ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My husband was forced into sex at the age of 12 by an older female. He has expressed how humiliated he felt and that he made it his mission to never feel inadequate again. He gets his "knowledge" of satisfying a woman through porn. I have tried to explain to him that what he's seeing is only a performance put on for the male viewer.

...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are in our 60s and have been married for 28 years. We recently retired. My husband and I both enjoy stopping at neighborhood bars for a drink before dinner, but I've noticed that he indulges quite a lot and often starts at lunchtime. The problem is, after he has had a few glasses of wine, he begins to get a little ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I just got together with an old friend. As we were talking, I complained about the quality of my marriage -- not terribly, but I was honest about what things are like these days. She reminded me that I had said something almost identical to her more than 20 years ago. That was chilling. Before I had my child, I was upset about my...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My son and I were talking on the phone about my upcoming visit to their house. My 4-year-old granddaughter was chattering in the background. (She's very, very verbal.) My son asked if she wanted to "say hello to Babs."

I distinctly heard her reply, "Who's Babs?" My son said, "She's my mommy and she's your grandmother."

To my...Read more

Dear Annie: We appreciate your care for community members in the Spokane, Washington, area and the time that you spend responding to questions from community members who contact you. We share your commitment to supporting others and being a resource for individuals in need.

After reading the advice related to domestic violence that you ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I got pregnant at 15 and had my oldest daughter at 16. I met my husband at 18, and went on to have four more daughters. I have been with him for more than 30 years (I just turned 49).

My girls are living their own lives now. The thing is, now that I'm alone with my husband, I have come to discover that we have nothing in common. I ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am engaged to a man who was divorced 20 years ago. He has three grown sons. The first two are doing well, but the third is still not financially responsible at the age of 30. His father has to pay off his automobile and credit cards. My fiance also helps out his siblings, who seem to be quite irresponsible and alcoholic.

I come ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently put myself out there and started dating again. I have been a single mom for most of my son's life. He is now a junior in college, so I thought it was time. I have used a reputable dating app. Already I have met two interesting guys, but it hasn't turned out very well. In each case, the guy acted like he was head over ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Our daughter proudly enlisted in the military three years ago, at age 19. She achieved her goal of joining an elite corps, and was so happy about it. We were (and are) proud of the composed, confident young woman she had become.

About six months after her graduation, however, she suffered a sexual assault from another ...Read more

Dear Annie: When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I was worried that once the baby came, I would have tremendous difficulty sacrificing my time for him.

I was worried that when I wanted to watch the game, I'd be dragged onto the floor to play dinosaurs. I was worried that I would be bored endlessly reading children's book after ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have had an older man as a roommate for two months now. He's very kind and intelligent. He also has dementia. I didn't realize it when he moved in. He's estranged from his family, although I know of a few people he does talk to on the phone.

As his condition worsens, so does his memory and his ability to understand simple ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 47 years old, and my mother is 80. I have three grown children and a 7-year-old daughter whose father is not in her life, nor does he pay child support, even though he earns a decent income. I recently have had some personal setbacks. My hours were cut at work, and I had to move out of our apartment because I could not afford ...Read more

The first time I saw her was at a concert. She had a low-cut back to her dress, and you could see the white straight line that looked drawn on her spine. I tapped my boyfriend and whispered to look at it; that's what my scar could have looked like if they hadn't cut into it twice.

Most people with scoliosis surgery have it once. When their scar...Read more

Dear Readers: Happy Father's Day. Below is a beautiful letter written for Father's Day. While there is sadness, there is a wonderful message namely that love is always the answer.

Dear Annie: I am a newly minted member of the group of us who will spend Father's Day without our fathers. Without the phone call. Or the card. Or the flowers or ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Two years ago, at a national conference, I bumped into a woman I had dated decades ago. We started dating again, even though she lives in Phoenix and I live in the Midwest. The geographical distance between us is challenging, but we made it work through phone calls and traveling to see each other at least once a month.

It was working...Read more

Dear Annie: For the past 20 years, a good female friend of mine and I have gotten together every few weeks for walks, lunch and movies.

The problem is, whenever we go to the movies, she always picks. I'm a pretty easygoing person and will see whatever she wants because even if the movie doesn't sound great, I'm willing to give it a try. But ...Read more