Life Advice

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Can I Cut Out My Brother?

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

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

Anger Roiling Beneath The Surface Threatens To Erupt

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I have anger issues that were passed down among the men in my family. My mother is a strong woman and wouldn't let my father get away with too much, but still, the impact is there. As a young adult, I realize I am exhibiting some of the same behavior as my dad.

I've never raised a hand to anyone. I can hang onto my cool when arguing ...Read more

Asking Eric: ‘Helicopter’ mom keeps grandkids from grandparents

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: For the past 10 years we have always "been there" for our grandchildren (now 18 and 16) and my son and daughter-in-law.

In the past two years, things have changed. We have sent the grandkids cards, asked them to various events, and sent weekly texts. Most go unanswered, as if they are entitled. So, I recently sent them a text and ...Read more

Employee Struggles With Excessive Duties

Life Advice / Sense & Sensitivity /

DEAR HARRIETTE: I've been feeling overwhelmed at work. I was hired as support for one team but have now been expected to regularly cover two large teams. I sometimes find myself struggling to efficiently and seamlessly complete tasks for my main team while juggling tasks on both ends. Per my year-end review, I think my manager noticed a shift in...Read more

Well, This Escalated Quickly

Life Advice / Miss Manners /

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am currently staying with a family friend and her husband for a few days while visiting my hometown. The husband clearly isn't happy with me staying here, so I have not interacted with him much.

On my second day here, the husband asked for a divorce. Now I can hear them fighting, and the tension is insane.

How do I ...Read more

Drive While High, Get a DUI

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

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

Open Relationships Often Come With Hidden Costs

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I am a mental health therapist, and one of my favorite things to do is to read about people's experiences. Part of that is reading advice columns such as yours. More than once, a person has written about being a part of an open relationship (I'm talking about consensual situations). Your negative bias and judgment always come through ...Read more

Asking Eric: Workplace ignored husband’s death

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: When I hear of a death in the family of someone I know, I send a sympathy card. I appreciated the many cards I received when my husband died, and one kind friend donated to a charity we support.

But when my mother died two years ago after a long incurable illness, I received just one card from a friend, and only a few verbal ...Read more

Sibling Age Gap Causes Emotional Distance

Life Advice / Sense & Sensitivity /

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a sister who is 20 years younger than I am. I'm 30, and she's only 10 years old. Because of this huge age gap, we've never really had a chance to bond or develop a close relationship. While I love her dearly, every time it's just the two of us, the conversation feels forced and awkward. I don't think either of us is ...Read more

Only Happy Stories About Dogs, Please

Life Advice / Miss Manners /

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My dog is a great conversation starter. Strangers who stop to admire him will often share a story or two about their own pets, or their own memories of dogs they've known.

As much as I enjoy this, I've noticed that these strangers will often -- with no prompting from me and with no obvious conversational cues leading toward ...Read more

Good Father, Bad Husband

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

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

Grandma Doesn't Want Ex-Husband Back In Her Life

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband and I share a 3-year-old grandchild through our son. Until now, it hasn't been a big problem because I live in the same city as my son's family, but that's about to change. My grandson is the joy of my life, and I plan to visit wherever they move after my son's job transfer. I had been considering a move back to our ...Read more

The Peace of a Desert Snow Day

I shook off the snowflakes and put the pumpkin roll in the Christmas gift bag in the passenger seat. The snow hadn't let up as I visited with a constituent whose daughter was a baker. Neither had the emails, but they were a similar sweet gift: meeting cancellations due to inclement weather.

It meant I had time to pick up the kids with my mom as...Read more

Asking Eric: Self-described people-pleaser fears disappointing therapist

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: I’m pretty sure I should seek therapy. As a longtime first responder with probable PTSD, plus recent marital issues and the recent deaths of a number of close loved ones, I feel the need to speak to an unbiased third party.

I’m not comfortable speaking with my spouse or friends because I’m the one they all come to, and they see...Read more

A New Approach to Thank-You Notes

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

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

Stepdaughter's Gift For Dad Hurts Her Stepmom's Feelings

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: My stepdaughter "Annie" gave my husband a photo album of his life for his 80th birthday. The album included pictures of his parents and grandparents as well as photos from his first marriage -- to Annie's mother. She included one picture of their wedding and two more of them posing as a loving couple. She included few pictures of me, ...Read more

Asking Eric: Neighbors worry about unlicensed contractors next door

Life Advice / Asking Eric /

Dear Eric: My husband and I live next door to a family that, when having work done at their house, tends to use low-wage, unlicensed workers. We found out they are getting their driveway repaved.

The men we saw with our neighbor were in an unmarked truck and may not be professional concrete workers. I said to my husband that if they start ...Read more

Student Fears Being Dragged Down By Friend's Dishonesty

Life Advice / Sense & Sensitivity /

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm in a difficult situation with one of my friends, and I don't know how to handle it. Recently, they cheated on a school exam and got caught. To my surprise, my friend is now accusing me of being involved even though I worked hard and studied diligently for the test. I've always prided myself on putting in the effort, staying ...Read more

When In Doubt, Ignore The T-Shirt Message

Life Advice / Miss Manners /

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Last summer, I attended a barbecue with my husband's co-workers and their families. I was introduced to a co-worker's wife, who was wearing a T-shirt commemorating her close relative's untimely death a year prior. My husband had told me what happened at the time, and how devastating it was to her and the rest of the family.

I...Read more

Retired Husband Refuses to Share the Load

Life Advice / Dear Annie /

Dear Annie: I am in a quandary. My husband (67) and I (65) are both retired; I do work from home two days a week for around seven hours or so a week now. He takes Social Security while I do not. He had no 401(k) to speak of. Me working now was to make up the difference.

My problem is my husband sees no problem or need to get a part-time job, ...Read more

 

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