved into my elderly parents' home to help care for my seriously ill mother. I'm a healthcare professional, and whenever she was ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter is getting married soon, and what should be a joyous occasion has become a source of heartache.

Her father and I have been separated for three years. Although he has repeatedly said he would go to counseling to work on our marriage, he has never followed through.

I recently learned that his new girlfriend has been ...Read more

Dear Annie: Where do I begin?

My son and our family have put up with our daughter-in-law for 15 years. Although she appears charming to others, she is downright crude to me. I have ignored her rude remarks to me for years, letting time pass, but there is always another conflict. My son puts up with her outbursts of anger, but then she turns ...Read more

Dear Annie: My 27-year-old son moved back home eight months ago after his lease ended. The plan was for it to be temporary while he "regrouped." But since then, he's applied to only a handful of jobs. Meanwhile, he's sleeping in, playing video games and getting defensive if I bring up the job search.

I don't want to kick him out, but I also ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have always strived to be a super supportive mother-in-law and have maintained what I thought was a great relationship with my daughter-in-law until recently. My daughter-in-law gave birth to my first and only grandchild a little over a year ago, and I have tried my best to respect the boundaries she has set.

I live six hours ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm the mother of a 14-year-old daughter, and lately TikTok has me genuinely frightened.

At first, I thought it was mostly dancing, makeup tutorials and funny videos. But over time, I started hearing about dangerous "challenges," extreme dieting advice, risky stunts and videos that encourage kids to do things they would never have...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to my husband for a little over 50 years, and lately I find myself wondering whether I am becoming too sensitive or whether something in our marriage has changed.

More and more, I feel as though my feelings, needs and wishes are being overlooked. If I speak up about something that bothers me, especially if it ...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently had another unpleasant encounter with my 13-year-old granddaughter, and this time we both ended up yelling. What began as a simple conversation quickly turned into hateful answers, a bad attitude and her refusal to speak to me in a respectful or pleasant way.

Unfortunately, this has become a pattern. I have tried to be ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm hoping you might have some advice for me about how to meet people and make new friends as an adult. I'm 40, and I've been depressed for about a year. I was seeing a therapist for almost a year, but have recently given up on him. We tried different things, but I still feel pretty stuck and alone. I've tried going out by myself, ...Read more

Dear Annie: My girlfriend, "Lucy," and I started dating three years ago, during our senior year of college. After graduating, we both got jobs in the same city where we had gone to school, and we ended up moving in together to save money. Living together was surprisingly easy, as we're both pretty low-maintenance people. Anyway, Lucy is a good ...Read more

Dear Annie: A close friend, "Jenna," has a mental illness: She hoards. Her house would be condemned if the health administration were to go there.

I can start tracing this behavior back to when she first became a mother and discovered that raising children requires more than just buying them new clothes and getting pictures taken. She worked ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have been together for 20 years and married for four. We have three kids. In the beginning of our relationship, it was bad -- and the bad all came from me. I cheated on her and hurt her. She stayed by my side, and that's when I realized that I have a wonderful woman. I got my act together and ended up marrying her.

...Read more

Dear Annie: I need your advice. My very musically gifted high school senior appears to want to go to college and major in music performance. But he is refusing to visit colleges. He won't discuss why; he just gets very belligerent when the subject comes up and won't expand on any reasons. Should I let it be or make the contacts for him and force...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter is single and raising two sons. Her husband died in an automobile accident four years ago.

I am worried about the relationship between her sons, "Steven," 16, and "Frederick," 10. I think they are too close and too affectionate with each other. Steven is very protective of Frederick, and Frederick worships his big ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son and his wife have been married for 11 years, and my daughter-in-law, age 31, has struggled with alcoholism, depression and anxiety for the past six years. She's also attempted suicide a few times in the past three years. She is under the care of a psychiatrist. But who knows whether she is telling him the truth? She also is a ...Read more