ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my best friends came to town. We've known each other since college and have seen each other through a lot of chapters. I don't feel like I'm in the best season of my life right now. I think I'm on my way to something great, but the detour has been filled with a lot of challenges, losses, hardships and so much more. My ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My fiance and I have chosen not to register for gifts. Not only do we wish to do what is proper, but we already live together in a tiny apartment and have neither the need nor the space for additional housekeeping items.

Nor do we wish to crassly solicit money from our guests. And since the wedding is in my fiance's small, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been close friends with "Marianna" since high school, and we still see each other regularly. We always split the bill when we go out to eat. I don't mind. But often I see at work (I work at a restaurant) that people will fight over the bill and offer to cover for whoever they're dining with. Marianna never does this. Even on...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My fiancee and I have been arguing almost every day. We have been verbally and emotionally hurting each other. I love her very much, but she has a severe alcohol disorder, and I want her to stop drinking. She keeps begging me for money whenever she runs out of her own. She wants me to buy her more alcohol, but I refuse. She has been ...Read more

Agreed, the month of May is the usual time for tributes to moms' indispensable role. But mine is an off-season paean to those women who -- by some inscrutable twist of fate -- find themselves Chairman of the Board, responsible for every decision in their husbandless household. Why now, and why them? Because while motherhood is sacred in America,...Read more

We’ve all been there: Someone we don’t know extremely well—maybe a work colleague or friend of a friend—sends a biting text that immediately causes you to raise your eyebrows. You may ask friends, “Hey...what do you think this means?” Internally, you’re debating whether you should ever talk to this person again ... or if it was ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My roommate works out at 5 a.m. every day, which means that his alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m., and it's been affecting my sleep in a major way. The noise alone is enough to jolt me out of my sleep, and by the time I finally manage to fall back to sleep, it's almost time for me to get up for work.

I've tried everything I can think ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When hosting a cocktail hour, how does the hostess gracefully navigate the quantity of food served? For example, if the cheese platter is reduced to a few bites, should the hostess be constantly monitoring and replenishing it, even if the planned "hour" has passed?

I certainly don't want to appear stingy with guests. But ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been married for 16 years, and lately, I'm not sure I want to stay in this marriage.

I've always been the steady one -- the saver, the planner, the person who makes sure the bills get paid and there's something set aside for the future. My wife, on the other hand, has always been more impulsive when it comes to money. Over ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I haven't had a holiday with my grown daughter, "Charly," since she left the state 12 years ago. When she came out as a lesbian, I wasn't very accepting and didn't handle it well. I have since apologized.

Charly and her partner refuse to visit here unless I allow them to share the same bed in my house. I say they can't tell me what ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a mother of twin daughters who are graduating from high school this year and preparing to head off to college. They both dreamed of going to the University of Notre Dame, and they worked hard throughout high school to make it happen. When the acceptance letters came in, only one of them made it. The other, unfortunately, did ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My daughter is graduating from high school, but she does not want a party. I would still like to send out graduation cards to help celebrate her achievement, but I don't know how to write it. Should I state that she is not having a party, but that she is attending the ceremony?

I would like for people to have a way to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm in my early 30s and have been dating someone for nearly two years. On paper, he is everything my parents could have hoped for. He has a stable career; he is kind, respectful, family-oriented and well-liked by everyone. My friends and family think I have hit the jackpot.

The problem is, I am not sure I feel the kind of deep ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Regarding "Silver Girl in New York" (Jan. 5), whose husband is making her feel less loved because she decided to not color her hair anymore, this is her decision to make, not his. He needs to grow up.

You advised her to wear a red wig when he is feeling amorous. What were you thinking? So, she is supposed to be uncomfortable in her ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I was out for a walk with my dog when out of nowhere, my neighbor's dog came charging toward us. He had slipped out of his collar and was clearly not under control. He lunged at me and my dog, growling and snapping. I had to shield my dog and myself, and for a moment, I genuinely thought we were going to get seriously hurt.

What...Read more