ArcaMax

Dear Annie: There's a little boy in my son's school -- he's 6 years old -- who has a history of being very physical with other kids, including my son. They were in the same class previously, and my son would come home upset, sometimes with bruises, telling me this boy had hit or shoved him during the day. Thankfully, they're not in the same ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm 58 and five years into my second marriage. We lived together a little over a year before getting married. I spent seven years as a caregiver for my parents before marrying my current husband.

We moved to Kentucky from Florida because his mom needed us close, but since the move, he has become someone I hardly know. We finally got ...Read more

It started with a comment during school pickup, something my mom said about the china plates she remembered from her parents' home. The delicate plates and cups, which were kept behind glass, were reserved for use only once or twice a year. I mentioned that the china was a good metaphor for the differences in our generation. Hers kept some ...Read more

Dear Readers: Wishing you and your families a very happy Easter and Passover. Spring is a time to get outdoors and play. It is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. It is a time when the flowers begin to bloom and kittens are born. Below are some of my favorite poems about spring and joy and the innocence and beauty of childhood.

"Spring"...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My daughter was living in my garage apartment but then got married and moved away. Her sister is in law school in another state, and her brother is even farther away in graduate school. I moved close enough to see them when they come to visit their hometown and their mother.

My ex-wife is flying the two out-of-state ones in for a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: A close friend of mine likes to play the role of cupid. Her interest in other people's love lives might be well-meaning, but for me it feels invasive. I'm generally a bit reserved about my love life, but my friends know about a certain someone I am interested in. There has been some subtle flirting, and so far, I like the slow ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I had a breast augmentation surgery 20 years ago, for reasons that I still think were good ones. I am not interested in having to justify my choice to anyone, and in any case, it's not something I could undo even if I wanted to.

I'm now single and dating. It has happened more than once that a man sees me undressed for the ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter-in-law and I have never had a good relationship, but we tolerate each other because of my son.

I have tried to be a good mother-in-law. I never visit unannounced. When my DIL had surgery for breast cancer, I took her to her appointments, and I was even the one to go with her when she rang the bell at the end of her ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a 16-month-old who has recently learned to walk. My mom was watching him one day a week while I worked part-time, but she ultimately decided it was too much stress on her back and said she could no longer lift him. Lately, she has been telling me I need to "train" him to do certain things in order for her to watch him without ...Read more

DEAR READERS: I haven't done this before -- run a whole day of your responses to a single letter -- but I'm doing so now because you got so fired up I want you to see how you reacted to the situation. Here's what a few of you had to say about "No More Babies," the woman with five children whose husband wanted her to have a tubal ligation.

DEAR ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I would be most grateful if you could provide guidance on how to graciously handle two common problems with email.

1. The response, "I never check that account."

What do we do when our correspondence goes into a black hole? A number of people have claimed that the message I sent went to an account that they never check. But ...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend, "Claire," has been dating her boyfriend, "Jay," for three years. I really liked him when they first started dating, but lately, she's been confiding in me about some things that are making me a little nervous. For example: Jay goes through her phone, gets angry when she spends time with friends and even will ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I finally got custody of his daughter "Amelia" 15 days before her 16th birthday. She came to us with home-schooling and little socialization. Now she's 18, and we've gotten her on track to graduate, but she has completely changed. She plans to move in with her boyfriend and is skipping school.

My husband feels we can't...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been reading your column for several years, and I've noticed how you are a big advocate for communication. Yay! I agree that communication is key.

Sometimes you provide words or sentences your readers can use. However, in some of the cases people ask you about, it seems like they are talking to a wall, and the other ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have always struggled to get along with my mother-in-law. We are very different in tastes and temperament. I have tried to be polite and welcoming, to encourage familial bonds and to find some way to make her happy, but nothing I have done has ever been right.

She is quite outspoken in her negative opinions, so time with ...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend, "Sarah," and I have been close since college, but lately, our friendship feels one-sided. She's going through a rough time; she broke up with her boyfriend, she hates her job and she's been struggling with anxiety. I've been there for her every step of the way, listening to her vent, offering advice and checking in ...Read more