ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My husband and I took in five siblings after both of their parents died, even though we were already raising a large family of our own. Overnight, our lives changed. The children were 7, 9, 12, 13 and 15 when they came to us, and we did our best to give them safety, stability and love. We showed up for school events, sports, camps ...Read more

Millennials are a cultural infrastructure, like an older overpass everyone depends on, but it's starting to carry more weight than it was originally designed to hold. We're trying to move things forward as we absorb tension from both directions. And increasingly, this generation is being asked to adapt to a world we did not build, as parts of it...Read more

Dear Readers: Wishing all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day. Mother's Day can be beautiful, but it can also be complicated. For some, it means flowers on the table, handmade cards, little hands carrying breakfast to bed and adult children calling just to say, "Thank you." For others, it can stir up grief, disappointment, distance or ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm devastated. My oldest and dearest friend of 50 years visited me recently. We had a good day together, and everything seemed normal.

A few hours after she left, I found a letter she left in my bathroom. It said some very hurtful things -- that our friendship was toxic and she was walking away. She's blocked me from calling or ...Read more

Dear Annie: My dad is turning 73 next month, and my mom is throwing this big party for him. She is begging me to come, but my parents live across the country -- a six-hour plane ride. I work full time and have two kids under 5. My family only takes a trip like this once or twice a year, and if I'm really honest with myself, I don't want to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am the grandmother of two. My almost-3-year-old granddaughter told me she does not love her "Uncle Dave." I asked her why and she said because he tickles her. Her parents, my son and his wife, push their kids to "give hugs" upon visiting and leaving friends and relatives.

I mentioned this to my daughter-in-law, and she seemed to...Read more

Read the following sentences closely, and mark whether you agree or disagree with each.

--Being single means being alone and lonely.

--Single women have a tougher time than single men.

--Men don't want the same things from a relationship as women do.

--Every woman should marry and have children.

--A woman is incomplete without a man.

--...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are raising a surprise baby at a stage in life when we thought our child-rearing years were mostly behind us. Our older children are already teenagers and young adults, and while we adore this little one, I would be lying if I said the large age gap has not brought some unexpected emotions with it.

On one hand, ...Read more

When I first met my husband, he ran through the standard get-to-know-you questions, one of which was, did I like to bike? As he was, and still is, very handsome, the answer was a swift, "Of course!"

I lied.

It's not that I was anti-bike or didn't know how to ride; I just wasn't an avid cyclist, which is what he sounded like at the time. That ...Read more

Opening your mouth isn't only for feeding; it's also for complaining. But let's face it: Most women don't have much experience expressing negative opinions. Our function as the calmer of troubled waters is so deeply ingrained that it's almost a genetic trait. We've been conditioned to skirt around confrontation and head-on collisions in any form...Read more