ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My husband and I both work from home and each have our own offices. The problem is our walls are thin and his voice is LOUD. It travels through walls and doors and can even be heard by colleagues I'm speaking with when we both have meetings at the same time. It honestly sounds like he's screaming in there.

I've resorted to noise ...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister and I grew up sharing everything: clothes, secrets, bedrooms, even blame when one of us broke something in the house. For most of my life, she was my first phone call and my safest place to land.

But in the last few years, something has changed. Every conversation with her has started to feel like a contest I never ...Read more

Dear Annie: My 15-year-old daughter and I used to be extremely close. She was the kind of child who would climb into the car after school and tell me everything before I even pulled out of the parking lot: who sat with whom at lunch, what her teacher said, which friend was mad at which friend and what song everyone was listening to that week. ...Read more

Dear Readers: Memorial Day arrives each year wrapped in red, white and blue, but at its heart, it is a day of quiet gratitude.

It is the unofficial beginning of summer, yes. There will be hamburgers on grills, children running barefoot through backyards, flags waving from porches and maybe a little potato salad that sat out longer than anyone...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 22 years, and lately I feel more like his roommate than his wife. We are kind to each other, we pay the bills, we talk about groceries, the kids, aging parents and the dog, but the warmth has slowly disappeared.

There was no big betrayal, no dramatic fight and no one slammed a door. That is ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband of five years has dementia. We've known about it for two or three years. He retired last year, and I work full time.

It's getting harder. He argues every point, doesn't want me to go anywhere without him and repeats himself. He says he will just "wait for me" when I ask for things to be done or when I try to get someone...Read more

Dear Annie: For years, I've made it a point to remember every birthday in my extended family -- my nieces, nephews and now their children -- by sending cards with a little money tucked inside. It's been my way of staying connected since I don't see them often.

Now I'm retired and living on a fixed income, and the cost has quietly added up. ...Read more

Dear Annie: I need some serious help. Our son, 36, has been married for three years. In May 2024, our daughter-in-law became pregnant. We were elated. She is a nice young woman, but she does have some anxiety and other issues, which have taken a rather turbulent turn.

Unfortunately, the change in hormones and other unfounded fears caused her ...Read more

Dear Annie: My 19-year-old daughter -- she'll be 20 in July -- is a sophomore at Charleston College. She came home for spring break and informed my husband and me that she had found her soul mate at Charleston, and they plan to marry this summer. He's 24 and a graduate student teaching English.

She wants to go back to school in the fall as ...Read more

Dear Annie: My dad died of lung cancer a few years ago, and because of that, I abhor smoking in all its forms. The problem is I just discovered my boyfriend, who is a nurse, has been secretly vaping behind my back. I was shocked and upset not so much that he did it (which is bad enough) but that he went through great pains to hide it from me. ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband "Jack" has become so angry with me lately, and I don't understand why. We have been married for 10 years, have two beautiful girls, ages 6 and 4, and he's a great dad. However, with me, he is short-tempered and does not want to spend any "alone" time with me when I suggest we have date nights.

Jack refuses to discuss what...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 28, a college graduate, and have been told by my family and friends that I am good-looking. I am respectful of women I take out on dates; I pay for all the meals, am pleasant and interesting to talk to, and am neat and clean. I smell good, from cologne to fresh breath, and always dress neatly and fashionably. I am in finance and...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 63-year-old widow with three grown children. Two of them live nearby and are wonderful children, while the third is estranged and lives several states away. It's been six years since I've seen her. She's sent very brief emails wishing me a happy birthday, etc., but nothing more.

Over the course of these six years, my other ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been friends with "Mark" since high school, which was over 15 years ago. He actually feels more like a brother than a friend. But over the past year, there's been a shift in him. He's gotten deep, deep into conspiracy theories. Every conversation somehow turns into a rant about the government's hidden agenda or the evils of ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for eight years, and every vacation we take somehow turns into a group trip. He used to only invite his brother or his parents, but now the expectation is basically that we travel as one big extended family.

The problem is, I don't enjoy these trips. His family is kind but overbearing. I feel ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have had a close friend for 44 years. We have been through marriages, children, illnesses, holidays, losses and all the ordinary ups and downs that come with a friendship that lasts nearly half a century. That is why something very small has hurt me more than I expected.

Recently, I was very ill for three weeks with vomiting, ...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister moved in with our parents in the family home. After my mother sadly passed away, my father and sister continued living there together. Over time, my sister seemed to take over the running of the household. She even had the telephone disconnected, and there were other decisions made that left me feeling increasingly shut ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I took in five siblings after both of their parents died, even though we were already raising a large family of our own. Overnight, our lives changed. The children were 7, 9, 12, 13 and 15 when they came to us, and we did our best to give them safety, stability and love. We showed up for school events, sports, camps ...Read more

Dear Readers: Wishing all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day. Mother's Day can be beautiful, but it can also be complicated. For some, it means flowers on the table, handmade cards, little hands carrying breakfast to bed and adult children calling just to say, "Thank you." For others, it can stir up grief, disappointment, distance or ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm devastated. My oldest and dearest friend of 50 years visited me recently. We had a good day together, and everything seemed normal.

A few hours after she left, I found a letter she left in my bathroom. It said some very hurtful things -- that our friendship was toxic and she was walking away. She's blocked me from calling or ...Read more