ArcaMax

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I had a severe injury to a finger. It has since healed, but when I cook, I usually keep a bandage over the injury to protect the area.

One night I made dinner for my husband and a very close friend (who has a great sense of humor). I had the entrees placed on the table and was serving the salads when I noticed the bandage was...Read more

Dear Annie: My family lives in a close-knit neighborhood. I'm good friends with two women in particular, "Leslie" and "Tara." Leslie's daughter "Ashley" and my son "Ben," both in sixth grade, have been best friends since first grade. They love to play outside together on nice days. Our friend Tara's son, "Lyle," is in kindergarten and also ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: How do I tell my friend I feel she needs a mental health evaluation? She has been my closest friend for 20 years, and we have been through many trials together. She has been married for a couple of years to a man who seems very nice.

Abby, she is convinced that she's being followed, but doesn't know by whom or why. She tells me about...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My youngest sister is in the process of applying and being accepted to colleges -- for the second time. She's had some trouble in the past in terms of staying focused and prioritizing her degree and her education, and now as she's applying to get back into college, she's constantly consulting her friends. I won't pass judgment on...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: While outside in the smoking area of a music venue a couple weeks ago, a woman next to me became a little too animated and lightly bumped into me. She apologized, and I politely responded that it was not a problem.

Then, I realized she was still looking at my sleeve with an anxious, guilty expression, and she started brushing...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for over 20 years. Recently, he has become increasingly controlling, checking all my movements and whereabouts, even while we are both at home. He checks if I am asleep by pretending to be putting something on the bedside table when he could just ask if I am asleep, for instance.

This has caused ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband puts everyone first before me.

An example: We were invited to his aunt Diana's 50th wedding anniversary. His father was their best man but couldn't make it due to illness. So, at the last minute, my husband was asked to sit at the head table with his aunt and her husband. I was not invited to do that, and my husband didn't...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: There is a woman in my building who is constantly acting like community watch or building security. We have a group chat, mainly for updates and maintenance announcement purposes, but she is always writing things in there and telling our building manager what to do. "There is an umbrella left in the lobby. Can we check the ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A while back, a colleague of mine said that he and his wife would like to invite me over for dinner at their home. The evening of the dinner, there was another guest, Chloe, a woman my age who teaches with my colleague's wife.

The evening was very enjoyable, with good conversation. At the end, the hostess told me that she had...Read more

Dear Annie: My girlfriend and I have been together for four years, and most of that time has been great. The last year and half, however, has become quite complicated and strained due to her 14-year-old daughter. I'll call her "Rose."

When her mother and I got together, Rose was 10, and up until about a year or so ago, she was a great kid. ...Read more

Intimacy versus individuality sounds like a choice ... as if maybe you will find one or the other in your love life, but you know for sure you can't have both of them in the same relationship! That's the (yawn) fiction that's been circling the single world for generations. But the truth is not only is it possible for the same relationship to ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am struggling to help my mother, who is a hoarder. Growing up, our house was always cluttered, but it has gotten significantly worse over the years. Every room is packed with boxes, old furniture and things she refuses to throw away. It's to the point where she can barely move around her home, and I worry about her safety. I've...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My partner and I lived abroad for 12 years and have recently moved back to his hometown. He has a job, I am working as a temp, and we are struggling to find housing, so we have been staying with his parents.

I am incredibly grateful to them; we have been living with them for two months now, and may stay another two months (...Read more

Dear Annie: Lately, I've been struggling with my husband's temper, and I don't know what to do. When things don't go his way -- whether it's something small like dinner plans or something bigger like finances -- he lashes out. He calls me names, belittles me and makes me feel like I'm always in the wrong. I try to keep the peace, but it feels ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My relationship with my partner hasn't been the greatest, but we are both working on ourselves to become better partners. Recently, I found out he has been texting another female (flirting). He 100% swore to me nothing more has happened besides the texting. He claims he likes the attention. This other woman knows he's in a ...Read more