ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for over 40 years. He is 75, and I'm 70. I'd always felt secure in my husband's love and devotion and had not had an issue with trust until a younger, single woman in her 50s moved near us about four years ago. He told me he had stopped by to introduce himself, that she's really nice and that he ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a Chinese man born in the United States. My girlfriend, whom I've yet to meet in person, lives in China and is 24 years younger than I am. (I live in California.) We're awaiting approval of paperwork with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. We have both been divorced twice. She has a grown son (single) in his 30s in ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband and I are in our early 50s, and we've been arguing a lot lately. The main source of our tension is our lack of retirement savings. We've both worked hard all our lives, but due to various circumstances, we haven't managed to put much away for our future. We're both feeling the pressure as retirement approaches, and it'...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I took a 15-hour overseas flight that began around midnight. I sat by a window, and both seats next to me (the middle seat and the aisle seat) happened to remain unoccupied. The cabin lights dimmed after the meal, and everyone began settling in to sleep.

At that point, a somewhat older lady (maybe aged 60), who was seated ...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently started planning a joint destination birthday celebration with a dear friend. There are a few other women invited to join us in celebrating a milestone birthday. We are very much looking forward to it and have been talking about it for a few years.

I booked the accommodation after all women agreed they could attend. The...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My sister passed away from cancer seven years ago. Her daughter and I have always been close -- doing things together, going on trips, etc. Four years ago, she started dating a guy who thinks he's better than everyone. I have met him but have yet to meet the rest of his family. She always comes up with some excuse.

This past weekend ...Read more

There are a few things that show your age. Wrinkles. Misused slang. Ankle socks, it turns out. No matter how well you think you might be aging, there are things trapped in time that may hold a special place for you but aren't things that age well. No, we're not talking about the government yet; I'm talking about old movie trailers.

I tried ...Read more

Dear Annie: I run a small bed and breakfast in a very small, rural, up-and-coming town. We have recently had a number of guests who are in their 90s who have had health issues or injuries while staying with us. This has me very much on edge.

Many of these folks have grown up in this town and want to come back to visit family or see the many ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I had a baby right around the time my father remarried. I didn't know my new stepmother very well when she started giving me parenting advice. The issue is, her convictions are not in line with mine and also conflict with the advice from the CDC or the American Academy of Pediatrics. Some examples: She insists ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently started dating a nice man who is attentive when we are in each other's company, but he is largely absent during the day. He rarely calls or checks in as the day progresses and generally sends me a text message in the evening. He used to work nights and I think he is still on an odd sleep schedule, but I don't like it. ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a very stressful job. I am connected to my phone almost 24/7, and I take all calls regardless of my location.

I frequently take calls from clients and staff while using the ladies' room. I am distressed when others using the same restroom flush toilets and use loud hand-dryers while I'm on the phone. It must be obvious...Read more

Dear Annie: As someone from the millennial generation, I struggled a lot with unemployment. In fact, sometimes it seemed like my college degree kept me from even the most basic job opportunities. So, I was really happy when someone gave me a chance.

Data entry was not my dream job, but it's easy enough and it pays the bills. I work in a large...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My son and his family live six hours from me. I can afford the gas to drive there, but paying for a hotel room for two nights is beyond my means. My son is a stay-at-home dad of seven children. When I asked his wife if I could stay at their place, thinking one child could make a pallet on the floor, giving me their bed, she said she ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend recently told me that she thinks we shouldn't be friends anymore because I am so closed off. This has hurt me because I value our friendship, but I also understand where she is coming from. I am naturally introverted, and I tend to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. It's not that I don't care about her or our ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My last name is a very common American first name. My first name, while standard, is not so common. For the purposes of this question, I'll call myself Whitney Joseph.

I go by my first name, Whitney. I have always introduced myself that way. But all my life, there have been people who seem unable to address me as Whitney and ...Read more