ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My neighbor has taken "borrowing a cup of sugar" to ridiculous levels. In the past six months, she's borrowed my ladder, my hedge clippers, two baking pans and, most recently, my patio chairs for her daughter's graduation party. She always promises to return things "tomorrow," but I usually have to go ask, and sometimes they come ...Read more

Linking yourself to the community is the next step in widening your circle of connectedness. By joining a voluntary organization or international agency (whichever seems more important to you and seems to need you more), by manning a hotline for a battered women's shelter or by helping to organize an international fast day to raise awareness of ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am the friend everyone calls when they need something.

I am the one who remembers birthdays, checks in after surgeries, brings soup when someone is sick and sends the "just thinking of you" text. If a friend is going through a divorce, I am there. If someone's child is struggling, I listen for hours. If there is a crisis, I show...Read more

Dear Annie: I never imagined that after raising three children, loving them through every stage and being a hands-on mother, I would end up feeling like a stranger to my own grandchildren.

My son married a woman who, at first, seemed organized and devoted. Over time, though, it has become clear that she likes to control every family ...Read more

Something I have lamented as a parent is that the cultural touchstones of episodic television were not something my kids would experience. Streaming changed the rhythm of watching TV, especially when shows arrive all at once and people watch them at different speeds. The sense that millions of people might be sitting down at the same time to ...Read more

Dear Annie: Five years ago, I lost my father to heart problems. Three months ago, I lost my mother after a terrible fall. I am 66, and I was her caregiver. I took early retirement at 62 so I could be there for her, and I do not regret it. But now that she is gone, I feel like the role I built my life around disappeared overnight, and I am not ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been married nearly 40 years. My wife's father has passed, and her 81-year-old mother still lives on the family farm. My wife is on a loan her mother took out to buy part of that farm, and she handles everything for my mother-in-law. One of her brothers lives in the farmhouse and is a slob. He won't take off work to take their...Read more

Dear Annie: My 72-year-old father retired from his accounting job two years ago and appointed himself "Director of Operations" of my household.

He lives 15 minutes away and stops by unannounced at least three times a week. He's reorganized my garage ("Your shelving system was illogical"), corrected how my kids load the dishwasher and replaced...Read more

Dear Annie: My younger sister is getting married in June and has asked me to be her maid of honor. I was genuinely touched -- until she handed me an extensive "wish list." It includes hosting a destination bachelorette weekend (on my dime until others reimburse me), attending dress fittings three hours away on weekdays, organizing a bridal ...Read more

Yes, your children can be a link to life outside parenthood. But how?

--At their religious school, be part of the services. Join the ladies auxiliary. Volunteer to host a meeting of the parents at your home. (Put those singles nights on hold for a while; taking part in your children's lives is much more gratifying.) Your kids will be proud of ...Read more