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Attention "Single File(R)" Editors: The Following Column Was Previously Released In 2018. Thank You. -- Creators
ATTENTION "SINGLE FILE(R)" EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WAS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED IN 2018. THANK YOU. -- CREATORS
Feelings Inventory (Part 2 of 2)
As promised, here is more food for thought. Read the following sentences closely, and mark whether you agree or disagree with each.
--Going places alone is the last resort. It makes me look and feel...Read more
Ask Dating Coach Erika: The guy I'm seeing 'exclusively' is still on the apps. What do I do?
I recently had someone reach out to me about a dating dilemma: The man she was “dating exclusively” (her words) told her he was no longer on apps. However, a friend spotted his profile, which was not only “active now,” but updated. When this person approached the man about it, he claimed that the app kept his dating profile active for �...Read more
Asking Eric: Youth podcaster ghosted by professional contacts
Dear Eric: I am a 16-year-old junior in high school who has an ambition to be a sports broadcaster.
I have started my own sports podcast. From the very start of my podcasting, I have tried to reach out to important sports people in the business.
I've reached out to MLB radio people, sports talk hosts, NFL pregame hosts and other podcasters. ...Read more
Boyfriend Upset By Mom And Partner's Relationship
DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been dating my boyfriend for six years now, and I have developed a close relationship with his family. We got along immediately, and they welcomed me in. His mom and I speak regularly for long periods, and my boyfriend feels like it's excessive. He doesn't have the best relationship with his mom, and he feels like she isn'...Read more
Choosing The Phone Call Over The Companion
DEAR MISS MANNERS: When I am with someone in person, I think it is rude to answer the phone (the message being that the caller is more important than our conversation). A friend claims that she only intends to pick up and say she will call them back.
But sometimes there is an exchange, and I am sitting there waiting till she finishes. I always ...Read more
A 44-Year Friendship at Risk Over $4
Dear Annie: I have had a close friend for 44 years. We have been through marriages, children, illnesses, holidays, losses and all the ordinary ups and downs that come with a friendship that lasts nearly half a century. That is why something very small has hurt me more than I expected.
Recently, I was very ill for three weeks with vomiting, ...Read more
Young Teen's Stepdad Is Pushing Her Along The Wrong Path
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have recently found out that our 14-year-old granddaughter, a freshman in high school, is being encouraged to drink, or more accurately, "chug," beer out of cans with her stepdad at parties and social gatherings he has been having at their house.
Our son, the girl's biological father, is very concerned about this ...Read more
Asking Eric: Retired parents feel guilty they’re comfortable while their kids pinch pennies
Dear Eric: My husband and I retired a little over three years ago. We both saved by working very hard all our lives so we can retire and travel. We started to travel often and are enjoying it very much, except I feel guilty when talking to our two adult children who are living paycheck-to-paycheck. They don't say anything negative to us, but I ...Read more
Teenage Daughter Wants To Study Abroad
DEAR HARRIETTE: My 16-year-old daughter wants to participate in a summer study abroad program, and while I want to support her, I can't shake my concerns. She's never lived away from home before, and the idea of her being in another country without me nearby feels like a big leap for both of us. I do see the value in this experience. It could ...Read more
Small Plates, Big Resentment
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I hosted a small birthday party for my husband at a restaurant. Our guests were a couple and a single man. The couple asked if we wanted to order a number of small plates, meant for sharing. The rest of us preferred to order our own entrees.
The couple then proceeded to order quite a few of the small plates, asking us if we ...Read more
Feeling Hurt by Family Betrayal
Dear Annie: My sister moved in with our parents in the family home. After my mother sadly passed away, my father and sister continued living there together. Over time, my sister seemed to take over the running of the household. She even had the telephone disconnected, and there were other decisions made that left me feeling increasingly shut ...Read more
Husband's Friend Has Shown Himself To Be A Cheater
DEAR ABBY: I'm engaged to a wonderful man. We are incredibly happy, and I cannot wait for our life together to begin. There's just one problem -- his best friend, "Joey." Joey is wonderful to my fiance and a nice person overall, but he's a serial cheater.
In the five years I've known him, Joey has dated and cheated on multiple women, some of ...Read more
Asking Eric: Caregiving friend struggles to hold boundary
Dear Eric: My brother and I are helping an elderly cousin who has cancer. Her chemo treatments have terrible side effects, and she is requiring more and more care because of this. Ideally, she would be getting home health care or would move to an assisted living facility. However, she does not have cash flow to pay for services.
She wishes her ...Read more
Teenager Wants To Ride Subway Alone
DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a New York City mom, raising two boys in an active part of the city. My oldest is turning 13 years old and wants to start taking the train in high school. I didn't start taking public transportation until I was 16 years old, so I think he is still too young. Aside from obvious safety concerns, the NYC transportation system ...Read more
Be Friendly-Ish To Departing Co-Worker
DEAR MISS MANNERS: A teacher I have worked with for the last 13 years is retiring at the end of the school year. Teachers have been asked to submit a 4x6 card with a message to her for an album. She will most likely be having a retirement party as well.
She has treated me very meanly over the years. She is capable of being very nice one minute,...Read more
We've Done Everything, but It Wasn't Enough
Dear Annie: My husband and I took in five siblings after both of their parents died, even though we were already raising a large family of our own. Overnight, our lives changed. The children were 7, 9, 12, 13 and 15 when they came to us, and we did our best to give them safety, stability and love. We showed up for school events, sports, camps ...Read more
Siblings Endured Unimaginable Horrors At Home
DEAR ABBY: I'm the youngest of a family of three boys and two girls. The only person I had any connection with growing up was my sister "Sara." We were both treated the same way by our mother. We were not wanted. And I always knew Sara was sad about something else.
Our mother's discipline took the form of when something happened, she'd line us ...Read more
Millennial Life: The Bridge Generation is Feeling Its Age
Millennials are a cultural infrastructure, like an older overpass everyone depends on, but it's starting to carry more weight than it was originally designed to hold. We're trying to move things forward as we absorb tension from both directions. And increasingly, this generation is being asked to adapt to a world we did not build, as parts of it...Read more
Asking Eric: Veteran wants to find lost love
Dear Eric: In high school I went with Bev for a time and I deeply loved her. Bev was outstandingly beautiful; she had a wonderful personality and was liked by all. She was two years younger than me. As young love would have it: she was deeply in love with me also. She was my life.
I felt that she was way too good for me and I broke off contact ...Read more
The Many Meanings of Mother's Day
Dear Readers: Wishing all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day. Mother's Day can be beautiful, but it can also be complicated. For some, it means flowers on the table, handmade cards, little hands carrying breakfast to bed and adult children calling just to say, "Thank you." For others, it can stir up grief, disappointment, distance or ...Read more
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