ArcaMax

Dear Annie: This letter describes my life experiences with bullies and how I managed to succeed. I was a scrawny, pimple-faced little kid growing up, had a weak voice, got fists shaken in my face while being held to the ground several times, was held underwater in swimming class and nearly drowned, was mocked for not having a girlfriend until my...Read more

Dear Annie: Almost 15 years ago, my older sister removed me from her life after a series of messy arguments. At the time, she just stopped taking my calls and waited for me to leave family functions before going. She told our three siblings and mother that she didn't want me in her life. She likely gave them reasons but never allowed anyone to ...Read more

Here, in the never-married section of the survey, responses are worth an extended reading because this is a population rarely polled -- and even more rarely in full voice. So think a bit about this group's words as you add your own:

--Have you chosen not to marry because you want to grow as a person first? (About 58 percent said no.)

--Do you ...Read more

Dear Annie: My mother-in-law is 81 and a widow. She currently lives alone. Her health is declining, and she has been talking about wanting my husband and me to move in with her and "take care of her and the house." She is adamantly against moving into assisted living or anything similar. I already cook meals and take them to her weekly. I help ...Read more

Dear Annie: In 2010, I discovered that my husband of 47 years had been in touch with a woman who he had a long and intimate relationship with before we met. She had a child three months before we met and wanted him to marry her but he refused because he had learned that she was also intimate with someone else at the same time.

When I confronted...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm at a stage in my life where personal growth has taken hold in the absence of my husband. My husband is still here and alive, but he frequently travels for work, and I am often left to my own devices for days at a time as a stay-at-home mom of two young boys. I've taken to calling these days "idle time," as if the engine of our ...Read more

The refrain I repeated to my daughter was that, much like filling in eyebrows with makeup, the wings lined onto each eye she was "crashing out" over could be sisters, not twins. They don't need to be identical. "But again, let's tone it down in the future. That liner isn't really a day look."

It could be a controversial take to let her ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I love each other very much, but we have grown apart for a while now. I've done my best to be a good and loving wife, yet it seems to be hard for him to give me physical affection. He says he loves me and doesn't want to be without me, yet we physically seem to be 1,000 miles away.

I try to be affectionate, but it ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter, 31, left home at 19 to attend university. Within weeks, she began dating a boy she'd met through the school's Facebook group. Coming from our cultural background, we weren't comfortable with relationships outside marriage, but after two years, she moved in with him, mostly on her terms. They lived together for six ...Read more

Dear Annie: When my boyfriend decided to get serious about his health earlier this year -- cleaner eating, regular workouts -- I was super proud of him. I cheered him on and swapped out our snacks without complaint. For the first few months, it brought out the best in him.

But somewhere along the way, his personal reboot turned into an ...Read more

Dear Annie: Christmas at my parents' house used to feel magical, but lately it feels like I'm walking into a performance review. My older brother's new hobby is "radical honesty," and apparently the holidays are his favorite time to practice. Last year, as we decorated the tree, he announced that my handmade ornaments looked "like a Pinterest ...Read more

This week, the questions are geared toward those who are single again and have no children living at home. Next week, we'll turn the focus to those who have never been married.

--Has your sex life become freer, less inhibited, less routine since becoming single again? (About 55 percent said yes.)

--Why are you single again? (About 79 percent ...Read more