Life Advice
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Asking Eric: Daughter wants to stay connected to mother, but stay far away from father
Dear Eric: I’m a grown woman in a healthy relationship with two children of my own, and I can’t stand being around my dad. I’m resentful of him for a childhood full of emotional abuse that I feel has stunted my personal development. I’m working hard to get through that and reach my fullest potential, but I still really can’t stand ...Read more
Helping Your Husband Be a Better Gift-Giver
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
Milleniel Life: Turns Out Scraping By Is Not the Goal
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

Asking Eric: Cousin’s erratic behavior is troubling to family
Dear Eric: My cousin (more like a sister) has been making some extremely rash and concerning choices over the last year. After she had her second baby, she left her husband and started seeing a series of borderline-abusive men. She is now in the process of signing over full custody of her children to her ex-husband and is impulsively buying a ...Read more
Dealing With a Difficult Sister-in-Law
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

Asking Eric: Wife won’t tell her brother about father’s abuse
Dear Eric: Soon after we had our first child, my wife uncovered a repressed memory that she had been sexually abused by her father when she was 18 years old.
I’ve always encouraged her to share this burden with her brother, but she is flatly against it. While I understand that, I’ve been reading up on how that trauma affects women later in ...Read more
Big Kids Aren't Babysitters
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

Asking Eric: Neighbor accuses couple of lying to the government
Dear Eric: I live in a very rural and rather remote area where you can count "neighbors" on one hand. My husband and I made friends with one who lives about five miles away; we're not "close" but she and I share a lot of common interests, have shared meals, house and pet sitting, etc.
Recently I texted her and told her we were applying for a ...Read more
When Marriage Feels Like Surveillance
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

Asking Eric: Brother leaves house a mess after visit, but sister fears upsetting him
Dear Eric: My brother and I were estranged for many years at his insistence. We were able to reconcile after our father’s death when I gave him a larger portion of the estate than my father had willed to him.
My brother has some health issues which he picks and chooses to take the advice of his doctors. During Covid he became sick and had to ...Read more
Navigating Teen Turmoil
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
Single File: The Two I's Part 1
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

Dating then vs. now: Better, worse or just different?
When I was visiting my parents for Thanksgiving last year, I thought it would be fun, both as a dating coach and as their daughter, to interview them about how they met and how their relationship progressed. This month marks their 45th wedding anniversary, so I would like to give tribute to them in this article.
The main two questions I wanted ...Read more

Asking Eric: Husband always corrects wife, even when she’s right
Dear Eric: Often when I make a comment or tell a story my husband corrects me. If I try and defend what I've said, he just implies that I'm wrong and he's right. It can be embarrassing when we are out socially. Most of the time I let it slide. Because if I try to point out that I'm correct and he's wrong, he just carries on as if he's right. At ...Read more
Walking on Eggshells: When Control Becomes Abuse
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

Ask Anna: Exploring open fantasies -- how to handle regret and uncertainty
Dear Anna,
I need advice about a sexual situation I can't discuss with anyone else. My wife and I have been together for nine years (married for four) with a good relationship and great sex life. We've always explored fantasies through dirty talk during intimacy. I've always found the idea of seeing my wife with another man arousing. Early in ...Read more
Everyone Wants a Village, But No One Wants To Be a Villager
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

Ask Anna: Hooked on your ex's Spotify? How to let go for good
Dear Anna,
I've been broken up with my ex for almost four months now. I did everything the experts recommend — blocked him on social media, deleted his number and even asked mutual friends not to mention him. I was doing well until I realized I could still see his Spotify playlists even though I blocked him. Now I find myself checking them ...Read more
Single File: Father as Mother
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

Apply the burnt toast theory to online dating -- it may save your sanity
You may have heard of the “burnt toast theory.” If you haven’t yet (or need a quick refresher), the idea is this: If you burned your toast while making breakfast, you need to spend another five or 10 minutes making a new piece. That extra time might be annoying and cause you to run late, but it may actually be saving you from something ...Read more
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