ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: At our neighborhood dinners, there seems to be a tense atmosphere of Republicans against Democrats. Because of this atmosphere, I have never joined in the conversations about politics because I am trying to stay neutral. Moreover, I was taught as a child not to talk about politics, religion or money. At one of these dinners, the ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my friends decided that she wanted to start dating my ex-husband. I have been remarried for two years and I'm completely over him, but something about this makes me feel weird. I have started asking questions about whether they always looked at each other this way and whether I should be upset. There are so many men on ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a 45-year-old woman, and a 26-year-old man I've been getting to know wants a serious relationship that leads to marriage. He has been consistent and clear about his intentions. I enjoy our connection, but I've also been honest with him about my hesitation regarding our 19-year age gap. He knows how I feel and remains ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: This week, my boss made an inappropriate comment about my outfit and body, which made me super uncomfortable. He said that my body looked hot in my dress and that I knew what I was doing to show off my curves. The culture of my company is casual and informal, but I feel like this crossed a line of what is OK to say to your co-...Read more

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(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

Copyright 2026, Harriette Cole

DEAR HARRIETTE: My oldest child recently moved out, and I'm finding the adjustment harder than I expected. I'm proud of him for taking this step toward independence. This is what I've spent years preparing him to do, but now that it has happened, I'm realizing that I needed some preparation, too.

Copyright 2026, Harriette Cole

DEAR HARRIETTE: My brother-in-law got caught cheating on his wife, and my husband is defending his brother's actions. This has made me question my husband's values. If he is defending his brother for cheating on his wife, what's stopping him from cheating on me and thinking that there is nothing wrong with that? I understand that this is his ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I had surgery to remove a bunion from my foot a week ago, and my boss already wants me to come back into work. I work an office job that can be done from home easily, so I thought that while I recovered, it would be better to work remotely for about a month. I live in New York City, and commuting to work on the subway with ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Someone recently made assumptions about my race, and I lost my cool. This happens all too often for me, and that was the straw that broke this camel's back. On a date, I showed a photo of my parents while we were discussing something totally unrelated, and his only comment was, "I didn't realize that you were these two races." He...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mom always shares our family gossip with the church, and I just don't understand why. She seems to believe that another member of the congregation is flirting with my dad. This woman will often ask my dad for help with errands or call him at unappreciated hours for advice about her children, but she never makes an effort to ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have multiple passions and actual skills, but I feel like I'm constantly being shamed for having a career path that doesn't fit neatly into one box. My parents seem disappointed because they expected me to choose one clearly defined profession and stick with it. Employers seem similarly confused by my resume, which spans ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Last week, I learned that the man I have been dating for two years is homophobic. I was shocked to hear that he's completely against the LGBTQ+ community. We are both in our 50s, but I didn't think he was into that kind of hatred, especially since he has always treated me and others around us with kindness and respect.

Recently,...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My teenage daughter recently fell down the stairs and became paralyzed from the waist down. The adjustment has been difficult on her and the rest of our family. She used to be a very active girl who loved to play sports, and now she can't, which has caused her to become depressed. She has to watch from the sidelines, and I can ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: While I was in a Zoom meeting for work, I didn't realize I wasn't muted, and I shouted out how boring the meeting was and how I didn't give a crap about what we were talking about. The entire meeting went silent after I said it, and I immediately realized everyone had heard me. To make matters worse, my boss was at this meeting. ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a 22-year-old daughter who recently graduated college and moved back home. In high school, she developed obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety, and she missed a lot of social growth as a result. A couple of years ago, she started dating a guy I don't like. He is controlling; before they even started dating, he'd always...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I started dating a guy a couple of months ago. We're still getting to know each other, and recently he told me something new about himself, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Sometimes we spend the night together, and yes, if you're wondering, when we do, we are usually physically intimate. Recently, he invited me over for a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am in my 70s and have been single for about 20 years. I am a vibrant woman, and I have wanted to be in a relationship for some time. A few months ago, I started dating a nice guy who is about 15 years younger than me. We get along great for the most part, but recently he revealed he has a lot of health issues. I think he had ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My fiance's parents offered to pay for our wedding, which he and I both graciously accepted as we are not in the kind of financial standing to afford a nice wedding right now. At first, I didn't think anything of it, but now I realize this was a mistake as my husband's mom wants to have control over all the decisions.

When we ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My co-worker keeps leaning on me for support even though we both are in the same leadership position and have our own teams to run. She gets frazzled when there's a lot on her plate. I'm the opposite: When I feel overwhelmed, keeping my composure is the only thing that helps. But because I am calm and don't panic when I have a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My neighbor ran over my cat and is lying about it, even though we captured it on our Ring Doorbell camera. Our cat is an indoor and outdoor cat, and during the day he likes to wander around the neighborhood. He is well-known by all our neighbors, and everyone loves to give him treats and pet him. One day, the teenage son of our ...Read more