Life Advice
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Asking Eric: Burnt twice, future mother-in-law wants no relationship
Dear Eric: I have been dating a wonderful man for a little over a year and we are talking about getting married. I have been married once before and he has been married twice before with children from both marriages. His second ex-wife had addiction issues.
His mother has declared that she has no desire or time to get to know me after dealing ...Read more
Husband Has a Wandering Eye
Dear Annie: I cannot believe I am asking for advice. Here goes! My mom, with whom I was very close, passed away 21 months ago. Annie, my life has never been the same.
I cared for Mom when she became unexpectedly ill. I witnessed her last breath. By all accounts, I should be happy that I was the loving daughter and did right by Mom and the ...Read more
Single File: Tips of Gold
Get closer to your parents. Like most corny advice, this one's pure gold. These people who sired you and raised you into adulthood are special in your life, unique and irreplaceable, too often ignored in the rush to adulthood. Take them to dinner, one at a time, and let them get to know their offspring as an adult, and a loving one at that. It ...Read more
Situationships… How and why?
Ah, the situationship—the modern-day romantic limbo that leaves many of us scratching our heads, wondering, “What are we?” If you’ve ever found yourself in this ambiguous gray area, you’re not alone. Situationships have become increasingly common in today’s dating world (were they always, and now there’s just a name for it?), where...Read more
Asking Eric: Wife says husband’s affection is creepy
Dear Eric: I am a 64-year-old man, married for 42 years. I am married to the smartest, kindest, most decent person I have ever known. I tell her that all the time. I am also still wildly attracted to her. She finds that creepy which makes me feel awful. She feels my physical attraction to her is demeaning. Is it creepy for me to still feel so ...Read more
Two Isn't Always Better Than One
Dear Annie: I am a 70-year-old retired man with no children. My wife died in 2016, and we had a very happy relationship together for more than 28 years.
About three months after she died, I met a wonderful lady, "Sarah," who took my heart away. However, she had very strong religious convictions that I simply did not share. For a long time, she ...Read more
My best friend is 30 years my senior. Here's what she's taught me about life
LOS ANGELES -- She was 63.
I was 33.
We shared cocktails at a rooftop bar overlooking Sunset Boulevard during golden hour. And the connection was palpable.
No, this isn't the start to an "L.A. Affairs" romance column. But it is about a love affair of sorts. My best girlfriend of the last two decades is 30 years older than me.
I met Loraine ...Read more
How do you make friends outside your generation? These people share how they did it
LOS ANGELES -- On a bench near the Santa Monica Farmer's Market in July, Peggy Cheng recalled the time a television writer pitched her a wacky sitcom centered around the unlikely scenario of a young woman who had befriended her elderly neighbors.
Cheng, who was working in TV development at the time, wasn't impressed.
"She thought it was so ...Read more
Asking Eric: Once-distant father now demands child’s help
Dear Eric: I had a very close relationship with my father, until he remarried in my mid-20’s. When he remarried, he told my brother and me that we would be excluded from his trust. He stated that he had raised us and was done with any financial support.
Since then, we have had a superficial relationship at times, and a conflicted one at ...Read more
The Problem Is You
Dear Annie: My husband and I are trying to figure out how to emotionally support our adult daughter, who is 40 years old. She is going through a very emotional period in her life.
She has been married for about a year, has "major issues" with her spouse and is not certain she can "stay in the relationship." But from our conversations with her ...Read more
Asking Eric: Girlfriend not invited to family funeral
Dear Eric: I'm involved with a man whose sister recently died. I rented a car, bought his kids clothes for the funeral and made sure everything was in order. The funeral was out of town. I wanted to be there for support, but he didn't invite me. I took off of work and he left with his kids.
When I told him how I felt about not being invited, he...Read more
Remember the Good Times
Dear Annie: I have had many odd symptoms over the years that got worse, and it has taken much research to finally get help. I have deficiencies in vitamins D and B12 that require more than a multivitamin. Doctors don't learn nutrition in medical school and are unaware of what deficiencies look like. Vitamins aren't part of routine bloodwork. ...Read more
Millennial Life: From Stranger to Councilor
Therapist waiting rooms are inherently awkward. We're all working through something. I'll sit and chat in a doctor's office, especially with the older generations who aren't as glued to their phones. At the therapist, I've picked sliding into a seat and being riveted to my small screen.
This week, though, I sat, hunched over, and caught a: "...Read more
Asking Eric: Wife debates telling husband his body has changed
Dear Eric: How should I tell my husband he has breasts? He is not a vain man, and I suspect does not study himself in a mirror. He is on many new meds which can result in developing this condition.
For the most part he is fully dressed, but it’s summertime and he may, at some point, want to remove his shirt to swim with friends. I’m sure ...Read more
Daughter Spreads Her Wings
Dear Annie: My daughter and her father and I were always close. We talked daily, telling one another about our days. She has three children. We paid for preschool for all of them, bought their clothes and even bought a condo for them to live in while she went to law school. She is our only living child; we were in a position to help, and we were...Read more
Asking Eric: Beach house inheritance divides siblings
Dear Eric: Before he passed years ago, my father transferred his beach house to his six adult kids. We did not ask to become owners of a shared house, and I always thought it was a horrible idea.
Most of us kids tend to travel to different places, while one has always loved to vacation at the beach house. My father would hand expenses to those ...Read more
Family Introductions
Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for five years. We have a beautiful daughter, and we've got a son on the way. But I keep finding my husband using dating websites and chatrooms for singles. When I ask him about it, he gets angry and says, "That's from months ago!" But whenever I check the browser history, there are always more ...Read more
Asking Eric: Friend ghosted after big monetary gift
Dear Eric: I am a 33-year-old male on the autism spectrum. I have a friend, "Katie," who has been a big part of my life for the last few years. I have been a mentor and friend for her three little boys, and she, in return, has been a good friend to me.
Katie deals with a lot of anxiety (she considers herself neurodiverse, possibly on the High ...Read more
How Can I Help My Neighbor?
Dear Annie: I have a neighbor who is 90 years old. Her only caregiver was her adult son, who just died last week after a long struggle with opioid addiction. Since then, I and another neighbor have been checking on her several times a day, as she needs a lot of care. We've been grocery shopping for her, picking up prescriptions and running ...Read more
Asking Eric: Successful sons refuse to leave the nest
Dear Eric: My sons are currently 26 and 24 years old. Both went to amazing colleges and currently have six-figure careers. They both moved back home when their colleges shut down for COVID.
Neither son is looking to "launch" from the nest, blaming high costs of living in our area, blaming boomers for ruining the world, etc. They have a bad ...Read more
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