ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My best friend and I have been close for over 20 years. We've seen each other through marriages, divorces, parenting challenges, health scares -- you name it. She is the person I call when I'm heartbroken, when I'm celebrating or when I just need someone to remind me who I am.

Lately, though, she has been going through a rough ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been with my girlfriend for seven years and lived with her for four. She wants to get married and have kids. For the past three years, I've promised to propose every six months, but when the time comes, I back out. I even went ring shopping but couldn't pull the trigger.

Although I want to get married and have kids one day, ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband does not like my sister. He says she reminds him too much of his ex-wife. It has now come to the point where he doesn't want to be around her. This is making it very difficult to see my whole family. They live in Canada, and we are planning a trip there to visit them, seeing as my father's mental health is getting bad.

My...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister "Kendra" and I are not very close and only communicate two to three times per year, mainly in emails. Kendra sold her home and moved out of state. Through our sibling, I heard that she listed her house high to begin with and had to come down on her price in the end but made a decent amount on it. I never commented on how ...Read more

You've done everything else with your singleness -- denied it, hid it, apologized for it, wished it away. Well, this is the moment to make a 180-degree spin and actually celebrate your single life! Maybe, just maybe, it's not so bad to actually control your finances, your time, your close circle of friends. When you think about your daily ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been reading your column for a long time, and I admire how reasonable and nonjudgmental your advice seems to be.

My husband and I were childhood sweethearts. We are currently separated, and I am concerned that this might lead to divorce.

This is my second marriage. We have two children. Our first child was born in February ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son's wife was pregnant with their third child in November 2021. At that time, even though my wife is severely handicapped, I offered to come over and spend time with the "grandkids" while she gave birth. She called in December and said, "Pop, I'm in labor." I said, "Don't worry, I'll look in on the kids while you all are in the ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 45-year-old woman, and my boyfriend is 36. His family loves me, except for his dad. I don't know what I have done for him to dislike me. I should say that at one point, in the past, he used to like me.

When my boyfriend's mom was diagnosed with cancer, I was there each time she was in the hospital. My boyfriend and I would ...Read more

I told him that heaven was this: the midmorning light, a beverage in hand, and us heading to the porch. The kids are at school. The chores can wait. Some mornings aren't about doing. They're about being. If you're lucky, you can be with someone who makes even your weirdness feel like it belongs.

This morning, I was on the porch with my husband....Read more

Dear Annie: I love your column and am writing to offer a different point of view for the woman whose family does not celebrate her birthday or Mother's Day or Christmas the way she wants. She says she gives them presents, but they don't reciprocate.

Well, I have a friend who goes overboard in celebrating these holidays. She will spend an entire...Read more