ArcaMax

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I are frequently invited to another couple's parties. We are all gay, male seniors.

One member of this couple seems to be going through some cognitive issues. He tells everyone assembled the same lengthy jokes and goes on and on about his religious and political views, always offending some present.

We have ...Read more

Dear Annie: I just finished reading the letter from "Caged Bird," and my heart broke for her. The reason is because I lived that same life, and her letter could have been my own.

What was done to her by her mother and to me by my mother were not the products of "motherly love" or "misguided motherly concern." These were the actions of a ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My siblings and I are estranged. I live in a different state. My brother and I never got along and stopped speaking many years ago. My older sister and I, after a long, toxic relationship, finally had a blowout after Dad passed. We haven't spoken since. My younger sister took my older sister's side and doesn't speak to me either.

I ...Read more

Realizing that sex is an integral dimension of well-being, I will incorporate sexual fulfillment into my singleness in ways that mesh with my personal morality.

Being of adult age and with a reasonable amount of life experience, I will aim toward being both sexual and autonomous, assuming full responsibility for my decisions.

I will adopt a ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have two young daughters. One is 3 years old, and the other is just 8 months old. I invited my sister to stay with us during the holiday season because she lives far away and the rest of our family is in Delaware. However, my sister failed to tell me before she arrived that she was battling a nasty cold. She came to stay with ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a lifelong nonsmoker and naturally do not permit anyone to light up in my home or in my car. No exceptions. But when I'm a passenger in a vehicle driven by a friend who smokes, they will inevitably light up without asking if it's OK.

They'll crack their window and blow the smoke out through the crack. Even so, the wisp ...Read more

Dear Annie: I spent my early childhood years with a loving foster family, and today, at age 75, I have a great relationship with my foster brother.

I lived with my biological family from age 7 until I left for college. I have one biological brother, and long story short, we are not close.

Today, I can hardly stand him or his family. He brags ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have anger issues that were passed down among the men in my family. My mother is a strong woman and wouldn't let my father get away with too much, but still, the impact is there. As a young adult, I realize I am exhibiting some of the same behavior as my dad.

I've never raised a hand to anyone. I can hang onto my cool when arguing ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I've been feeling overwhelmed at work. I was hired as support for one team but have now been expected to regularly cover two large teams. I sometimes find myself struggling to efficiently and seamlessly complete tasks for my main team while juggling tasks on both ends. Per my year-end review, I think my manager noticed a shift in...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am currently staying with a family friend and her husband for a few days while visiting my hometown. The husband clearly isn't happy with me staying here, so I have not interacted with him much.

On my second day here, the husband asked for a divorce. Now I can hear them fighting, and the tension is insane.

How do I ...Read more

Dear Annie: I had a high school boyfriend 47 years ago but left him. He came to my house the day before I was marrying someone else and begged me not to marry him, but I did. Long story short, after getting divorced, I tried to find him, but I couldn't. I married again and got divorced again. I then focused on trying to find him again only to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a mental health therapist, and one of my favorite things to do is to read about people's experiences. Part of that is reading advice columns such as yours. More than once, a person has written about being a part of an open relationship (I'm talking about consensual situations). Your negative bias and judgment always come through ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a sister who is 20 years younger than I am. I'm 30, and she's only 10 years old. Because of this huge age gap, we've never really had a chance to bond or develop a close relationship. While I love her dearly, every time it's just the two of us, the conversation feels forced and awkward. I don't think either of us is ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My dog is a great conversation starter. Strangers who stop to admire him will often share a story or two about their own pets, or their own memories of dogs they've known.

As much as I enjoy this, I've noticed that these strangers will often -- with no prompting from me and with no obvious conversational cues leading toward ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for more than 24 years, and we have three wonderful daughters. My husband has always been a wonderful father and an OK husband.

However, he has always treated me with a lot of disrespect, and over the years, I always brushed it off because he was such a great dad to my daughters and because he provided everything...Read more