ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son moved away a couple of months ago. At the time, he told me that he was able to transfer his job, which would make the move that much more seamless. Last week, he called me to tell me that his employment contract will terminate in the next few weeks. I asked him where this was coming from, and he admitted that he knew all ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have just received a delivery notice that two bottles of wine are on the way to me. This is the fourth such delivery, from a financial professional who manages some of my accounts. I have always sent a nice thank-you afterwards.

The problem: I don't drink wine! I just give it to someone who does appreciate it.

What bothers...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have been married eight years and we have two young kids. They are my whole world. I love being a dad in a way I did not expect. I am the one who volunteers for bedtime stories, who gets up early on Saturdays so my wife can sleep, who actually enjoys the chaos of backpacks, snack cups and little shoes that disappear. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My daughter-in-law, "Louise," died of cancer five years ago. She was 45; my son, "Pete," was 48. They'd been married for 15 years and had no children.

Three years ago, Pete met "Shelly" through a mutual friend, and they were immediately attracted to each other. Within a year, they were living together and seem very happy. Shelly has ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: A close friend has expressed romantic interest in me. We've been in the same friend group for about eight years now. In recent years, I had suspected there was a bit of chemistry between us, but I always denied it to myself and to my girlfriends when they would ask about it. Recently, this friend admitted his feelings and ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: You must be really happy that the Secretary of Transportation has told us poor wretches who fly economy to dress up for the privilege. Hats and gloves, naturally. I have my grandfather's old fedora, but my wife might have to buy new white gloves.

But why stop at the Perfect 1950s? Shouldn't red-eye flights require tuxedos and...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 73-year-old married woman, and my husband and I have a full social life. We regularly host other couples for happy hour, dinner and holidays. I enjoy it, and I'm grateful to have good friends at this stage of life.

One friend in particular is a woman my age whom I've known for years. We generally get along well, which is why...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for 15 years. He is former military, suffers from PTSD, and has been verbally abusive and controlling since our wedding. I have always worked to support us, sometimes with two jobs. We have a 14-year-old son.

My husband has a sister who bought a house. I picked up items for her new home and looked ...Read more

We have been told, for decades now, that dead children are the price of freedom. School shootings are tragic, yes, but unavoidable. The Second Amendment is sacred, and any attempt to regulate guns is tyranny.

So when a man was shot and killed in Minnesota while legally carrying a firearm, not threatening anyone, not firing, not even holding it,...Read more

Dear Readers,

This time of year, my inbox fills with the same quiet sentence written a hundred different ways: "I'm tired of being the reasonable one."

It comes from the woman hosting Sunday dinner who gets criticized no matter what she serves. The man who keeps lending money to a sibling who never pays it back. The adult child who answers ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Six years ago, at my 40th high school reunion, a few former classmates asked me about my old high school sweetheart. (We broke up after high school.) I decided to find her and located her on Facebook. To my surprise, she never married. I told her I am married. We became friends again, but from 3,000 miles away.

For a few years, it ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a wife and mom, and I work full-time, which means my days are busy from the moment I wake up until I close my eyes at night. With getting my kids ready in the morning, working all day, handling dinner, helping with homework and household responsibilities, it feels like every minute of my life belongs to someone else. For 2026...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Over the years, I have noticed that at most live performances -- from professional concerts and operas to dance recitals and school plays -- the audience automatically gives a standing ovation at the end.

I grew up believing that a standing ovation was an expression of appreciation for a truly extraordinary performance -- a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a senior citizen. Fifty years ago, another young girl and I were in a juvenile detention facility for very minor infractions that would not lead to incarceration today. I was repeatedly raped by two counselors throughout our months there. This other girl was not mistreated in any way because she was related to the spouse of one...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife of seven years secretly visits her ex-husband on multiple occasions. She visits him with and without his spouse present. However, she forbids me from speaking to or visiting any woman from my past unless she is present.

My wife suffers from major depression. She's on medication but refuses to see a counselor. Her family has ...Read more