ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: Since I was young, I've found that I've always had strange anxiety-induced habits -- pulling at the edges of my hair, sucking my thumb, picking at scabs, etc. Over time, I'd find a solution, or I'd just sort of grow out of it. At present, I scratch the insides of my palms when I'm nervous, stressed or frustrated. I think I may do...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A person I have known for many years has just been arrested and charged with horrific crimes. I would not say we were ever close friends, just cordial acquaintances. It seems likely this person will not walk free again for many years, if ever.

I want to reach out and write a letter to them in jail. What would be appropriate ...Read more

Dear Annie: I enjoy reading your advice and hope you have some for me.

I've always been the person people come to with their problems. I'm told I'm a good listener, likely because of my own counseling journey. I often suggest therapy or AA to others, especially when addiction is involved.

I grew up in an abusive, alcoholic environment and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband passed away four months ago. I miss him terribly, but I'm ready to move on. I want to begin dating, but I don't know how to go about it. Some may say it's too soon, but I couldn't care less what people think.

I have my eye on several men I think may be interested, but they're not paying much attention to me. I think they'...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend and I were watching a reality show where contestants try to find love. At one point, we got into a friendly debate about whether one of the couples on the show was genuinely in love. She was convinced that they were, while I had my doubts and said I didn't think their connection seemed all that real. What started as a ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Some time ago, one of my wife's nephews (a grown man in his 40s) came across an opinion I had written in a digital publication. He didn't like it, so he insulted me in the public commentary section. I shrugged it off.

The next day, he went hunting online for another opinion of mine he didn't like, and insulted me again so ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I live in a three-bedroom house with our two grown children. Recently, our youngest daughter had a baby and moved back home -- bringing her boyfriend with her. We told her beforehand that he couldn't stay here, but they moved him in anyway. Now, the two of them -- and their baby -- are living out of her bedroom.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My son is 20 and a senior in college. He's a baseball player and is about to ask the girl he's been dating for a year and a half to marry him. My wife and I don't get along with her at all. She has a myriad of health problems and takes eight prescriptions a day. Because of her conditions, she rarely has the energy to do anything but ...Read more

Let's celebrate your singleness in a new way, making the celebration a family affair. After all, the most telling show of your enhanced pride will be with your parents, those people of a different generation who do their very best to understand yours. They may not always fully "get" the message in your undependence, but in the end, their ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I find myself in some kind of an adversarial situation with my partner of 11 years almost every day. I say left, and he says right. I have an idea, and he shuts it down. It almost doesn't matter what we are talking about; if I say something, he looks at me with disgust on his face and shoots down whatever words come out of my ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Twice in the past few months, when tidying up the spare room after overnight guests, I have found a guest's garments left behind.

With a scarf or a shirt, this situation seems easily resolved: Drop the item at the post office with a quick note telling the guest how lovely it was to see her, and how we hoped she hadn't missed ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am almost 40 and trying to rebuild a healthier relationship with my dad. When I was a child, he was my hero, the person I looked up to and went to for advice. When I was about 10, he told me that I would probably have trouble getting along with him during my teenage years, but that things would get better when I became an adult. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: For nearly 30 years, my husband and I shared a close, trusting marriage. Months ago, I caught him lying about meetings he was having with a 35-year-old colleague. Then I discovered months of ongoing texts. When I asked for an explanation, he became angry and defensive. His explanation was it was work-related, that I was too ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my close friends has recently started gaining a lot of attention on social media, especially on TikTok. She's gotten popular almost overnight, and ever since then, things have changed between us. She used to be someone I could talk to every day; we'd text, call, hang out and just be there for each other. Now, she barely ...Read more