ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I live in a very small town. My husband died a year ago and, since then, I have felt like some of these people are angry with me. Six months after he died, I had what my therapist called a "nervous breakdown." I know I wasn't myself for some time, and I can't remember much of what I did or said. I have been told I said things to close...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Another manager within my firm told me a few weeks ago that she wants me to come work for her full-time. I have been temporarily supporting her because she recently lost her executive assistant, and we work together well. This switch could have me working in the human resources department, which I have been trying to transition ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have an acquaintance who frequently walks her dog at the same time I do. She is a nice person, and we get along well; our dogs even like each other.

We are both female. The issue is that her skirts or sundresses keep getting shorter. I avert my eyes, but I have seen more of her anatomy than I care to. I have also seen a ...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister, "Renee," and I have always been close, but things changed after she had a baby last year. I was genuinely happy for her, and I've tried to be supportive -- dropping off meals, babysitting when I can, texting to check in. But ever since the baby was born, she's been distant and, honestly, a little cold.

She cancels plans...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I need help! I am a 50-plus-year-old, married, well-educated woman. I am also a kleptomaniac and I'm not proud of it. It started a few years back when I accidentally left an item in my shopping cart. Since then, I have found it easy to take things -- shoes, makeup, jewelry, clothing.

I am out of control. I know it's wrong. I tell ...Read more

I just happen to be reading my own book (titled "Single File," for those of you who haven't done the same) and find myself lingering at the section "Be good to Yourself." This is an issue dear to my heart because to this day, the stereotype lingers of the unmarried as utterly selfish and navel-watching. To be sure, there's much unraveling of ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Retired licensed psychotherapist specializing in children and families here. With regard to "Out-of-Control Toddler," the parent struggling with a toddler who has started hitting, there is now much empirical evidence to suggest that the "gentle parenting" that your advice reflects is ineffectual, especially for toddlers and ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: To prevent party guests from driving impaired, I came up with a fun game using a $21 breathalyzer I bought online. I call it "Have I Had Too Many?"

Guests who are at, or even close to, the legal limit get a prize -- a free ride home!

Everything was going great until one guest tested at well over twice the legal limit, but ...Read more

Dear Annie: Every summer, my husband "Jake" and I spend a week at his parents' lake house in Wisconsin. It's a beautiful spot -- right on the water, with pine trees, hummingbirds and a little dock where Jake used to fish as a kid. When we first started dating, I actually looked forward to these trips. I imagined quiet mornings with coffee by ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 48-year-old woman. When I was 17, I hooked up with this guy who was part of my friend group. I knew he had a crush on me, so I decided to have sex with him in his car. It meant nothing to me, but everything to him.

He has tried to reach me over the years. If I was married, he was single. After my first husband died, I did meet ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My 12-year-old daughter is going through a phase where she feels like she has to match everything her friends do, what they wear, what they eat, the shows they watch, the hobbies they're into, etc. She constantly compares herself to them and puts so much pressure on herself to fit in, to the point where she won't even try ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is your opinion on handkerchiefs? I prefer them to tissues.

I have seen brides, at weddings that cost thousands of dollars, crying into wadded-up tissues. If they really find it so disgusting to reuse a soiled handkerchief, they could invest a few dollars in a multi-pack and get a fresh one each time. Also, I believe ...Read more

Dear Annie: My younger sister and I used to be incredibly close. We talked every day, shared everything and supported each other through some of the hardest times in our lives, including the loss of our mom. But over the past two years, she has pulled away, and I feel like I do not even know her anymore.

It started when she began dating her ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a mother of three girls, 25, 21 and about to be 15. My youngest has always lived with me. Her father and I separated when she was 1. They always had a good relationship. Over the last couple of years, after he moved to another state and married, our co-parenting relationship has changed for the worse.

My youngest has always ...Read more