ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My daughter will be getting married in a couple of weeks. This is her second marriage. They were engaged right before Covid and put the wedding on hold. They now have decided that they are tired of waiting and will go ahead with a small wedding with just very close family members. However, it has exponentially increased to about 26...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband passed away four years ago. I started dating my current beau two years ago. We are great friends. We are supportive of each other and enjoy our new life together.

I have drifted apart from my late husband's side of the family. We're still friendly but don't have as frequent contact as we used to because we all live great ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: With the holiday season approaching, I am struggling with how to deal with my family. I come from a strict household that allows little freedom. Many of the adults are blatantly disrespectful toward me, my siblings, my cousins and each other. It is hard for me not to speak up, but I do not want to come off as disrespectful. I ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My mother-in-law is very concerned that my love of bright colors and patterns conveys "lower class" standards to her uppity family.

Her snobbery and striving led to our falling out when I disagreed with her dictating what her extended family would wear on a vacation that she did not pay for. She tried to insist that the ...Read more

Dear Annie: I was at home making a sandwich recently when my close friend's wife from next door came through the back door. She called out and said she just wanted to see how I was doing. I said I was great and asked if she wanted a sandwich and a beer. She said no to the sandwich but yes to the beer, so I got her one and then sat down to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm 20, and I recently moved into an apartment with my 19-year-old sister. I thought it would be a great idea because we'd get to see each other more often and we'd be more comfortable living together than with strangers. Recently, however, she has gotten a new boyfriend she brings over all the time.

I don't like people. Having him ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm having a dilemma with my best friend. Lately, I've been embarrassed by her increasingly rude behavior toward service workers. We recently went to a restaurant, and she was unbelievably disrespectful. She ordered her food, and when it came, she kept asking where her smoothie was. They said it should be on the way, but it wasn'...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was at a dinner party where the hostess, a paralegal at a local law firm, was telling us about a conversation she had in her office with one of the partners. The actual point of the story became secondary to our conversation when she set the stage with, "When he sat down, I made sure to lower my chair so that I sat lower ...Read more

Dear Annie: We have a relative coming from out of town to visit for a week. I'd love to say I'm excited to see her, but I'm not. Last time she stayed, I was ready to push her out the door! She's bossy and tries to tell me what to do and how to do it. I don't appreciate people questioning me, especially in my own home. She's fanatically ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 30 years. Recently, she shared details of two infidelities that she had with other men.

The first was with an individual on the staff of our church who held himself out to be my friend. My wife says it was an unprovoked attack, where he forced himself upon her. But when I asked why...Read more

DEAR READERS: Happy Thanksgiving! I love this time of year for so many reasons. For many of us, the weather has changed, and there is a crispness in the air. It's time to cozy up in warm sweaters and blankets.

Being together with loved ones is paramount for families and friends at this time of year. Indeed, this weekend has long been heralded ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My brother is getting married for the second time. He first married about 25 years ago, divorcing 10 years later.

Since then, he has left a trail of destruction and heartbreak: He has cheated on, and lost, a series of partners, and even got fired from a lucrative job because he conducted multiple affairs with employees.

His ...Read more

Dear Readers: Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving! Today and always, may we take a moment to appreciate all that we have and are thankful for in our lives. To help celebrate, here are some of my favorite quotes about gratitude:

"Thanksgiving Day is a good day to recommit our energies to giving thanks and just giving." -- Amy Grant...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Over the years, my younger sister, "Hannah," has been lying about some significant things, such as: She claims she was there alone with our dad when he died; that our older sister tried to talk her into signing herself into a state mental hospital; that my boyfriend was imaginary, etc.

Her most recent fabrication, told to an elderly ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: You asked how readers feel about being single; I do not see marriage as a solution to emotional or self-esteem problems. Marriage today makes little sense.

Half of marriages will dissolve sooner or later -- and many stay intact when they shouldn't. It's very hard (impossible for most) to stay satisfactorily married to the same ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a 25-year-old woman, and I work in finance at a bank. I'm struggling to manage a relationship with a co-worker. A colleague I once considered a friend has become increasingly competitive and seems to be undermining my work. We used to collaborate effectively and share great conversations. However, things have taken a sharp ...Read more