ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend and I were watching a reality show where contestants try to find love. At one point, we got into a friendly debate about whether one of the couples on the show was genuinely in love. She was convinced that they were, while I had my doubts and said I didn't think their connection seemed all that real. What started as a ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Some time ago, one of my wife's nephews (a grown man in his 40s) came across an opinion I had written in a digital publication. He didn't like it, so he insulted me in the public commentary section. I shrugged it off.

The next day, he went hunting online for another opinion of mine he didn't like, and insulted me again so ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I live in a three-bedroom house with our two grown children. Recently, our youngest daughter had a baby and moved back home -- bringing her boyfriend with her. We told her beforehand that he couldn't stay here, but they moved him in anyway. Now, the two of them -- and their baby -- are living out of her bedroom.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My son is 20 and a senior in college. He's a baseball player and is about to ask the girl he's been dating for a year and a half to marry him. My wife and I don't get along with her at all. She has a myriad of health problems and takes eight prescriptions a day. Because of her conditions, she rarely has the energy to do anything but ...Read more

Let's celebrate your singleness in a new way, making the celebration a family affair. After all, the most telling show of your enhanced pride will be with your parents, those people of a different generation who do their very best to understand yours. They may not always fully "get" the message in your undependence, but in the end, their ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I find myself in some kind of an adversarial situation with my partner of 11 years almost every day. I say left, and he says right. I have an idea, and he shuts it down. It almost doesn't matter what we are talking about; if I say something, he looks at me with disgust on his face and shoots down whatever words come out of my ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Twice in the past few months, when tidying up the spare room after overnight guests, I have found a guest's garments left behind.

With a scarf or a shirt, this situation seems easily resolved: Drop the item at the post office with a quick note telling the guest how lovely it was to see her, and how we hoped she hadn't missed ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am almost 40 and trying to rebuild a healthier relationship with my dad. When I was a child, he was my hero, the person I looked up to and went to for advice. When I was about 10, he told me that I would probably have trouble getting along with him during my teenage years, but that things would get better when I became an adult. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: For nearly 30 years, my husband and I shared a close, trusting marriage. Months ago, I caught him lying about meetings he was having with a 35-year-old colleague. Then I discovered months of ongoing texts. When I asked for an explanation, he became angry and defensive. His explanation was it was work-related, that I was too ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my close friends has recently started gaining a lot of attention on social media, especially on TikTok. She's gotten popular almost overnight, and ever since then, things have changed between us. She used to be someone I could talk to every day; we'd text, call, hang out and just be there for each other. Now, she barely ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: If I found my that my wife and I were to be seated separately at a party, I would move my place card or leave the party with her.

There are two primary duties that married couples -- and, arguably, dating couples -- have that supersede their "duty" to the host of a gathering: protection of and fidelity to their spouse, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been with my loving partner, "Daniel," for six years. We're both in our 40s and have children from previous relationships. Our life together is generally very harmonious. We share responsibilities, enjoy spending time together and support one another deeply. We align on most values and have built a life that, in many ways, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband has four grown children -- one from his first marriage; three with his late wife. Talk about drama! Who talks to whom? Who can't stand whom? Who gets annoyed when one of them comes to visit us? They could be BFFs today and tomorrow stab each other in the back.

Recently, my husband has been saying he'd like to see his four ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My husband's birthday is coming up soon, and I'm torn about how to handle it. Last year, on my birthday, he completely forgot it was even happening until the evening. I tried to brush it off, but it really hurt. When he finally remembered, he quickly suggested we go out to eat, and we ended up at Chili's. Don't get me wrong -- I ...Read more