ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My husband, "Mark," and I have been married for eight years, and we have a good relationship. We've always butt heads a little bit about his mother, but recently we have started really clashing over her. She's always been a little overbearing, but lately, it feels like she's trying to control our lives. She'll drop by unannounced, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a brother-in-law that I need help with but don't know where to turn. He's a hoarder. The house he lives in belonged to his parents, but it is now full of junk and he does nothing to keep it clean. He has purchased several items and his garage is overflowing so the new items are left in their boxes outside.

He had a good job...Read more

Dear Annie: I've learned something surprising over the years as a step-parent: Holidays don't have to be confined to specific dates. In our family, Christmas Eve is just as special as Christmas Day, and we've even repeated Thanksgiving on the Friday after, with leftovers and a fresh pie. We've also started alternating years for who gets which ...Read more

Dear Annie: My relationship with my mother has been deeply strained since my grandmother's death five years ago. My mother and I were her primary caregivers, and I loved my grandmother dearly. After she passed, I endured severe verbal and emotional abuse from my mother's brother, who has a history of anger issues and domestic violence. Despite...Read more

Dear Annie: I am hopelessly in love with my best friend and have been for most of our lives (we've been friends since childhood). Over the years, there have been moments when it felt like we were moving toward being together, but it never progressed. We currently live together and share almost every aspect of our lives but don't even sleep in ...Read more

Dear Annie: I would appreciate it if you'd consider helping me figure out an answer to a question I am so tired of being asked, which is, "Why haven't you gotten married?"

I am a 65-year-old single woman who has accomplished a lot in life. I've contributed to society and volunteered. I'm independent, self-sustaining and have never been ...Read more

Dear Annie: My mother died when I was 5, and I grew up in a very abusive childhood -- abuse in every sense of the word. I'm still traumatized over my childhood and I am now 65.

I ended up in what I thought was a great relationship in my early 20s and thought he loved me. I ended up getting pregnant, and he wanted no part of it. He left, and I...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister expects me to make my son and his friends spend time with her son. Our sons are in their early 20s and used to spend a lot of time together when they were younger. Her son, whom I love very much, is on the autism spectrum and had some emotional regulation issues as a child and teenager. Now, as a young adult, he has much ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 58 years old and have seven grandchildren who mean the world to me. One of my sons, however, only seems to reach out when he needs me to watch his kids. I adore spending time with them -- they're all under 5 -- and I don't mind helping out at all. I have serious health issues, so every moment with them is precious. I hope to ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter took in some kittens that a mama cat delivered on her property. She was very selective about who she would give them to and wound up only finding a home for one of them. She decided to keep two of the kittens, along with her existing two cats, which left three without homes. She kept them for seven months and then ...Read more

Dear Readers: Wishing you all a very happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day!

I thought it would be a good time to find some impactful quotes from presidential inaugural speeches and from King's "I Have a Dream" speech. I found quotes that inspire, unify and motivate audiences toward a shared vision for the nation. Comparing ...Read more

Dear Annie: After nine years of waiting for him to propose, I finally decided to take matters into my own hands and popped the question myself. His response? He said he'd need to "see what his finances look like" -- and then a week later, he broke up with me via text.

Looking back, it's painfully clear: If he doesn't ask, he doesn't want to. ...Read more

Dear Annie: I just wanted to say thank you for keeping an open mind.

I've noticed that, on different occasions, readers sometimes challenge you or want to "add to" some of your answers based on their education or personal experiences.

You are willing to keep an open mind and welcome the input. For that, I say, BRAVO!

Of course, not all of the...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a very dear friend who is like family. I am 20 years older than she is, and at times I feel more like a surrogate mother than a big sister.

I know she has mental health problems, including anger management, trust issues, obsessive-compulsive disorder and, at times, I think, narcissistic tendencies. But she truly is a good ...Read more

Dear Annie: I just finished reading the letter from "Caged Bird," and my heart broke for her. The reason is because I lived that same life, and her letter could have been my own.

What was done to her by her mother and to me by my mother were not the products of "motherly love" or "misguided motherly concern." These were the actions of a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I spent my early childhood years with a loving foster family, and today, at age 75, I have a great relationship with my foster brother.

I lived with my biological family from age 7 until I left for college. I have one biological brother, and long story short, we are not close.

Today, I can hardly stand him or his family. He brags ...Read more

Dear Annie: I had a high school boyfriend 47 years ago but left him. He came to my house the day before I was marrying someone else and begged me not to marry him, but I did. Long story short, after getting divorced, I tried to find him, but I couldn't. I married again and got divorced again. I then focused on trying to find him again only to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for more than 24 years, and we have three wonderful daughters. My husband has always been a wonderful father and an OK husband.

However, he has always treated me with a lot of disrespect, and over the years, I always brushed it off because he was such a great dad to my daughters and because he provided everything...Read more

Dear Annie: "Numb and Lost" wrote to you regarding emotional detachment as a result of trauma and challenges in their life and struggles with finding proper therapy. As a 37-year-old male who has had difficulties and consequent challenges in therapy, I can relate.

In many ways, finding good therapy is its own battle, on top of the battle ...Read more