ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: Our pastor shamed my husband and me for not tithing to the church. My husband just lost his job, so we have cut down our tithings to essentially nothing. We used to give 20% to the church, but now we're left wondering how we are going to pay our bills if my husband can't find another job soon. We have always believed in giving to...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: A couple months back, I met a guy at a local festival. We exchanged our names, numbers and social accounts, and in the week following, we spent several nights on the phone talking and getting to know one another. We talked for hours and hours, and he asked me on our first date. He said he'd plan it within the next few days and ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mom finally got the chance to ring the bell! She beat the big C! After nearly eight months of supporting her through her diagnosis, her treatments, her hair loss, her mastectomy, her good days and her bad days, it feels unreal to begin putting this behind us. My mom is resilient and presses on, but I can see how tired she ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently read my teenage daughter's diary. I wasn't looking for anything in particular or worried that she was hiding something from me -- I was honestly just being nosy. She often leaves her diary lying around, so I convinced myself that perhaps she didn't consider it completely private. What I read, however, has left me ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I love my friends, but I hate how inconvenienced they have made me. My friends and I are all college students who met freshman year living in the dorms. It was so easy to hang out with one another because we all lived in the same building and were basically joined at the hip. This year, three of my friends have moved nearly an ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I just got a new job, and it's a lot of fun and even more responsibility than I previously had. My boss is cool and we often work long hours together, including going to tons of social functions. My boss doesn't drink, but I do. She says it's OK if I drink, but I realize it's a little tricky. The other day, we were out super late...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend owes me $8,000 and hasn't been able to pay me back for a year. I have been asking her for so long, and every response I get is her telling me she will have it for me "soon." I loaned this money to her a year ago, and she moved to the state I am also located in. She used the money for her security deposit, first month's ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I feel like I wasted my whole life putting my husband's and children's needs in front of my own. I didn't accomplish the things that young me set out to do. I am now 63 years old and disappointed that I let the idea that I had to have a family put me into a situation where I now am dissatisfied with the way I lived my life. I ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am helping my husband pay off his $50,000 college debt, but I feel like he isn't grateful, more like it's something expected of me to do for him. I worked extremely hard to come out of college with no debt just for me to pay off somebody else's, so it feels like it was all for nothing. A lot of my paycheck goes to his college ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I moved away from my small town in Ohio to go to fashion school in New York City. When I was out and about, a girl stopped me at the train station and asked me who I was. When I confirmed my name, she exclaimed that we went to school together and she graduated a few years before me. We chitchatted for a bit about how we've been ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter is going through a lot of drama with her post-grad roommate, and I don't know how to help her. My daughter has gone above and beyond to help her roommate adjust to living in Los Angeles. My daughter introduced her roommate to many of her friends and has helped her feel more confident. Recently, the roommate got sick, ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Over the years, I have become extremely specific with my scheduling, which encouraged me to also become extremely efficient at work. I try to get all my work done within work hours. I generally leave work at 5 p.m. on the dot. I am not doing essential or life-saving work, so I no longer feel the need to overextend myself by ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Over the summer, I became extremely close friends with a new co-worker. We talked whenever we worked together and eventually began hanging out outside of work. The semester just began and all my other friends have returned to campus, and a few of them don't like the co-worker I befriended. Before I knew my co-worker, they were ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am planning a trip for my birthday, and managing the invites is intimidating! I don't like traveling with large groups, so I've decided I would like a total of four to six of us on the trip. I prefer it that way because I think it allows for more intimacy and connection during our time together, and it lends itself better to ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My neighbor's dog keeps digging up our yard and leaving feces there. I have gone over to my neighbor and tried to address this issue, but her dog continues to destroy our yard. I suggested that she get a fence, and she said they were looking into it, but I don't think they are going to because fences can be very expensive. At ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I married my husband about five years ago, and his family always expects us to host for holidays and other celebrations. After five years of this, I am reaching my breaking point. My husband and I are both successful and have been able to buy a large home. My husband's family is huge, so our home accommodates everyone the best, ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My 14-year-old nephew's teeth are rotting, and my brother and sister-in-law are choosing to ignore it instead of taking him to the dentist. My nephew had poor dental hygiene growing up and rarely brushed his teeth. Over the years, I have noticed that his dental health has gotten progressively worse, and now it has reached a point...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I had an amazing date with someone who's been interested in me for some time now. I was too scared to agree to a date before as I am only about one year out from getting divorced. My date picked me up for dinner and a movie, and it went so well we ended up getting drinks after and shutting down the bar! When he picked me up, he ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I wanted to do something special for my mom, so I decided to surprise her with a vacation for her birthday. She loves to travel, so I thought it'd be a nice opportunity for the two of us to get away and bond. My mom and I are not as close as I would like us to be. When I was younger, my mom took the "I am your parent, not your ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: For our whole lives, my cousin has had it so much easier than me. Our moms are sisters, and we were born only a year apart. Growing up, her family was significantly wealthier and more connected than mine. As a result, she went to Harvard and became a dermatologist, and her husband got super rich from selling a tech company he ...Read more