Life Advice
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Siblings Clash Over Bakery's Future Direction
DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister and I co-manage our family business, a local bakery. We're clashing over its direction: I prefer to maintain our traditional baking techniques and recipes, which have served us well for years. She wants to import and sell modern, trendy breads from other shops to diversify our offerings. In short, she wants to hop on ...Read more
Must I Donate To My Friend's Charity?
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a good friend who is the polar opposite of me on politics, religion and almost every other subject. We are cognizant of these differences, and refrain from debate or argument on these subjects. Amazingly, we still have things to talk about!
However, she sent me a letter in which she requested that I support a nonprofit...Read more
Breaking Free
Dear Readers: A great number of you wrote in about abusive partners and how you finally opened up the cage and flew out.
Here are two letters that I found especially interesting:
Dear Annie: While I respect "Married" for finally leaving her abuser -- I've been there myself -- I need to point something out. She mentions staying until her ...Read more
Active Lifestyle Makes It Harder To Find Love
DEAR ABBY: I'm a mature male who had a weight problem years ago. When I turned 50, I was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, hypertension and diabetes. I took my doctor's advice about diet and 150 minutes of exercise a week. Fast-forward to today, and I have lost almost half my body weight and am now in good shape.
My problem now is finding ...Read more
Tough reporter has a new assignment: help her 20-something neighbor get a girlfriend
PHILADELPHIA — When you see Lisa DePaulo's byline, you don't think of the Cupid beat. In her career writing for publications like GQ, Vanity Fair, and New York and Philadelphia magazines, this tough cookie's element has had more to do with thugs and scoundrels who whack their girlfriends than nice guys looking for one.
But when her neighbor ...Read more
Asking Eric: After 12 years of marriage, stepdaughter still won’t speak to stepmom
Dear Eric: My husband and I have been married 12 years and have known each other for 17. Both of our previous spouses passed, before we met each other. He has two daughters and a son. His son and one daughter make me feel welcome. His other daughter, from the time I met her, has never accepted me, said my name, or spoken to me directly.
I am ...Read more
Single Mom Navigates Daughter's College Woes
DEAR HARRIETTE: I just dropped my daughter off at college last week, and she's already asking me to come back and pick her up. She's saying that college isn't for her, but she hasn't even started classes yet. This has been an emotional time for both of us as I am a single mom and she is my only daughter. She's always been introverted and has ...Read more
If It Ain't Broke ...
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a number of friends I regularly meet for meals out, as well as for friends' birthdays. We've been friends for going on 40 years and first began socializing after college, when all of us were starting our careers, paying off loans and living on shoestring budgets.
Decades later, we still keep up the tradition of paying ...Read more
How Can I Be Included in My Son's New Family?
Dear Annie: My son is married to a wonderful young woman, and they've recently started a family. She comes from a very large family; she's the youngest of nine. Our family is much smaller, consisting only of myself, my son and my daughter. We don't have any extended relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. It's just the three of ...Read more
May-December Online Romance Nears A Critical Moment
DEAR ABBY: I met a young man on Facebook. He is a philanthropist, and we have been talking for more than six months. He's kind and sweet, and he tells me he loves me. He works around the world as an interior designer and will be returning to the States in a couple of weeks.
The problem is, I'm 30 years older than he is. He has seen photos of me...Read more
Asking Eric: Wife fears it’s too late to leave abusive husband
Dear Eric: My husband and I are in our mid-70s, married more than 50 years. He has been physically disabled since our mid-30s, has some form of OCD (never officially diagnosed because he refuses), and now has symptoms of early dementia.
He has extreme mood swings, does not have a normal sleep pattern, is verbally abusive and demeaning, and ...Read more
Reclaiming Independence to Rebuild My Life
Dear Annie: I'm struggling to take control of my life. My parents have supported me through tough times, including addiction and an abusive relationship. I have three kids with my ex, and my parents were always there for me. After leaving my ex and moving back in with them, my mom took over the parenting responsibilities, which I reluctantly ...Read more
Couple Stunned When Son's Fiancee Speaks Her Mind
DEAR ABBY: My son is engaged to a girl we all love, but recently, there's been an issue. My husband was at their house while my son's fiancee was finishing up getting ready for their date night. (They live 10 minutes from us, and my husband has been there often since his retirement.) When she was done, she came downstairs, told my husband they ...Read more
Asking Eric: Husband keeping wife in the dark about finances
Dear Eric: I’m a 62-year-old female and have been married to my second husband (a 65-year-old male) for 30 years. Empty nesters. Never once has my husband divulged to me what his financial situation is. Now that I am disabled and don’t work anymore, I depend on him financially. He just tells me to not spend so much. I don’t by any means. I...Read more
Friendship Strained By Insults To Child
DEAR HARRIETTE: I had a falling out with a friend recently, and I'm not sure if I want to continue the relationship at all. She is probably a certifiable narcissist. Everything revolves around her. She needs to be the center of attention -- always. She revels in making quips about everyone and everything, and her comments are often biting.
I ...Read more
Laundry Service Sends Back Racy Surprise
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live near a university, and graduate students are always looking for odd jobs to make extra money. One of them does my laundry twice a week, and always returns it beautifully folded.
This week there was a surprise: a clean pair of red underwear with a reinforced, O-shaped opening in the crotch. It was quite well-made, and ...Read more
Jealousy Is a Red Flag
Dear Annie: I am a woman in my mid-30s, and my wife is in her early 40s. We met a little less than two years ago and haven't left each other's side since. We got married about a year ago. Needless to say, we both fell fast and hard for each other. When I met her, my whole world changed, and I look at the world in a completely different way. She ...Read more
Bride-To-Be Worried About Her Fiance's Coddled Teen Nephew
DEAR ABBY: My nephew-to-be has just turned 14. He has older parents (his mom was 42 when he was born) and is so socially inept that we fear for his future. His mom is more than a helicopter parent -- she still orders his food for him at restaurants. My son is 15 and very different -- he's mature, has a job, takes honor classes and is an outgoing...Read more
Asking Eric: Wife fears she’s abusing husband with Alzheimer’s
Dear Eric: My husband of almost 60 years has Alzheimer’s. At this point, he does not know who I am other than “some nice lady” who comes to see him. I initiate and have sex with him. Our initial dating and marriage were very sexual but went on to deteriorate due to his multiple flings and affairs. By the time he was diagnosed, we had not ...Read more
Husband Perplexed By Wife's Fridgescaping
DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a husband seeking advice. My wife has been engaging in a practice she calls "fridgescaping," which is currently a viral trend on TikTok, where she decorates the inside of our fridge with vases and flowers to make it look pretty. While I appreciate her creativity, I find it to be overly extravagant and inconvenient as I often ...Read more
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