Life Advice
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Procrastination Today Could Cost Me Tomorrow
Dear Annie: I have a job I love, but I'm at risk of losing it because I'm lazy and I procrastinate. My job is mostly autonomous, which makes it a little too easy to put things off and not work hard -- but now it's catching up to me.
Do you have any advice on how I can become a harder, more proactive worker before it's too late? -- Lazy in ...Read more

Asking Eric: Son family treats parents’ house like a storage unit
Dear Eric: My wife and I uprooted from our rural community and bought a home to be nearer our grown children who had both settled near the city. Soon after, our son and his family of four and a dog lost their housing as their rental situation failed after the landowner passed away.
Of course, we took them in and several months later they found ...Read more
Keeping Hope Alive After a Family Rift
Dear Annie: I'm struggling with how to move forward after my adult daughter, "Rachel," cut me off two years ago. We used to be close. I raised her as a single mom after her father left, and we leaned on each other through a lot. Things started to change after she got married. Her husband, though polite, has always kept a distance from me. I ...Read more

Asking Eric: Husband has extreme reaction to wife’s affection
Dear Eric: My husband and I have worked hard to create consistent communication in our relationship that has lasted 10 years. We have both struggled to get to a good place, which we thought we had achieved.
Then a month ago, my son was home from college. My husband (his stepdad), my son and I were watching TV. My son was sitting next to me. I ...Read more
When a Loved One Refuses Help
Dear Annie: I am concerned that my wife has given up on life and there is nothing I can do to help.
For background, I am a 67-year-old man, and my wife is around the same age. We married about 20 years ago, and she was able-bodied and working.
She has multiple health issues. She is at high risk for cardiovascular problems, based on family ...Read more
Single File: Cohabitation Quiz
Let's take a summer break from the usual, same-old (yawn) essay format and sprinkle some questions about living together as a lifestyle choice and (quite possibly) rebellion against marriage. My nationwide survey saw it coming, this fast-growing option, but no one could have predicted its overwhelming numbers. As it turns out, this extra-legal ...Read more

I'm the only one asking questions!
In online dating, I often see two competing factors:
1. People genuinely want to meet someone great (or at least they think they do).
2. People are lazy and don’t take the time to do online dating well … or at all.
This conversation happened to a client of mine (the woman in this exchange) on Bumble:
Her: Do you still drink iced coffee ...Read more

Ask Anna: My boyfriend just met my ex-hookup -- now he won't talk to me
Dear Anna,
I was 23 when I finally got my own place. There was this attractive guy who lived down the hall from me and we had some flirty exchanges that eventually led to a hookup. Just a one-time thing, and afterward we'd only exchange quick hellos if we ran into each other. A few months later, I met my current boyfriend, who I've been with ...Read more

Asking Eric: Stepdaughter suddenly turns on stepmother
Dear Eric: My husband and I met three years ago and recently celebrated our second wedding anniversary.
My grown stepdaughter (27) seemed to like me during the first year after I moved into her dad’s house. But she soon changed from being a nice/fun/interesting person to being moody and filled with mean comments toward me.
Her dad was as ...Read more
Seeking Peace With Sisters
Dear Annie: After living in separate cities for most of our adult lives, my older sister moved just a couple of miles away from me a few years ago. One unexpected benefit of her being nearby is that we are often invited to join mutual friends and extended family for dinners out. Since I am financially able, I usually pick up the tab and do ...Read more

Asking Eric: Mother still paying rent for child’s ex
Dear Eric: I had a relationship with a man for eight years, during a turbulent time in my life. We broke up five years ago. He has cut all contact with me. However, he still talks to my mother. She pays his rent, bought him a new car that was the same make and model as the one she helped me buy, but one year newer.
I have told her that her ...Read more
Rough Edges, Real Love
Dear Annie: I am a 26-year-old woman deeply in love with someone my parents can't stand. He's not what they envisioned for me; he's rough around the edges, has tattoos, rides a motorcycle and works with his hands for a living. My parents like clean-cut, college-educated types in suits, and he's the complete opposite.
Yes, he has a bit of a "...Read more

Asking Eric: Girls trip with mother-in-law ends in resentment
Dear Eric: I recently took a vacation with my mother-in-law, and we had a miserable
time. It’s causing a rift in our relationship.
I’ve been with my husband for four years now, and in hindsight, his mom and I have never spent more than a few hours alone together. In those times, I’ve seen glimpses of a part of her personality that I ...Read more
Grandparenting Without Rivalry
Dear Annie: I'm a mom to a wonderful adult daughter, and we've always had a close bond. We live in the same neighborhood, and our grandkids can walk over to our house anytime. We spend a lot of time together as a family, and I cherish being a regular part of their lives.
My daughter's mother-in-law used to live out of state and only visited a...Read more
Millennial Life: From Ghost Stories to Gatekeeping: Millennials and the New Wave of Book Bans
Starting at about second grade, when the novelty of reading about a family of bears started to wear off, I inhaled ghost stories. One of my favorites was "Wait Till Helen Comes" by Mary Downing Hahn. It was about dead kids, dead parents, and, the cherry on top of a trauma sundae, navigating a blended family.
I was lucky as a child. I didn't ...Read more

Asking Eric: Friend’s daughter bad manners ruin social group
Dear Eric: I’m part of a group that meets up on a regular basis to engage in a hobby. These gatherings have been a great refuge for me. We have enjoyable, interesting conversations and a great rapport. One friend, “Rose”, has started including her daughter “Tracy” in some of these gatherings, which has changed the group dynamic and ...Read more
The Many Faces of Motherhood
Dear Readers: Mother's Day arrives each year draped in flowers, breakfast trays and hand-drawn cards, but beneath the surface it carries so much more. It is a day of celebration, yes, but also one of reflection, gratitude and sometimes quiet ache.
To the mothers who are in the thick of it, wiping tears, packing lunches, offering hugs with one...Read more

Asking Eric: Parents refuse to return from vacation for hospitalized son
Dear Eric: My wife's brother and his wife recently left on a six-week overseas trip, leaving their 14-year-old son at home with his grandfather, who speaks very little English. They didn't leave any instructions with anyone in case of an emergency.
My wife and I are close to their son, "Bobby". Last week, Bobby had a mental breakdown. He called...Read more
Tired of Helping an Ungrateful Neighbor
Dear Annie: I'm an avid gardener in a suburban neighborhood, and in turn, I meet lots of neighbors. There's one lady who keeps stopping by with questions about her yard, which I'm happy to help answer. She even asked if I would go with her to the local nursery to help her select new plants for her garden bed, to which I agreed.
She canceled ...Read more

Asking Eric: Ex-husband turned children against ex-wife
Dear Eric: I left my 32-year marriage more than 20 years ago, due to my ex-husband’s extramarital affairs. We have four adult children who I virtually raised alone as he was never available to them physically or emotionally.
I wanted the children to have a good relationship with their father as I treasured my relationship with my parents. I ...Read more
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