ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My best friend is getting married next year and is planning for her bachelorette party. Right now, they are looking at places that have a three- or four-night minimum and would cost each person more than $500. (That's just to rent the place.) It wouldn't cover food, gifts, etc.

My friend isn't a fancy, extravagant person, so I was ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Since August, I have committed myself to peace and happiness. Unfortunately, since doing this, every trial and trouble has been presented at my doorstep. What are the best ways to handle tribulations while trying to remain in a positive and serene place mentally and emotionally? Any advice will be helpful. -- Searching for ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Growing up, I was as bad a student as could be. I messed around so much, it felt like my entire childhood, I was being chased by school officials or my parents. I was lucky that both my parents were educators who exposed me to the world, but I did not graduate from high school and never read a book until adulthood.

This all ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband's side of the family has been really close his whole life, and it's a large family. When the pandemic hit, we lost touch with a lot of people. Then we lost a few members of the family in the last couple of years. Included in that loss was my husband's grandfather, who always threw the summer barbecues. It was a great ...Read more

DEAR READERS: Twenty-five years ago tomorrow, I told you about a new, nationwide effort to honor and remember our nation's troops, veterans and families by seeking out and preserving their war correspondence from every conflict in U.S. history.

The response was overwhelming. The founder of this initiative, Andy Carroll, just told me that, as of...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a new parent of a 2-month-old. My husband and I don't have anyone in our state (Oregon) we are close with because we moved here a year ago for my husband's job. It's been hard because all of our family is back in Ohio, where we are originally from. We have no support system, and my husband has gone back to work, so it's just...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: How do you politely ask a colleague to stop monopolizing meeting time?

I've recently been surprised at the cluelessness of some colleagues, who will talk ad nauseam during meetings, offering little that is new or insightful. They chime in on every issue and talk for far too long. I once clocked a colleague's monologue at 10 ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have gotten myself into a bit of a pickle. A few months ago, I ran into an old work acquaintance at the store. We hadn't seen each other in several years. He asked to exchange numbers, and I did, thinking nothing of it. A day or two later, I received a text asking how things were going -- small talk.

Long story short, I found ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I discovered last year that my wife was exchanging flirty texts with a local man and had been doing so for years. I found out when I uncovered an image of an adult toy in her phone's deleted images. At the time, I nearly divorced her, but although our marriage went through a tumultuous period, we are still together.

She told me then ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: I've been dating a wonderful woman for seven months. We have terrific conversation, intimacy and friendship and are considering marriage. The problem is her mother. Although she's supportive of our relationship, she makes my girlfriend feel guilty for not spending as much time with her as before we met.

Her mom is about to marry and...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am 22, and I am dating a 30-year-old man who is a residence life coordinator at a dormitory for a large Midwestern university. A part of his benefits is that he has an apartment attached to the dorm, so if the residence assistants need him, he is there. This apartment does not have any rent attached to it.

I was about to move ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When we go to the movie theater, my wife and I like to stay seated through the credits, reading them and reflecting on what we've seen. This puts us in a small minority.

When we followed this practice today, the group next to us wanted to leave. The seats to their left were empty, giving them a clear path to the aisle, but ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 67 and divorced. I raised two daughters and a son essentially on my own while I worked full time as a registered nurse and provided a decent, middle-class home for my children.

The youngest had issues about almost anything. I got her therapy, along with family therapy. She loved her father but barely tolerated me. Babysitters...Read more

DEAR ABBY: For years, we have given generous gifts to our six out-of-town grandchildren and received almost no thanks or acknowledgment. It hurts my feelings because I devote a lot of thought, in addition to money, to choosing something special for each of them.

Obviously, they don't care, but when we have just sent checks, not knowing what ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been looking for inspiration because I feel a bit lost right now. I realize that my role models from before have not been good examples for me, and I ended up modeling behavior that was not beneficial. I have been looking for new sources of inspiration on social media and in newspapers, but those have been unsuccessful and...Read more