ArcaMax

Dear Annie: Every summer, I plan a trip. I picture my family on a peaceful beach, laughing together, toes in the sand, drinks in hand. But the reality? Total chaos.

I'm the one who books the flights, finds the rental, makes sure everyone has sunscreen, passports, snacks, chargers and swimsuits -- and still gets blamed when something goes ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 67-year-old man who has two sisters. Recently, I was at my younger sister "Mitzi's" house, installing some blinds. While there, I received a phone call from my girlfriend. (We have been together nine months, after my wife passed last year.) My girlfriend and I were discussing finances, including the topic of my older sister, "...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I work in midtown Manhattan, and as you probably know, there was a mass shooting there recently. New York City is known for its chaos, but this still feels so unreal to me. I work in the building immediately next door to the one this gunman targeted. Luckily, I happened to leave work just early enough to avoid the awful ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I work with a woman with whom I have a friendly, professional relationship. We are often in shared-food settings together, such as office lunches or happy hours with appetizers.

She adheres to a no-carb diet, but is quite gracious about encouraging others to order or bring whatever they'd like, saying that she'll "make it ...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter "Theresa," now 46, always wanted to be a doctor. I divorced her father when she was 4 and her sister was 2-and-a-half. When it came time for college, her father refused to help, and I couldn't afford to pay for it as a single mom.

Determined, Theresa joined the Army and used the GI Bill to earn two undergraduate ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Four months ago, my 15-year-old oldest child was killed in a car accident. It has been really hard. My husband and I are doing our best to take care of our younger children and put our lives back together.

One thing I don't know what to do about is all the mail I have received from my estranged relatives. None of them came for the ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Over the past three years, my ex and I have found our way back to friendship. When we first broke up, we left each other alone, which was probably for the best. Lately, we check in from time to time and cheer each other on in new endeavors. About a month ago, I found myself in a jam: My car broke down late at night, and I needed ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have been married to a very sweet guy for over 15 years now. I have never made a habit of keeping secrets from him, and we have a very honest relationship. However, my lifelong friend recently discovered that something from our college days has surfaced online.

It's a video of my friend and me participating in a wet T-shirt...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 36-year-old woman who's always been the "go-to" friend for emotional support. I don't mind being there for people -- I genuinely care -- but lately it's starting to wear me down.

My closest friend, "Julia," has been going through a tough time with her marriage for the past year. I've spent countless hours on the phone with ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 54-year-old mother of two, a wife and a full-time teacher. My days are long, busy and usually uneventful. Every evening, I am expected to call my 84-year-old mother, who lives a few states away. I oblige, of course, listening patiently to all of her stories, ranting and gossip.

If, for any reason, I happen to fall asleep or ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My 13-year-old daughter has recently started refusing to attend family gatherings like birthday parties or Sunday dinners at my parents' house. She says they're "boring, fake and a waste of time." I understand that she's a teenager and trying to find her own identity, but it's really starting to hurt my parents' feelings. They ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I often have lunch at fast-food restaurants. I will get five or six packets of hot sauce from the self-serve area, and when I'm finished with lunch, I just return the unopened packets to where I got them. Sometimes I get bad looks from people for doing this.

What is the etiquette for this? Should I just trash any unopened ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 48-year-old gainfully employed man living in Denver with my wife of many years. Our marriage, while respectful and supportive, has evolved into more of a platonic partnership over time. We are navigating a difficult season as parents.

My daughter, who just turned 18 and attends college, is spending her summer in Seattle. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My parents divorced when I was in high school, and Dad kept the house I grew up in. I'm in college across town and have my own place, but I still visited Dad often. As a teenager, it used to be my job to cook the family dinner two nights a week. I loved it and continued to cook when I was visiting.

Dad now has a serious girlfriend ...Read more

Trust me. What I'm about to suggest is beneficial. Yes, it may fall into the category of auto-suggestion, but it's the healthy kind. So healthy, indeed, it may very well make you stronger and abler to bring your life in line with your deepest wishes. And isn't that what we all want? Now that we're agreed on that, let's move on to the good stuff....Read more