Life Advice
/Health
/ArcaMax

Asking Eric: Friend was abusive, now she’s asking for help
Dear Eric: My wife and I had a good friendship with a single woman, "Barb," for about 20 years. We enjoyed her company, and she went with us on trips, sometimes with her boyfriend of the moment.
She was always a bit problematic as, beside relationship troubles, she had health issues, but we were supportive, and we all had fun together. As we ...Read more
Family Ties and Financial Strains
Dear Annie: My husband and I have been retired for three years and recently moved away from our kids. Between us, we have six children, but only one that takes advantage.
My husband's daughter is in her mid-30s and has always used him like an ATM machine. This used to be merely annoying, but now it is becoming destructive to our finances. We ...Read more
Single File: Father as Co-Nurturer
You and I live in interesting times, which, according to ancient Chinese wisdom, equates with being accursed. But womanly intuition prods me (ever so gently) to believe those wise men might well reconsider after learning the supersized changes in our species' parenting roles. Women are released from their household universe and finding ...Read more

'Resisting, just by existing and loving.' Market hosts free gay weddings
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The weddings were initially supposed to cost $100 a pop. They ended up being free.
Y’all-Mart, a quarterly Columbia art fair advertised as a “flea market for Southern eclectic folks,” hosted eight free gay weddings Sunday as a fundraiser for the Harriet Hancock Center’s name change and gender marker fund.
Stoked by an...Read more

Ask a dating coach
As a dating coach, I get questions that run the gamut from first date to the early stages of a relationship. Let's look at a few of those recent questions today.
Question: I’m a head taller than him. I enjoy his company, but I’m worried I won’t get over the height difference. What do I do?
Answer: There’s really nothing I can say here....Read more

Asking Eric: Family concerned about nephew’s failure to launch
Dear Eric: I have a mid-20s nephew who appears to be afflicted with a severe case of failure-to-launch syndrome. He dropped out of college after six months, moved in with his mom (my sister), only interacts with peers via gaming and comes across as utterly apathetic and disengaged from the world.
There was a ray of hope when he went back to ...Read more
Comfort Versus Chemistry
Dear Annie: I really need help. I'm a 28-year-old woman living in New York City. For the past three years, I've been in a committed relationship with my boyfriend, "Charles." He's 31, works in tech and is super ambitious. We met in college, and while we've always gotten along well, I've started to notice some major differences between us as we...Read more

Asking Eric: Friends can’t get past differences in spiritual beliefs
Dear Eric: I am a non-observant Jew. My spiritual beliefs are very personal, and I don’t discuss them casually. My mother became a Christian. This is important because, as she went deeper into her Christianity, she made friends who shared her beliefs.
One of them is a younger woman she called her spiritual daughter. My mother arranged an ...Read more
Navigating a Blended Family
Dear Annie: My husband and I have been struggling with marital problems ever since he proposed. Before that, we got along well, but things took a turn for the worse after the engagement. His ex-wife is constantly causing drama, and whenever I try to stand up for myself, the situation gets twisted, and I'm the one blamed. My husband usually ...Read more

Asking Eric: Partner spends all his time with his ex and their son
Dear Eric: I have been in a relationship with a man going on six years now. I love and care about him deeply. However, we have one serious problem in our relationship. He is always going to his ex-wife’s house. He goes there about three nights a week, coming home drunk afterward.
When I tell him that it really upsets me, he says he is ...Read more
Struggling with Disrespectful Patients and Finding Forgiveness for a Toxic Parent
Dear Annie: Last week, I was caring for a patient named "Mr. Thompson," who had come in with severe back pain. After completing my initial assessment, his daughter, "Sally," arrived and immediately demanded that I give her father "the strongest pain meds you've got." I explained that we had protocols to follow and that the doctor would need to...Read more
Millennial Life: The Erosion of Empathy
The other day, I had a conversation that stuck with me, not because it was unique, but because it was disturbingly common. I was speaking with a gentleman about safe use sites, places where individuals struggling with addiction can use substances under medical supervision, reducing overdoses and offering pathways to treatment. He was adamantly ...Read more

Asking Eric: Colleague’s new beard prompts questions
Dear Eric: I have known "Mary" for almost 10 years. We have a strictly business/professional relationship which requires us to meet several times a year.
Although we don't socialize, we do joke around and have small talk about family, pets, travel, movies, etc., when we meet. We've always gotten along well.
I know that Mary is gay (she has ...Read more
Lessons on Responsibility and Compassion for Animals
Dear Readers: Many of you wrote in about the "Tossed Kittens" column and told me where I missed some points. I appreciate the feedback and want to share a few of these letters:
Dear Annie: I was horrified to read about the woman who abandoned three kittens in the wild, especially after they had been socialized. There were so many alternatives...Read more

Asking Eric: Asking Eric: Divorced in-laws overwhelm son’s wife with texts
Dear Eric: My husband's parents are divorced. In the last year or so (after being married to their son for nine years) my in-laws have started communicating with me instead of my husband to make plans. Example: My husband called his dad to make New Year’s plans. A few days later, my father-in-law texted me with the details about times to ...Read more
Friend Feels Forgotten After Surgery
Dear Annie: I value your advice and would like your opinion. I recently had hip replacement surgery. I now have mobility issues and cannot perform many tasks that I could in the past. I cannot walk now without a walker.
I had a friend who I thought was a close friend. We live about half a block from each other. In the past, when she had ...Read more

Asking Eric: In grief, widow only wants to spend time with pets
Dear Eric: I am becoming aware of an increasing anxiety with my pets. Specifically, being separated from them. To briefly put this in perspective, I am recently widowed as of last August. My husband had been sick since 2019. I had no help, and he never took ownership of his own health. Needless to say, this was overwhelming for me.
Throughout ...Read more
Sister's Wedding Is Stealing Our Bonding Time
Dear Annie: My sister, "Laura," and I have always been close, but ever since she got engaged, there's been a bit of a distance. She's constantly busy with wedding planning, and when we do talk, all she wants to discuss is flowers, seating charts or her bachelorette party. I'm happy for her, but at a certain point it feels like she has ...Read more

Asking Eric: Writer’s envy prompts lashing out
Dear Eric: I have years of writing under my belt.
During a recent family visit, I spent a lot of time hearing about grown kids' accomplishments. I asked questions and was a good listener. At one point, my husband read a story he'd written, and the family praised his efforts to the moon.
Meanwhile, no one asked about my writing.
I suppose I ...Read more
Feeling Overlooked at Stepson's Wedding
Dear Annie: I recently attended my stepson's wedding. My husband and his ex-wife were announced as mother and father of the groom as they entered the wedding reception together.
His ex thought nothing of taking my husband's arm as they entered. Meanwhile, I'm sitting at our table by myself as this is happening. My husband and I have been ...Read more