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Dear Annie: First, I just want to say how much I appreciate your columns! I always enjoy your insights.

Recently, my newspaper ran the column with a letter from "Feeling Undervalued," the woman who was frustrated that her husband didn't buy her small gifts for occasions like Valentine's Day. I thought your advice was great, but I wanted to ...Read more

For millennials and Gen Z, life is mediocre. Whatever we label the drive for overachievement -- the hustle, the grind, or paying your dues -- we've found that it doesn't necessarily lead to success. Especially if we've redefined what that looks like for us.

It's not just about money. Working 40, 50, or even 60 hours a week with one or two jobs ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a divorced woman in my late 40s with a child in college, and for the past 2 1/2 years, I've been in a wonderful, loving relationship with a man I'll call "Matt." He and his sister, "Martha," are extremely close -- so close they call themselves "Irish twins." Since she lives far away, I've only met her a couple of times, but let...Read more

Dear Annie: My family lives in a close-knit neighborhood. I'm good friends with two women in particular, "Leslie" and "Tara." Leslie's daughter "Ashley" and my son "Ben," both in sixth grade, have been best friends since first grade. They love to play outside together on nice days. Our friend Tara's son, "Lyle," is in kindergarten and also ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for over 20 years. Recently, he has become increasingly controlling, checking all my movements and whereabouts, even while we are both at home. He checks if I am asleep by pretending to be putting something on the bedside table when he could just ask if I am asleep, for instance.

This has caused ...Read more

Dear Annie: My girlfriend and I have been together for four years, and most of that time has been great. The last year and half, however, has become quite complicated and strained due to her 14-year-old daughter. I'll call her "Rose."

When her mother and I got together, Rose was 10, and up until about a year or so ago, she was a great kid. ...Read more

Intimacy versus individuality sounds like a choice ... as if maybe you will find one or the other in your love life, but you know for sure you can't have both of them in the same relationship! That's the (yawn) fiction that's been circling the single world for generations. But the truth is not only is it possible for the same relationship to ...Read more

Dear Annie: Lately, I've been struggling with my husband's temper, and I don't know what to do. When things don't go his way -- whether it's something small like dinner plans or something bigger like finances -- he lashes out. He calls me names, belittles me and makes me feel like I'm always in the wrong. I try to keep the peace, but it feels ...Read more

A few years ago, a friend of mine asked if I'd be willing to be the emergency contact for her kids at their school. I told her it would be an honor to be a part of her village.

We say it all the time: "It takes a village." But we rarely stop to consider what that actually means. We long for community and a sense of belonging, for people to show...Read more

A recent letter in this column has stirred up a virtual hornet's nest. It comes from a 30-something man who -- vigorously and rather unpleasantly -- stakes claim to nearly all parenting rights and privileges in his (hypothetical) marriage. At the moment, he's neither husband nor parent. But he has thought through the battles he'd wage. Example: ...Read more