Life Advice
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Ask Amy: An ‘update’ takes the advice to task
Dear Readers: Periodically, I publish “updates” to previous questions and answers published in this space. The following was published in 2018. The update follows the original Q&A.
Dear Amy: I grew up with two siblings — a brother and a sister. My brother, his wife and three children lived near our parents. My family and I (wife, two ...Read more
The Truth Comes Out Via Conveniently Timed Text
DEAR ABBY: A few years ago, my sister and I took our kids on vacation together. She and I get along but have never been close. Sometimes I walk on eggshells around her because I never know what might make her upset.
I thought we were having a good time on that vacation and getting along well, even though I was anxious. We were both taking ...Read more
Father Refuses To Help With Daughter's Care Tasks
DEAR HARRIETTE: I am upset with my husband because he thinks that it isn't his responsibility to do our daughter's hair -- ever. He thinks that since he's a man, any responsibility that is deemed feminine isn't his job. I've tried explaining that parenting responsibilities should be shared equally, regardless of gender stereotypes, but he's ...Read more
If You 'invite' People, You're Paying
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have been slowly slogging through grad school -- one course a semester -- and after four long years, I'm finally going to graduate.
I work in the industry I'm going to school for, and I'd like to invite some of my co-workers out to dinner to celebrate. While I'd love to foot the bill for everyone, I'm not financially able ...Read more
Celebrating Passover and Earth Day
Dear Annie: Over the years, I have worked in day care centers for 2-year-olds, and my husband is a speech therapist. I have a family friend who is raising a 2-year-old from the community. We see their child continuously and think that he is behind developmentally, especially in speech.
They could hypothetically wait until he is old enough to ...Read more
Ask Amy: Wife braces herself for husband’s adultery
Dear Amy: I married a lovely man two years ago. We lived together for three years before marrying.
We met as his first, long-term marriage was falling apart. We are both 70 years old. We spend most of our time together, but my husband has always kept most of the other parts of his life a bit removed from our marriage. He insists that he is ...Read more
Grieving Friend Produces Off-The-Wall Accusations
DEAR ABBY: I am a happy, decidedly single woman with a large group of friends who are all married. Most of us grew up together, and all of us have been like extended family for the past 25 years.
This year, one of the wives lost three family members within three months. This has been devastating to her, of course, as well as to all of us as we ...Read more
Millennial Life: Just a Normal Ride Along
Officer Castaneda was already waiting for me at the front as I pulled up.
"She's mine," she called to the people at the front desk, puzzled at my handing them paperwork for the ride along. I had just dropped off the kids at school, but Castaneda had already been on shift since 6:30 a.m. It was her "Monday," the start of her week, and she was ...Read more
Trust Troubles: Honoring Wishes Over Transparency
Dear Annie: My 96-year-old mother has two children -- me and my older sibling, "Jennifer." Our mother's trust originally had Jennifer as trustee, but she moved to the West Coast, about 2,000 miles away. A year and a half before Jennifer moved, she tried to steal some small, expensive pieces of jewelry from our mother. She was caught standing ...Read more
Ask Amy: Brother loses sleep over mother’s behavior
Dear Amy: My brother is due to get married next year and while I'm really happy for him, I'm dreading the idea of having to see my mother again.
Our mom ticks all the malignant narcissistic personality disorder boxes: Emotionally immature and dysregulated, lacks empathy, disrespectful of boundaries, etc.
I suffered horrendously growing up, but...Read more
Longtime Friendship Collapses Amid Lies, Drugs And Deception
DEAR ABBY: The first Christmas my future husband and I were dating, he gave me an angel ring. I asked him to take me to a bar where my best friend worked so I could show it to her. When I showed it to her, she told me her cancer had come back. I gave her the ring and told her to hang onto it, hoping it would give her the strength to fight ...Read more
Teacher Having Trouble Connecting With Student
DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a high school teacher facing a challenging situation with one of my students, and I'm at a loss for how to improve our relationship. Despite my best efforts to make a positive and supportive classroom environment, it seems like this particular student and I just can't seem to see eye to eye. Our interactions are often tense, ...Read more
'throwing A Party' Without Actually Doing Anything
DEAR MISS MANNERS: In January, I had the pleasure of attending two holiday parties. Both events were potlucks, to which I gladly contributed dishes. The hosts provided beverages like water, tea and coffee. The parties were well-attended, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
However, a few days after each gathering, I received a message from...Read more
Smile!
Dear Annie: I notice many readers have problems and anxieties. Maybe something my mother taught me will help them.
She lost two husbands to illness and had a chronic illness herself. We almost lost my brother on the same day my dad died. She raised three boys in a small town taking any job available. Through all these hard times, she always ...Read more
Ask Amy: American uncle worries about footing the bill
Dear Amy: Some of my family members are going to have a mini family reunion in Paris in a few months – the city where my brother lives.
My brother’s son, wife and their two young children will be flying to Paris from Istanbul, and I will be flying in from the USA.
My nephew’s family and I will be staying at the same hotel.
Several ...Read more
Couple's Ancient Divorce Is Still A Sore Subject
DEAR ABBY: My parents have been divorced for 30 years. It was an unpleasant divorce because Dad had an affair with a woman he worked with and married her soon after. Mom was devastated. She and Dad were high school sweethearts.
Both have moved on from this -- sort of. Dad has since divorced, remarried and divorced again. He's now with a woman ...Read more
Frugal Reader Steals To Save Money
DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a 25-year-old living in an expensive city in the United States. I've always been frugal, but lately, this mindset has led me down a troubling path. I've found myself giving in to the temptation to steal items from stores rather than purchase them. At first, it seemed like a harmless way to save a few dollars, but now I can't...Read more
Sometimes A T-Shirt Is Just A T-Shirt
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was leaving the gym when I saw someone wearing a T-shirt that infuriated me. It read, in bold letters, "Eat the Fragile."
This made my blood boil, particularly in today's climate, as there are so many groups targeted with hateful, inflammatory slogans. I thought about the elderly, the disabled, the minority groups that deal...Read more
Finding Love in All the Wrong Places
Dear Annie: I have let myself get involved with a significantly younger guy. To make matters worse, I'm married. In my defense, before I even started talking to this other guy, my husband and I had come to a place in our marriage where we were more like roommates than husband and wife. We didn't even share the same bedroom (which was his ...Read more
Ask Amy: Mother frets over monstrous middle name
Dear Amy: My 24-year-old daughter is expecting a baby boy.
She told me that she plans to use her biological dad's name as her baby's middle name.
Her dad, "Tobias," and I divorced when she was six and her brother was four. At the time, the literature advised divorced parents to never say anything unkind about one's ex. Thus, I did ...Read more
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