ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am 35 years old, and I have been the primary caretaker for my two younger sisters for the past eight years. I've cared for them since they were in elementary school, and I cannot afford to take care of them any longer. I've been speaking privately to family members about my situation, and a few of them have offered to take them...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I've been keeping up with a high-profile celebrity trial that deals with domestic violence between a man and a woman. My boyfriend and I were discussing the trial the other day over the phone. He was adamant about defending the male celebrity, even though he had been physically violent toward the female celebrity. He made a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: For several years -- beginning around the same time that the pandemic started -- I was deeply depressed. I was unhappy with the way that I looked, my job, my finances and my relationship. For all of those reasons, I was very low-functioning. I did not go out with friends, I did not take pictures and I barely left my house for ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I don't get along with my mother-in-law. She is too judgmental. Whenever I see her, she immediately picks something about me to criticize. It could be my outfit, especially if it's new and pretty, or my body -- she notices every pound that I put on. When I talk, she often accuses me of trying to talk over her, so she starts to ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I made friends with a group of women this summer who were so kind. We have known each other for a while, but we bonded in a different way recently. Normally we only see one another during the summer in our beach community. I feel like I would like to stay in touch with them during the rest of the year, too. I'm not sure how to ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have two siblings who live far away from the town we grew up in. I am the main caregiver for my ailing father. I live nearby, and naturally I assume the primary leadership role in making sure he's cared for and goes to his doctors' visits, sees me and my kids regularly, everything. I'm fine with that. I knew it would be this ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a Black woman who has worked as an urgent care nurse for almost three years. I love my job, and I hope to work in this field for the rest of my life. I was recently assigned to care for an elderly female patient with dementia. I know that it could be her dementia talking, but she has made several racist remarks to me since ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm going into high school now, and my parents still won't let me have my own social media account: no TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter or Instagram. They think it's bad for me and unsafe. Although I agree in some respects, I feel like I'm getting old enough that I should be able to have social media and act responsibly. Every...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I invited my co-workers to my graduation party, and none of them showed up. Now I want to resign.

My co-workers have never made me feel welcome in the 10 months that I've been with our company. When I first started, I admired how close all of my co-workers were with one another. I've made efforts to connect with everyone in my ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently had to let go of an employee, mainly due to budget cuts at my company. But if I am honest, it is also because he was not a high performer. There were often gaps in his job skillset. Even though I pointed out his shortfalls and made recommendations for how he could do his job better during the time we worked together, ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend didn't defend me against another man, and now I can't look at him the same.

My boyfriend and I were out at a nightclub over the weekend when a drunk man started to verbally harass me. He shouted several profanities at me for no reason. The man was eventually escorted out of the club, but I was visibly upset well ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I feel like I can never say no when I am asked to do something. This is getting to be a problem because I feel like I am stretched too thin. My job is stressful, and the stakes are high right now. As a result, my boss is piling on more and more work.

In my personal life, my friends rely on me to help them whenever they are in a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend "Mary" threw a small and intimate event over the weekend, and I ended up running into my ex-boyfriend there. He was there with his date, who just happens to be close friends with Mary. I felt blindsided. I wish Mary had warned me that he might be there, or that he is now dating a friend of hers. She must have known who ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I kicked my friend out of my birthday party for being too rowdy, and now she expects an apology from me. I believe I am the one who deserves an apology. She was ruining my special day. She showed up drunk before the night even started and caused trouble immediately. She was so loud that my neighbors complained -- twice. I warned ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I almost got duped AGAIN by scammers. They are so clever, and it unnerves me. I got a call from someone posing as an Amazon agent, saying that someone in Memphis, Tennessee, was trying to buy a $999 computer using my account. He said it was flagged because the amount was high, and it was going to a different address than I ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mother-in-law has dementia, and she recently suffered a massive stroke. She is not doing well. We have hired around-the-clock care for her and are even paying my husband's sister to lend an extra hand.

As my mother-in-law's condition worsens, my sister-in-law and the nurse we hired have had to take on more responsibility. ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am having so much trouble keeping up at my job. I am new here with lots of skills that are needed, but what I don't have is hurting me. I have limited facility with technology. I find it impossible to keep track of ever-changing passwords and struggle to use certain devices and software. What are simple tasks to some people are...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have security cameras set up on the inside and outside of my home. The cameras record everything, and I can see all activity from my cellphone. Recently, I've been getting alerts about activity being detected in my backyard while I'm at work. I was totally freaked out by this until I realized it is my mother-in-law creeping ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I serve on a community board in my city that has done a lot of good over the years. I have had many different roles, and it has been a good run. I am getting older now and want to retire. The problem is that the board is small, and its members are pressing me to stay on. I appreciate the support, but I have had health issues and ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been seeing someone casually for a few years. I stopped seeing him when I got into a serious relationship, but when that relationship ended, we began seeing each other casually again. Up until recently, we had never had a physically intimate relationship. Ever since we introduced physical intimacy into our casual ...Read more