Life Advice
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Retired Husband Lives With Physical And Emotional Pain
DEAR ABBY: My husband has been retired from law enforcement for five years. I can't retire, as I am self-employed. I was always the one who had to take time off work to care for him with his back and hip surgeries, his mom, his dad and my mom for the past 15 years. I also took care of his kids during weekend visits.
He has spent his retirement ...Read more
Single File: Chairman of the Board
As a single parent (Chairman of the Board) your first loyalty is to your children. Yes, you are an adult with normal needs for affection, but sleepover lovers are an intrusion into the innocence of your on-premises children. Reserve that kind of loving for times when the little ones are not at home.
You probably know by now how strongly I feel ...Read more
Is ChatGPT an online dating lifesaver or hinderance?
By now, we’ve all probably experimented with AI tools like ChatGPT — maybe to help us write an essay or outline for work, to help us plan a vacation, or maybe just for fun to see what kind of answers would come up to silly questions while sitting around with friends. But it recently came to my attention that some are turning to chatbots for ...Read more
Asking Eric: Son-in-law won’t stop sending political texts
Dear Eric: My 89-year-old mom is a button-wearing, T-shirt slogan, lifelong Democrat. She is also afraid of confrontation. My younger sister's husband, who leans Republican, forwards my mother texts from Fox News and people on X making fun of Democrats. Sometimes she's so upset she can't sleep because what he forwards may seem funny to him, but ...Read more
The Benefits of a Phone Break
Dear Annie: I made the decision to put down my phone for a while, and the results have been wonderful.
Today was my "allowed" day to pick up my phone again. I had given myself a three-day restriction, and today was the fourth day. During those three days, I only answered for my dad calling. He's 86, and I don't want to miss one minute of his ...Read more
Ask Anna: What counts as flirting on social media?
Dear Anna,
I’m a bisexual woman, married to another woman. We’ve been together for four years and things are generally good. The big issue is that my wife works as a photographer, and she’s constantly shooting with attractive models, which I totally get and I'm cool with. But here's the thing — every few months, there's a new model she'...Read more
Asking Eric: Family wants to support nephew without condoning behavior
Dear Eric: My adult nephew and his girlfriend recently had a child. They are both in their mid-30s and neither has gainful employment. My nephew has also struggled with mental health issues. His mother passed away several years ago, so his remaining family system consists of grandparents, aunts and uncles.
I am trying to reconcile my feelings ...Read more
Giving Up on Dating
Dear Annie: I want to know why people think it's OK to harass and abuse other people. My ex brought his girlfriend home, and they spent the night in the garage. That was when we were still married.
Then he took my 5-year-old daughter out on dates with the girlfriend, and he abused and harassed me for a year to try to get me to abandon the house...Read more
Asking Eric: ‘Helicopter’ grandma is suddenly ghosted
Dear Eric: I am the grandparent of a now 24-year-old grandchild. Starting in high school and continuing through college he was not fully engaged – he did not turn in homework, missed classes. In steps "helicopter grandma" (a high school counselor and former teacher) who is unable to accept this.
What followed is eight long years of torment on...Read more
The Grandma Who Isn't Good Enough
Dear Annie: My heart and prayers go out to the "Grieving Grandmother" who is tired of the apathy shown by her daughters-in-law. Those girls are incredibly rude and selfish when they ignore her at family gatherings, but I am impressed that Grandma gets holiday and family birthday meals at all.
My two daughters-in-law have each said that their ...Read more
Millennial Life: She Was a Good Dog
My dog, who emitted her typical deep sigh seconds before the medicine stopped her heart, just didn't understand the fuss around her -- and why she couldn't quite get up to romp around with everyone as she had before.
She was a good dog, but she was not a perfect dog. In the haze of grief that settles around the stark finality of death, there ...Read more
Asking Eric: Kids split over estrangement from dad, mom caught in the middle
Dear Eric: One of my offspring has cut off all communication with her father, my ex-husband. He hasn’t even met his 4-year-old grandson. My other child has a close relationship with my ex.
The daughter in question claims my ex was not a good father. He certainly wasn’t a good provider; I supported the family financially. He was likely ...Read more
Put Yourself First
Dear Annie: I have a friend who spent many years in an emotionally abusive relationship that seems similar to what "Sad Grandma" described. What I have seen with my friend's children is that they have learned to treat their mom the same way their father did.
They watched for years as she put his needs and demands first in all of their lives. By...Read more
Asking Eric: Difficult friend wants to lunch too much
Dear Eric: Twenty-six years ago, I became friends with another woman at the company where I used to work. We're retired now.
The odds of us becoming friends seemed remote, since we seem to be opposites in personality, but our friendship has endured.
In all these years, we would get together for lunch at random times. In the fall of 2022, I ...Read more
Confused by Girlfriend's Odd Dress Choices
Dear Annie: I've been dating a wonderful woman for almost a year now and have recently noticed some odd behaviors. The one that concerns me the most is the way she's been dressing. Case in point: We were invited to a pool party and barbecue at a friend's house.
When I picked her up, she was dressed as if she were going to a high-powered ...Read more
Asking Eric: Bad boss is also a bad volunteer, co-workers fear
Dear Eric: The manager at my place of work volunteers with a group that’s not related to our work. The volunteer group works with the court system to help women in recovery from substance abuse access community resources.
My co-workers and I hear our manager interact with other group volunteers when they occasionally meet at our workspace: ...Read more
Should Hosts Cover Costs?
Dear Annie: My 12-year-old son goes over to his friend's house now and then. His friend lives in a small town that is walking distance to ice cream shops, markets and delis. Whenever my son visits, his friend's mom will ask me to send him with cash for lunch or dinner or Venmo her money.
Whenever we have his friends over, we provide the food ...Read more
Asking Eric: Daughter living the high life while mom struggles
Dear Eric: I’m a 52-year-old mother and grandmother. My daughter and granddaughter live with me due to some bad life choices my daughter has made. It’s very clear to me that being a mother is not high on her priority list nor does she have the energy or motivation to step up.
I have basically become a mother again as I tend to my ...Read more
Overbearing In-Laws
Dear Annie: "John," my 40-year-old fiance (only child) has boundary issues with his parents. They come over to his house approximately five days per week. The pretext is that they walk his dog. But here's the thing: John works a cushy job from home. (Walk your own dog!) Here's the other thing: they don't just walk the dog. They load the ...Read more
Single File: Life Engineering
A book reviewer recently called "Single File" an advanced course in Life Engineering, and the name fits like a glove! Because once you tune in to the opportunity that comes with singleness, you become Chairman of the Board, responsible for every decision big and small. Once you get the hang of life unpartnered -- and, yes, these are times of ...Read more
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