Life Advice

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Asking Eric: Parents find visits with son’s family increasingly stressful

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: I have a problem that seems to be getting worse with time. Our son is married and very happy. He lives in another state from us so it is always a quick visit to see each other, which happens usually twice a year.

The problem is my husband and I really don’t enjoy our visits. They’ve become very stressful. Time with a grown child ...Read more

Familiarity or True Connection?

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I wanted to follow up on a letter you published on June 21, 2025, about my complicated relationship with my sister-in-law, who I started to develop romantic feelings for after the death of my wife (her sister).

Since your response, I had a long and emotional conversation with her. Things had been awkward between us ever since we ...Read more

Millennial Life: None of This Is Normal

I used to use the website, the Wayback Machine, to find incriminating teenage poetry on long-lost LiveJournal accounts written by people who are now normal accountants and thought their old emo phase wasn't going to haunt them. Yesterday, I used the Wayback Machine to see a government website delete parts of the Constitution.

The chaos is real,...Read more

Asking Eric: Neighbor sends bereavement card for a person who is still alive

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: I have a kind, retired neighbor who I infrequently see, but who is always warm and friendly when we cross paths. Nearly a month ago, my wife received a sympathy card from her expressing condolences on my passing, appreciation for what a good neighbor I was and hoping that my memory would be a blessing.

It was a lovely card, but as ...Read more

Hostility at Home

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I recently moved into a small building with only eight apartments. Just three days after moving in, I was in a serious car accident that left me hospitalized for two weeks. I'm now back home recovering and on medical leave from work.

Unfortunately, instead of a quiet, supportive environment, I've been met with hostility. If I make...Read more

Asking Eric: Sister has too many opinions about nephew’s wedding

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: I’m conflicted about whether or not to invite my sister to my son’s wedding.

My sister and I have never been close. She was never very kind to, nor interested in, my son, my husband or me. We’ve had entire decades of silence while she lived a relatively chaotic life. She’s divorced, estranged from her adult children and her ...Read more

Not My Package, Not My Problem

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I have a new neighbor who recently moved in. She orders a lot of things online, which I have no problem with. However, there've been times she's had her packages shipped to my house or to other neighbors' homes. Why she does this, I don't know.

At first, I had no problem with it and would just walk her packages across the street ...Read more

Asking Eric: Old friend invites herself on trip with new friends

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: I have a friend I have known since third grade. She lives in another state. Recently, I went on a trip with three of my other friends in the state where this friend lives. She is a very good friend but quite opinionated and comes on a bit strong.

Since we were close by, she asked if she could join us. I felt uncomfortable asking my ...Read more

Same Secret Shatters Our Second Chance

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married nearly 15 years and have three young children. Until about five years ago, I would have described our marriage as good. Then he suffered an injury that left him with chronic pain and depression and caused him to emotionally withdraw from me -- while I carried the extra household, yard and child ...Read more

Asking Eric: Friend’s erratic driving causes concern

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: My friend and I are in our mid-70s. We participate in several activities together – a book club, a continuing education class, et cetera. We often carpool together. I have begun to be very alarmed about my friend’s driving habits. She brakes unexpectedly, veers across the center line and seems quite distracted. I’m more and more...Read more

Sister-in-Law Strikes Back

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I never thought that I would be writing a complaint to one of these columns, but here it goes. I married my husband 12 years ago, and I was excited because that meant (well, I thought) that I would be getting seven sisters. My husband is the only boy among seven girls.

Well, his youngest sister has an attitude as thick as molasses...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Ask Anna: My boyfriend doesn't think I'm 'hot' -- how do I deal with that?

Life Advice / Dating Advice /

Dear Anna,

I’ve been dating my boyfriend for almost a year, and for the most part, things are great — we’re even talking about moving in together. But recently, during a conversation about past relationships, he admitted he doesn’t find me physically “beautiful.” He said he thinks I’m pretty and loves my personality, intelligence ...Read more

Single File: Marrieds -- A Close-up

Life Advice / Single File /

Indulge me if you will, dear reader, and agree to take a test. (Nothing written. I promise.) Over the next few weeks, I want you to make a point of closely observing married couples -- your parents, friends, relatives -- being careful, of course, not to make them feel as if they're under a microscope. (That alone requires tact, so there may be ...Read more

Ernest Akayeu/Dreamstime/TNS

Ask Dating Coach Erika: How do I not lose hope that I'll find the right person?

Life Advice / Dating Advice /

I understand how frustrating dating can feel sometimes, especially when you feel like you’ve been putting yourself out there over and over again. Feelings of frustration are valid.

My first question is this: Are you putting yourself out there in a productive way? Are you on two dating sites? (My recommendation is two, and if that feels ...Read more

Asking Eric: Living with Alzheimer’s leads to social isolation

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: I was diagnosed some years ago with Alzheimer's. My husband of 45 or so years is wonderful but even he and many of my friends do not understand that I no longer have choices. I know they all mean well, but I have always been a very social person. I love to sing, having taken two years of voice lessons. I love to dance and watch movies...Read more

Hurting for My Son

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I'm a mother of four, and a few years ago, during a difficult time, my former in-laws generously fostered my two youngest children, now 13 and 9. They've remained involved and caring, and I'm truly grateful.

The problem is my 13-year-old son often feels left out. He has ADHD and ODD, and while he can be challenging, he's also ...Read more

Asking Eric: Aunt and uncle hear nothing after sending check for college expenses

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: Last August, my husband and I told his niece that we would help with her daughter’s college expenses. We sent $2,000 to the college for the first semester. We received a thank-you text from his niece but nothing from the student. We eventually told the grandmother, my husband’s sister, that we expected something from the student ...Read more

More Than a Gut Feeling

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I am a 43-year-old woman with a 6-year-old daughter. Her father is 50. We were never in a serious relationship, just friends with benefits, until I became pregnant. At first, he wanted nothing to do with the baby and even pushed for an abortion. I chose to continue the pregnancy, and eventually he came around and was there during ...Read more

Asking Eric: Friends disappear after terminal diagnosis

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: I have been diagnosed with a terminal disease (ya, it's lousy) and my outlook is just a year or so. I have let very few people know. Most are very sympathetic and supportive, but a couple have totally withdrawn. Should I try to connect with them? Or just let it go?

I mean, there's nothing that anyone can do, but it seems like a kind ...Read more

Parenting Comes Full Circle

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: When my daughter was little, I met with a potential employer who asked about my family. I told him I had a 2-year-old, and he said something I've never forgotten: His daughters were grown, and his greatest joy was talking with them as adults and realizing he had raised two amazing women. Now, at 75, I understand exactly what he ...Read more

 

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