ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My husband, "Leon," and I have been together for 13 years. He is bisexual -- gay-leaning. I knew this when we got together. I am 51, and Leon is 32. We still love each other deeply, but he is also in a relationship with a man. His boyfriend is 21. We have an 11-year-old daughter together, and I have two grown kids from a previous ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm currently living in a so-called "luxury" apartment that was built just last year, and I pay a significant amount of money in rent. Unfortunately, my room is absolutely freezing, and it's making it nearly impossible to feel comfortable in my own home. I've already had maintenance come to seal the windows and walls, but that ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What do you say to someone who says they were going to give you something, "but ..."?

Two things that have actually happened to me:

1. I came home and my mom said, "By the way, are you hungry? I did cook you some dinner, but I ate it."

2. I met a friend for lunch and she said, "Did you know I hosted a tea party? I thought ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been struggling with marital problems ever since he proposed. Before that, we got along well, but things took a turn for the worse after the engagement. His ex-wife is constantly causing drama, and whenever I try to stand up for myself, the situation gets twisted, and I'm the one blamed. My husband usually ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm fortunate that most of my neighbors are kind and considerate. We've all enjoyed sharing each other's celebrations. However, there's one family among the five households that we've never managed to connect with on a personal level. Despite our efforts, such as giving gifts and food, they have always been unresponsive. While there's...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm feeling completely overwhelmed by my financial situation. With paying off student loans, covering my living expenses and trying to save for the future, I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. Rent alone takes up half of my paycheck, and despite budgeting carefully, I'm struggling to make any real progress. I don't...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the appropriate thing to do or say when one's restaurant order is wrong?

When I had lunch with a group of eight people, the waiter did not write down any of our orders. That was not a good start. He brought me a spicy salad drenched in dressing, when I had asked for the non-spicy salad, dressing on the side. Judging ...Read more

Dear Annie: Last week, I was caring for a patient named "Mr. Thompson," who had come in with severe back pain. After completing my initial assessment, his daughter, "Sally," arrived and immediately demanded that I give her father "the strongest pain meds you've got." I explained that we had protocols to follow and that the doctor would need to...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a single parent of two girls. My oldest, "Becca," is 17. She has been dating this guy and, as soon as she graduates, plans to move in with him and two of his friends (another couple). What worries me is that their relationship is pretty toxic. They are always fighting. I have begged her not to move in with him, but she won't ...Read more

The other day, I had a conversation that stuck with me, not because it was unique, but because it was disturbingly common. I was speaking with a gentleman about safe use sites, places where individuals struggling with addiction can use substances under medical supervision, reducing overdoses and offering pathways to treatment. He was adamantly ...Read more

Dear Readers: Many of you wrote in about the "Tossed Kittens" column and told me where I missed some points. I appreciate the feedback and want to share a few of these letters:

Dear Annie: I was horrified to read about the woman who abandoned three kittens in the wild, especially after they had been socialized. There were so many alternatives...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been happily married for 15 years. My mother-in-law, "Pat," a widow since 1997, has lived with us for the last 14 years. She lived alone in her own apartment when my wife and I first were married but was going through bouts of depression. I initially extended the offer to her to live with us until she got through ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a roommate who is incredibly nosy, and it's driving me crazy. He's always asking questions that are way too personal, and it's starting to make me uncomfortable in my own home. I try to be polite and friendly, but he doesn't seem to pick up on the fact that some things are just none of his business. For example, the other ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I made a serious error when speaking to someone with cancer by referring to people not diagnosed with the disease as "normal" -- as in, "Can normal people get periodically scanned?"

I quickly corrected myself, but I still agonize over it, two weeks later. I don't know what I was thinking and I'm so embarrassed.

This is a ...Read more

Dear Annie: I value your advice and would like your opinion. I recently had hip replacement surgery. I now have mobility issues and cannot perform many tasks that I could in the past. I cannot walk now without a walker.

I had a friend who I thought was a close friend. We live about half a block from each other. In the past, when she had ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am an adult child of an alcoholic. My mother is a mean drunk. While growing up, I had to act as her therapist and deal with her co-dependency. I have been lucky to have processed a lot of the trauma in therapy and to have a loving and healthy family of my own now. We actively avoid Mom after 3 p.m. because I don't want my kids ...Read more