ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My daughter recently and courageously moved across the country to the city her godmother lives in. I chose this friend to be her god mom based on what I thought was a beautiful bond the two had with each other. I adopted my daughter when she was in her late teens after a heck of a time in the foster care system. My friend gave my ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was married young to my high school sweetheart. We had five children together. During that time, I joined the Air Force. After six years of marriage, I discovered my wife was cheating on me. Once I realized we couldn't reconcile, I told her I wanted a divorce and custody of the children. She agreed. It cost me my career with the ...Read more

It's complicated, this single life. On your own, shunning both dependency and isolation, after a while, you adjust and learn to live in the present moment. Sleepless nights have taught you not to voyage into the future (what will be) too often and not to dwell in the past (what might have been). The fancy footwork needed to balance that triangle...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a sophomore in college, and I have two other roommates. We live together in a dorm and have had our disagreements, but we have gotten over them. They recently told me that they are going to move out together, which caught me off-guard, and I'm left feeling surprised and somewhat abandoned. It feels so weird to me that they ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: How does one politely, yet firmly, respond to people who insult one's profession?

I am a lawyer, and I say so when I'm asked what my profession is. Some people feel it is then their right, or even their obligation, to go on a tirade against all lawyers. This happens mostly at social gatherings where I would prefer not to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a gift-giving dilemma. In recent years, we had a falling out with our child's spouse, and it's come down to the in-law's way or no way. As a result, the relationships with our child and grandchildren have also been impacted. Though I love them all dearly, I won't let the in-law dictate how I live my life.

I've continued to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been married to the most amazing woman for 30 years. She became a personal trainer and is in incredible shape. I'm not in her kind of shape, and I can't perform too well sexually, even with ED meds. She recently asked if she could have her (sexual) needs taken care of by a young client she trains. I'm OK with it, since I'm ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I've been dating my boyfriend for a while, and he's asked me to move in with him. I'm excited about this next step in our relationship, but I'm hesitant about redecorating or making changes to his apartment. I want to respect his space, but there are several alterations I'd like to make to make it feel more like "ours." How can I...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a 54-year-old woman whose given name is Brett (a name typically given to boys). My mother loved the name after reading Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," and decided, long before I was born, to give that name to her child. I believe she was ahead of her time, and I admire her for that.

To be honest, I did not enjoy...Read more

Dear Annie: When our son was born eight years ago this month, my husband and I were excited to have family from both sides come and help us and be there to support us. We had been told by many people, both at the hospital and birthing classes, what to expect. Quite the opposite happened, and while it was a confusing and difficult time for us, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: This is in response to "Love My Cheap Phone" (Aug. 28). As a millennial who has worked in retail my whole adult life, I'm tired of the excuse that the older generation can't or won't use smartphones.

Personal computers have been out for decades, and smartphones have been around more than 16 years. Like the automatic transmission, ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a big work conference coming up, and I am worried about my public speaking skills. Normally, I am pretty calm in social situations and I get along with everybody well, but whenever it comes to presentations or big meetings, I get really anxious.

I just got promoted, so I had to prepare a speech at the last minute, and I ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My question concerns the phrase "thoughts and prayers," which imposes one's own religion on those with differing (or no) religious beliefs.

I do respect the rights of individuals to believe in and practice their own religion. I do not, however, think that any religious beliefs/practices should be forced upon others.

I am a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a newly married 32-year-old woman, and my husband is 31. We've been married for three months, and we're both really excited to share the holiday season together for the first time as husband and wife.

My childhood family is very small. I only have my mom and sister nearby and a brother who lives 2,000 miles away. My sister has...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I went to visit a man I was dating and there was no visitor parking available. He told me to park in any space, even though there were signs stating non-residents would be towed. He said not to worry about it, that I'd be there only a few hours. Suffice it to say, I got towed.

He did drive me to the tow yard to retrieve my car, but ...Read more