ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I have been married to my husband for over 50 years. While we are physically unable to have sexual relations due to several health factors, I'm not missing it. Why? Because he has terrible hygiene practices and the biggest is not brushing his teeth enough. He has horrible halitosis now.

I can barely manage to travel short distances ...Read more

Dear Annie: My mom and I have always had a weird relationship. Throughout my childhood, I always considered us close, even when she moved hours away to the other side of the state when I was in middle school. We would talk regularly, and I would go see her for summer and winter breaks. When I graduated high school, I happily made the move to ...Read more

Dear Annie: Recently, I had a major social misstep that has essentially pushed one of my best friends out of my life. During the week of my birthday, I had a mid-30s crisis; a string of bad memories from dating and bad luck with women hit me and put me in a very emotionally weakened state of mind. In front of this friend, I was reduced to what ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have a 34-year-old daughter who has lived with us all her life (except for maybe a year). She brought her freeloading boyfriend in. I had cancer at the time and they didn't even bother to do anything, so she ended up pregnant.

I kicked her boyfriend out of the house after finding out he couldn't even take her to the...Read more

Dear Annie: Most often a cheating husband or wife causes the divorce. Most would want to end their marriage after finding their partner cheated. And most people would advise the offended partner to leave.

This is most of what I read in people's letters and people's responses to you.

But it doesn't have to be like that. Actually, it can be one ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a family problem for which I would appreciate your opinion. My wife and I are Americans living in a small village in Italy, in an area popular with tourists. Recently, I contacted my sister and her husband from the States and expressed our interest in having them visit us and stay at our house, since we haven't seen them for ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a retired RN, and I was interested when one of your readers wrote that if an elderly person falls, they should not be allowed to drive. I am here to tell you there is no direct correlation between falls and driving. Falls for the elderly occur for many reasons -- some known and others unknown.

The statement in your column was ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have one daughter, and family has always been important to us. She has several cousins around her age, and we've always hoped they would grow up close. Over the years, we've been the ones reaching out to make plans, but the effort is rarely reciprocated.

I don't believe anyone is intentionally trying to hurt our ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a recent college grad, and I've always wanted to be a writer like you. I've applied to more jobs than I can count at newspapers and magazines but haven't landed a single offer. Everyone keeps saying "the job market is tough right now," but knowing that doesn't pay rent. I still live with my parents, and I'm dying to get my own ...Read more

Dear Annie: My mom and I have always been close. I'm 35 now, but we talk almost every day, even though she's in Virginia, where I grew up, and I moved to Washington state after college. We make an effort to see each other as much as possible, but of course, it's never enough.

Recently, a work trip brought her to San Francisco, but I didn't ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a working mother of two young children, and lately the guilt is eating me alive. I love my job. I worked hard to get where I am. But every morning when I leave the house, my 4-year-old asks why I have to go again, and my heart sinks.

My husband is supportive. We have good childcare. Still, I feel like I am missing the little ...Read more

Dear Annie: I always pictured summer as the one time of year when our family could finally slow down. During the school year, we are all racing from homework to practices to carpools to late dinners. I thought summer would bring beach days, lazy mornings, cookouts and maybe one real vacation where we could reconnect without everyone checking a...Read more

Dear Annie: My younger sister has always been the "fun one" in our family. She breezes in late with a bottle of wine and a funny story, and somehow everyone forgives her before she has even taken off her coat. She forgets birthdays, cancels plans at the last minute and borrows money she never seems to pay back. My parents still smile and say, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I sit here writing to you starting another week much like the past six months of this year: depressed by the way time has altered my life.

I'm 76 and married. My routine rarely changes. I wake up, listen to the news and eat breakfast. I straighten up the house and make the bed. I sometimes go shopping or have doctor's visits. I ...Read more

Dear Annie: The doctor I have been seeing for over 20 years has decided to discontinue her practice in the town I live in and move to another town. I can't get to that town, so I've asked friends to recommend their doctors. But I'm dreading having to set up an appointment with a completely unfamiliar doctor.

How do I get over the anxiety of ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am an 86-year-old mother of three children, a grandmother of six and great-grandmother of eight. We have always had a great relationship with our children.

Our youngest daughter, who has always been close to us, went through a stressful divorce. Her husband had an affair, and she divorced him. She always came home every few ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married to my husband for 18 years, and in many ways he is a good man. He works hard, pays the bills, shows up for our children and has never been cruel or unfaithful. From the outside, I am sure people think I have nothing to complain about.

But inside our marriage, I feel painfully alone. My husband is emotionally ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are in a painful disagreement about our children's education. He went to boarding school as a teenager and says it was one of the best things that ever happened to him. He talks about the independence, friendships, the sports, the teachers and the confidence it gave him.

I did not go to boarding school. I grew up ...Read more

Dear Annie: I work in a small office where our boss is almost never there. She comes in late, leaves early, works from home whenever she feels like it and is often "unavailable" when problems come up. Meanwhile, the rest of us are expected to answer clients, meet deadlines, handle emergencies and keep everything running.

The frustrating part ...Read more