ArcaMax

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

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My children were born six years apart. I had a miscarriage in between their births, which is no one's business.

At a new job, when asked about my family, a co-worker I barely knew asked me if the children "have the same father" -- apparently due to the six-year gap. Yes, they do have the same father, but it is none of her ...Read more

Dear Annie: While I have thought of writing to you many times, I have never done so until now. "Old Soul's" story touched me very much -- the one about being completely cut off from a friend. A few years ago, I had a very dear friend who shared everything. Then, out of the blue, she stopped having anything to do with me. I felt abandoned and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have some advice for your readers who write regarding problems with how others behave badly or are verbally abusive or inappropriate toward them. Hopefully, it will help someone.

I suggest recording video of the offending individual while it's happening, and then showing them the video later when they are calm/sober/receptive. If ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently got into a big argument in my friend group that resulted in another friend and I isolating ourselves from one person, "Ruby." Ruby lied to the rest of the group, claiming that my friend "Mary" and I abandoned her one night, when we dropped her off at her apartment after she repeatedly asked to go home. Mary and I were ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I got a colonoscopy on Halloween. Most of the staff were in full costume, including the doctors. Think skintight red dresses with Superman capes, Spider-Man bodysuits, etc.

I'm totally OK seeing adults dressed in costume at their kids' Halloween parties, but at a surgery center? It seems off-putting for everyone to don a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 23-year-old woman living with my parents because the cost of housing is so high. This is creating problems, especially in my relationship with my father. He has been disrespectful to me for a long time, at least since I was 18. He makes disparaging comments about my weight, my friends and my life choices.

This in turn has ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness. I am only 40, and I always took for granted that I had plenty of life left to live. I'm happily married, but I worry because my husband, "Al," has become my caretaker. I feel terrible about it.

My condition is very limiting. I'm in pain all the time and may have to stop working ...Read more

The threatening cold front was coming two days later, but that Saturday morning, it was absolutely beautiful. We decided to walk to the nearby hospital to get a flu shot.

There's an initiative every year that my family and I enjoy, and it has almost now become a tradition. Local hospitals team up to offer free flu vaccines in October, a program...Read more

Dear Annie: I wonder if you and your readers can give me some advice. I was ill recently and received a lovely floral gift from a business associate. One type of flower included was on its last legs, while the rest were fresh. The florist also stuffed fern into the water, which created a pretty look but made the water murky and the display ...Read more

Dear Annie: About eight months ago, I met "Len" through a dating app. I'm 71, and he's 81. We clicked right away and started a beautiful relationship. He calls me twice a day and comes to visit me once a week. We go out for dinner and take some road trips once in a while. He never invites me to the house where he lives; he told me that it ...Read more

Dear Annie: I love my job. I love the people with whom I work; yet recently, a member of my office decided on their own that they wanted to purchase an office support pet, despite not needing any additional support in an already sound and safe office environment.

This individual, with their own money, went out and bought a hamster. This ...Read more