ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: I bought some expensive shoes, and my husband found out and told me to take them back to the store. Bills are tight, and he was counting on using the money to buy our car new tires. I took them to the store, and they told me they don't give refunds. My husband was understanding and told me to keep the shoes, that I deserve them ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have had a crush on this guy for years. We became friends and started seeing each other, but after a while it just felt like he lost interest, and we fell off. We stopped talking and seeing each other. Since then I've remained single, and every few months we reconnect and talk for a while, but it's not long before we fall off ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I worked for several months on a project that culminated in a big public event. As the lead on this project, I brought in another company to coproduce with me. Together we did an excellent job -- by all accounts. When the event was over, the head of the company called my partner to say thank you but did not call me. I thought ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter is a popular social media influencer. Since she has become more popular, she has been entertaining the idea of having plastic surgery to keep up a particular image that the media puts out there for society. I am totally against it. I think she became popular being who she is, and changing that is not going to make her...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My neighbor mentioned that she was going out of town on a work trip and asked me to watch out for her dog once in a while because he can get out of their back door, and her husband, who works from home, doesn't always notice. All week long, I've been occasionally looking over next door in the morning and evening.

Instead of a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: There is a guy my age who lives in the same dorm as me. We sometimes study and hang out together on campus. He told me that he really likes me and wants to date me. Although I do like him and have a crush on him, I only ever viewed him as a friend because I know that he has a young child and has another baby on the way back home ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a guy best friend who has a daughter. Since the birth of his daughter five years ago, his daughter's mother has never liked me. She thinks that he and I were involved, but that is not true. She has started arguments with him about me seeing his daughter and buying her things. I have never met the mother, but we have had a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been married for 10 years, and we have three kids. We were high school sweethearts and each other's first loves and never dated other people before we were married. I would say we are happily married. My husband works late often and takes a lot of work trips.

Maybe I ignored all the signs, because he has been seeing ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I had a weird experience the other day. My girlfriends and I were all out for lunch, and we had a really great server. He was polite, made jokes and light conversation and kept our water and wine glasses full. The only weird part was that each time he left our table, he stood nearby. He would stand near the empty table next to us...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a lot of things going on in my personal life trying to balance my business, my stepsons, work and school. I work every other weekend, getting up early to do stepmom duties and then having to open a shop. I keep my stepsons with me most of the time and have to home-school them. I try to keep them active and learning by ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son's school is currently virtual. They have introduced what they call a recess room where all students from the school can interact in a Zoom room and play games and activities during the day. I have noticed that my son has clicked with one female student in particular. She looks somewhat older, but she is a schoolmate. Now ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I got into a big argument with my sister the other day, and my daughter overheard. I was so mad at my sister that when I got off the phone I said out loud that when our father dies -- which is likely soon -- I don't think I will talk to her anymore. But as much as my sister and I don't get along, that is how much my daughter and ...Read more

DEAR READERS: Happy Veterans Day! I offer love and blessings to all veterans and veterans' families. We live in a country that has enjoyed relative safety from foreign violence on our shores for many years, in large part thanks to the strength, dedication, skill and sacrifice of our military. For those who have fought on our behalf, we give ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My best friend just decided to move to Colorado. She said that since she's working from home for the foreseeable future, she might as well go for something on her bucket list. I think she is so brave. She wants to be able to hike and be outdoors in nature and not worry about being cooped up in a tiny apartment in New York.

She ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I hear all the political talk back and forth about COVID-19, and it makes me sick. My mother came down with it, thanks to her caregiver -- after months of not being allowed to see any of her family. We are heartbroken. She is healing, but it is slow. She has started losing cognitive ability, we think because she has been cooped ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My best friend and her husband are separated. She said that she doesn't want to be with him anymore, so she left him and started dating someone else. Her husband and I have always been friends since we all went to high school together, and he recently began confiding in me since the separation. We are spending a lot of time ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I live in a gated community. Recently, I noticed that my neighbor lifted the top off my garbage can and looked inside. I don't think he put anything inside or took anything out, but it was just odd. I have a Ring doorbell and decided to put my trash can closer to my door so that my camera would pick up any movement. Over the last...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My fiancee has always dreamed of a huge wedding with all of her friends and family there to watch. She has all these ideas of what she wants from the venue, to the dress, flowers, band and caterers. But all of that adds up to be expensive. Even if we do a big wedding in the cheapest way, it is still a lot to plan and pay for. I ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: New York is an expensive place to live. There are a lot of homeless people and families that cram into a studio or one-bedroom apartment because they cannot afford anything bigger, my family included. I often see new buildings that are built all throughout the five boroughs, and I think how great it is that they are expanding the...Read more

DEAR READERS: I am taking this time today to encourage every single American citizen who is 18 years old or older to vote. I am not writing to tell you who you should be voting for, only that I beg you to use your precious right and go do it.

I sometimes think that we have become too complacent in our country, making assumptions about how the ...Read more