Life Advice
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Misplaced Ring Leads To Misplaced Blame
DEAR ABBY: A longtime neighbor and friend has accused me of stealing a ring. I had been providing her with transportation to visit her husband while he was in rehab recovering from a broken leg. I also took her on other errands.
One day, she was upset. She told me she had lost a bunched-up handkerchief that held something important, but wouldn'...Read more
Asking Eric: Friends ask about son’s health; mom doesn’t know how much to say
Dear Eric: My adult son was a stellar athlete and scholar in our small Midwest high school. But as the years went on, he ended up suffering from chronic pain due to a back injury, which thwarted a career path after college. A year ago, he was diagnosed with long Covid, which he and his partner still have. He recently also received a mental ...Read more
Woman Fears Boyfriend's Reaction To Her Past
DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm afraid my past embarrassing moments will make my boyfriend see me in a different light. I've been dating "Bryan" for two years now, and he is insisting on coming to my hometown to meet my friends, as I have met his. We both live in the city where we work, but I grew up as an overweight kid in a low-income household with ...Read more
Let Restaurant Staff Do Their Jobs In Peace
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My best friend and I frequently get together for lunch at local restaurants. I am sometimes embarrassed by what my friend says to servers, and I don't know how I can get her to stop.
If the service is good, she is very effusive with her praise, and ties up the server by chatting as if they were now BFFs. If she thinks the ...Read more
My Husband Won't Respect My Privacy
Dear Annie: I have had a few health issues recently. During tests, my doctor incidentally found a mass on my spleen. I asked my husband not to tell anyone, except our kids who are 24 and 33.
I found out he told the neighbor down the street. I am upset. I haven't said anything yet to the rest of my family or friends. He argued (yes, argued) ...Read more
Self-Proclaimed 'best Friend' Acts Like Everything But One
DEAR ABBY: My "best friend," as he has labeled our relationship, moved in with me eight months ago. He claims to have no romantic feelings for me. Despite this, he sleeps in my bed next to me and kisses me. (He claims to be asleep when he does it and says he doesn't remember it happening.) He encourages us to be sexually intimate and texts me ...Read more
Asking Eric: Brother makes himself too at-home during visits
Dear Eric: My brother and sister-in-law visit infrequently, usually only once or twice a year, including a major holiday. After each visit I tell my husband that we will not host them again.
In the past, their arrival/departure times have been inconvenient. They converse loudly after others have retired for the evening or before others have ...Read more
Newlywed Questions Husband's Love And Intentions
DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a 45-year-old man, and I thought I had finally married the love of my life just six months ago. My husband and I share many of the same values, dreams and goals, and I was overjoyed to have found someone I could build a future with. We dated for eight months prior to our marriage, but since getting married, he has started to ...Read more
The Higher The Hair, The Greater The Annoyance To Others
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I attended a live theater performance. Seated directly in front of me was a very tall woman whose hair was styled in an updo that added -- seriously -- five or six inches to her height!
I could not see the stage at all unless I leaned uncomfortably left or right, and each time she shifted in her seat, I had to shift in mine. ...Read more
The Struggle to Find In-Person Therapy
Dear Annie: I read your postings in our local newspaper every day, and I've noticed that you often tell people to seek help from a professional counselor before making big decisions.
I agree this is an important step, but I've found that counselors and psychologists are so busy that they either aren't taking new clients or they only want to ...Read more
Relatives Like To Drop In With No Notice
DEAR ABBY: Some relatives come once or twice a year from out of state to stay at my in-laws' house. For the past 20-plus years, it has been the same routine. They show up, but we never know ahead of time when or how long they are staying. We are expected to drop everything to go over there to visit with them as long as they are in town. There ...Read more
Locals share wild 'only in LA' stories, from a freeway romance to a porn set surprise
LOS ANGELES — When I moved to Los Angeles from New York 20 years ago, I felt like I had landed in an alternate reality — a place where flowers bloomed year-round and a light drizzle was considered a valid reason to cancel plans.
Celebrities of varying sorts dotted the landscape. I spotted Keanu Reeves at the Griddle in West Hollywood and ...Read more
Asking Eric: Daughter ghosted after $50,000 loan
Dear Eric: My youngest daughter, a pediatrician, got a divorce two years ago (her husband had been taking money from her practice and not telling her). Her mother and I divorced 40 years ago and are on good terms. For whatever reason, my present wife and I almost never saw her or her kids. There was no falling out or other reason for her not to ...Read more
Struggling Shopper Seeks Help To Curb Spending
DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm having a hard time controlling my shopping habits. I often find myself buying things on impulse, which leads to regret afterwards. I want to take better care of my money, but breaking the habit of spontaneous spending seems really challenging.
I've tried setting financial goals by using digital spreadsheets, manual logging ...Read more
Just Enjoy Friends' Tailgate Hospitality
DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have some friends who regularly host a tailgate party in the parking lot of the college football stadium near our house. We walk to the tailgate, and then go home once the game begins.
Hosting this tailgate is "their thing," and they seem to enjoy being hosts.
Our other interactions with these friends center around our ...Read more
Family Fallout
Dear Annie: I am struggling with conflicting feelings over feeling disrespected by family members. I was not especially close to my sister, but we did see each other occasionally and text/talk on social media.
My stepdaughter was attacked and bitten by my sister's dog a couple of years ago. My stepdaughter's biological mother chose to sue my ...Read more
Rowdy Kids Unwelcome At Relative's Wedding
DEAR ABBY: I recently attended a funeral for a family member. During the 90-minute service, my great-nieces and nephews (ages 3 to 6) were running around the church. Their parents said nothing and allowed them to continue.
Following the service, we were all invited to a sit-down meal in the banquet room of an upscale restaurant. Again, the ...Read more
Single File: Life Engineering
There's a fiction circling singleworld that making your life comfortable and secure while you're unmarried consigns you to a life sentence there, with no chance of parole or reprieve. Well, this lady engineer is over the moon to announce that the myth is pure fiction! The reality? The more interesting you make your singleness, the more relaxed ...Read more
Ask Anna: Should I tell my boyfriend about a past infidelity?
Dear Anna,
I’m a 34-year-old woman who’s been in a relationship with my boyfriend for almost four years. We’re serious — and lately are talking more and more about marriage. But something from my past has been weighing on me, and I’m struggling with whether or not I should tell him.
About five years ago, in a previous relationship, I...Read more
Inside a network of Facebook groups helping millennials fall in love
PHILADELPHIA -- Nicole Kerr competed with 134 other women to get the attention of her now-fiancé Fran Smythe, a Deptford, New Jersey, finance manager looking for a “fun down-to-earth girl” to settle down with.
That’s because Smythe’s sister-in-law posted his photos to Date Him: Philly, a private Facebook group with over 20,000 members ...Read more
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