ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I've been married for 38 years, and over time I've realized that I've slowly lost a sense of who I am. My husband is a good man in many ways, but he's always the one who decides where we go, what we do and who we spend time with. If something doesn't interest him, it simply doesn't happen. I've gone along with it for years, but ...Read more

Dear Annie: I remarried a few years ago after losing my first wife, and my current wife also lost her husband. We both came into the marriage with grown children, and while blending two families always comes with challenges, most of the relationships have settled well -- except for one.

My daughter seemed OK at first. She was polite and came ...Read more

Dear Readers: Memorial Day is often seen as the unofficial beginning of summer -- a long weekend filled with backyard barbecues, road trips and the smell of freshly cut grass. Stores run sales, families gather and children run barefoot through sprinklers. These moments of joy are part of what makes our country beautiful, but beneath the ...Read more

Sometimes a reply has to stew. There's the meat of an argument and the vegetables of barbs that soften as the pot simmers over the flames of anger. The flavors shift with time. What first tasted like an insult might mellow into something, even just the imagined context I build for myself of the person on the other side of the screen, like ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a brokenhearted Nana who could really use your advice.

I have a 10-month-old grandson whom I adore, but I'm not allowed to kiss him -- not even on the back of his head. Recently, in a moment of pure affection, I forgot and gently kissed the back of his head. It was instinctual. I love him so much, it just happened.

The ...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend and I, both 54-year-old females, met two weeks before kindergarten. Except for a couple of years, we have stayed friends throughout our lives. We see each other every few months when I'm in town for a doctor's appointment. Since last year, we've been going to concerts and a couple of comedy shows, and we attended our...Read more

Dear Annie: I've worked as a night-shift nurse for the past six years and have always struggled with sleep, but lately it's gotten worse. I'm lucky if I get four hours during the day, and when I do, I wake up feeling anxious and jittery. I've tried blackout curtains, white noise, melatonin, you name it. I even sleep with earplugs and my phone ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 27 and recently moved back to my small hometown after nearly a decade away. I took a job here to be closer to my mom, who's recovering from a stroke. It's been an adjustment, but I'm managing. The problem is my former best friend, "Kelsey."

We were inseparable in high school but drifted apart during college. No falling out, ...Read more

DEAR SUSAN: I've been reading a lot of letters in your column about child support. How about a kid's perspective? My dad never sees me. Why should I want to see him? He owes my siblings and me thousands of dollars' worth of food, clothing, medical treatment, etc. I'm not complaining about apartments that don't have carpet or having to watch ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm an only child in my early 40s, and I'm at my wits' end trying to care for my 74-year-old mother. She lives alone and insists she's "just fine," but I can see she's slipping -- physically, mentally and emotionally. She has high blood pressure, diabetes and serious arthritis, but she won't stay on her medications. She hasn't been...Read more