Life Advice
/Health
/ArcaMax
Asking My Husband for Financial Transparency
Dear Annie: I've been married for over 20 years, and my husband has always handled our finances. I trusted him to take care of everything, but recently, I've started to feel uneasy. When I ask about our savings, bills or retirement plans, he either brushes me off or gives vague answers. I don't know if he's hiding something or if he just doesn...Read more
Husband's Drug Habit And Lies Push Wife Toward The Exit
DEAR ABBY: I've been married to my husband for 30 years. For the past five years, I've noticed that he is acting a little different. He's lost a lot of weight. I found out he's been smoking drugs. He had this problem years ago, and I thought we had it beat. But now I'm getting the impression that maybe you can't ever beat it.
My daughter gave ...Read more
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'Choose each other every day': Boise LGBTQ+ couple contends with the Idaho Legislature
BOISE, Idaho — While visiting Flying M Coffee, one of their favorite downtown Boise haunts, Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln pretended to go to the gift shop before returning to her table with Van Beechler-Lincoln carrying a personalized flipbook that told the story of their love. On the table between them was a ship in a bottle that Van’s friend had ...Read more
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Asking Eric: Retirement is looming, now come the cold feet
Dear Eric: I will turn 65 in a few months and have announced my plans to retire. I have a long list of things I want to do, and after 50 years of employment and saving, I am well situated for these next years. At least, that is what my financial adviser and balance sheets tell me.
I really yearn for more discretionary time and my physical ...Read more
Recently Divorced Mom Apprehensive About Dating
DEAR HARRIETTE: When it comes to relationships, I feel completely lost. I'm a 35-year-old divorced woman with two children, and while part of me feels like I might be ready to step back into the dating world, another part of me is terrified. My relationship with my ex-husband ended painfully, and I don't want to go through that kind of hurt ...Read more
Bragging In The Group Text
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I enjoy socializing with a group of women in my community. There is a group text for 14 of us who often get together for social events.
Recently, a few of the ladies discussed how much fun they had had boating, and it was obvious half the group hadn't been invited. This isn't the first time this has happened.
I think they ...Read more
Presidents Day Thoughts
Dear Readers: Wishing you all a very happy Presidents Day. Hope you are having the day off to relax and unwind. Here are some inspirational quotes from past presidents.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." -- Barack Obama
"It is ...Read more
Violence, Dishonesty Are Dark Omens For Couple's Marriage
DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have not had sex for the last four years. I'm not a perfect husband. I have made my share of mistakes -- not always telling the truth, texting other women -- and she has her share of imperfections as well. She has hit me on more than one occasion. She has also pulled a gun on me and stole $1,400. And yet, I find myself ...Read more
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Asking Eric: Mother struggles with never becoming a grandmother
Dear Eric: I have two daughters with special needs. They function around the level of a 10-year-old. They are also nonverbal in public. It is very unlikely that they will ever have a relationship with anyone, much less have children. So, it is likely that I will never be a grandmother. My question is how do I deal with the grief that causes me? ...Read more
Roomie Refuses To Buy Shared Household Items
DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm having roommate troubles and could really use some advice. My roommate refuses to buy any of the shared household items in our apartment, like trash bags, dish soap, paper towels and cleaning supplies. At first, I didn't think much of it, but over time, I've realized that I'm always the one restocking these essentials, and ...Read more
'proper Behavior' For Audiences Keeps Changing
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I attended two touring Broadway shows, and many families were at each performance. For one show, some people wore costumes: Across from me, a child had on a rather large hat the whole time. At the other show, a nearby child sang along, loudly, to every song they knew.
Is it wrong to expect the accompanying adults to teach ...Read more
Reconnecting With Son After Years of Distance
Dear Annie: I'm a 73-year-old widow, and I lost my husband in 2018. I had two grown sons; one passed away last October, and the other no longer speaks to me. He believes I abandoned him, though we were never very close.
In 2012, he convinced me to move into a home he purchased, saying it would be best for my husband and me. Later, he claimed ...Read more
Man Tries To Force Social Media On His Unplugged Wife
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have very different approaches to social media; He's all in, and I'm all out. I don't "do" the internet. I don't have Facebook, Instagram, X, Snapchat and whatever else people are using these days. I quit using social media five years ago when I realized how much it was contributing to my stress. Leaving it behind has...Read more
Millennial Life: Before Answers, Before Action
It's never good when you get the doctor on the phone to update you on the results.
This could have been a slightly chirpy column about how this millennial went for her first mammogram. But now it's another essay about the in-between -- before answers, before action.
Thanks to the state of our medical world, I'm now waiting for an unspecified ...Read more
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Asking Eric: Movement disorder may give strangers the wrong idea
Dear Eric: I am a young adult with a movement disorder similar to Parkinson's. It causes uncontrollable, violent, jerky, muscle movements, called dyskinesias, in nearly every part of my body. These dyskinesias resemble the effects of illicit substances and can make people who don't know me very uncomfortable. How would you suggest I address this...Read more
Accusations and Mistrust Straining Marriage
Dear Annie: I've been with my partner for over 15 years and have helped him build his business from the ground up. I handle everything -- paying bills, filing taxes, ordering supplies and assisting customers -- often working 70-hour weeks. Despite my dedication, he once accused me of stealing. I proved my innocence, yet he still makes comments...Read more
Woman's Poor Choices Impact Health Of Aging Mother
DEAR ABBY: I am a healthy older woman living alone in a building for seniors. I've known some of my neighbors most of my life. I consider us like a family.
My problem is, my 49-year-old daughter, "Jasmine," has been a pill addict for the last 20 years. I've tried repeatedly to help her. I've begged to get her to go to counseling, but she won't....Read more
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Asking Eric: Guest list for chosen family dinner expands too much
Dear Eric: Christmas is a very difficult time for me, and I typically don’t celebrate as I don’t have any close family, and it only brings back painful memories. I moved a couple years ago and found a very great group of friends that have quickly become my chosen family. I was determined to take back how I felt about Christmas and began to ...Read more
Returning Friend Expected Warmer Welcome
DEAR HARRIETTE: I just moved back to my hometown. After college, I moved to Georgia to teach. I didn't really know anyone there. I had a few estranged cousins I rekindled with, and I made friends with some of my co-workers, but that was about it. I lived in Georgia for three years before the loneliness started weighing on me, so I decided to ...Read more
Old Photo Brings Back Tough Memories
DEAR MISS MANNERS: A friend of my boyfriend posted a years-old photo of a bunch of their friends, and she tagged one person as a way of saying "happy birthday" to them.
The photo included my boyfriend and his then-girlfriend. Their breakup was very hard on him, which everyone knows. Everyone also knows he is doing well now, and has been in a ...Read more