Life Advice
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Money Matters
Dear Annie: My sister "Kendra" and I are not very close and only communicate two to three times per year, mainly in emails. Kendra sold her home and moved out of state. Through our sibling, I heard that she listed her house high to begin with and had to come down on her price in the end but made a decent amount on it. I never commented on how ...Read more

Ask Anna: Why being inexperienced in bed is a good thing
Dear Anna,
I’m a late-bloomer lesbian — came out at 40, two years ago — and was lucky to have a gentle, affirming first relationship that made me feel safe and seen. She was kind and patient, and our physical connection felt beautifully balanced. Recently, though, I dated someone local who was much more experienced and, frankly, kind of ...Read more
Single File: Celebrate Your Singleness
You've done everything else with your singleness -- denied it, hid it, apologized for it, wished it away. Well, this is the moment to make a 180-degree spin and actually celebrate your single life! Maybe, just maybe, it's not so bad to actually control your finances, your time, your close circle of friends. When you think about your daily ...Read more

Ask Dating Coach Erika: What's the appropriate length of a date?
As a dating coach, I often get questions about the first date — the length, the venue, the method of parting … you name it. I thought I’d share a few gems this week:
Question: So I've been texting back and forth with this girl for a while now (kept having conflicting schedules), and we're finally getting to meet this Thursday. Can you ...Read more

Asking Eric: Neighbor’s new rooster disturbs retirees’ peace
Dear Eric: One of our neighbors has acquired backyard chickens, and a rooster. His chicken coop is not far from our bedroom window. Now that it's getting warmer, we like to sleep with the windows open to cool off the house at night. The rooster wakes up at 5:20 a.m., so now we do as well.
We are retired, so most days we can go back to sleep ...Read more
Awkward Arrangement With Husband
Dear Annie: I've been reading your column for a long time, and I admire how reasonable and nonjudgmental your advice seems to be.
My husband and I were childhood sweethearts. We are currently separated, and I am concerned that this might lead to divorce.
This is my second marriage. We have two children. Our first child was born in February ...Read more

At this grief summer camp, Colorado kids learn to mourn -- and swim, fish and climb
EMPIRE, Colo. — The Owls were ready to climb after spending a mid-July morning at a small fishing pond in the Rocky Mountains.
“My hands still smell like fish,” one of the Owls — an 11-year-old named Jackson Dana — said. He’d caught two that morning.
Jackson, fitted with a helmet and harness, ran off to the wall, but his twin Kacy ...Read more

Asking Eric: After moving in, daughter’s boyfriend declared himself king of the household
Dear Eric: My daughter has a "live-in boyfriend" who, since he moved in, thinks he is the king of the household. He is very disrespectful to me, her dad and her stepmom.
I tolerated the stuff he said about her dad, and I tolerated him skipping paying my daughter his share of the mortgage for a few months. But when it got so she almost lost her ...Read more
Son's Behavior Is Hot and Cold
Dear Annie: My son's wife was pregnant with their third child in November 2021. At that time, even though my wife is severely handicapped, I offered to come over and spend time with the "grandkids" while she gave birth. She called in December and said, "Pop, I'm in labor." I said, "Don't worry, I'll look in on the kids while you all are in the ...Read more

Asking Eric: Splitting the check creates rift between wife and son
Dear Eric: My wife and son got into a heated argument after he told her that he had dated a woman three times, and on the third date, he asked her if she wanted to split the bill. The woman later texted him that she didn't want to go out with him anymore. My wife told our son that it should be up to the man to pay when dating.
My son strongly ...Read more
Boyfriend's Father Taking His Anger Out on Me
Dear Annie: I'm a 45-year-old woman, and my boyfriend is 36. His family loves me, except for his dad. I don't know what I have done for him to dislike me. I should say that at one point, in the past, he used to like me.
When my boyfriend's mom was diagnosed with cancer, I was there each time she was in the hospital. My boyfriend and I would ...Read more
Millennial Life: The Art of Nothing and Everything
I told him that heaven was this: the midmorning light, a beverage in hand, and us heading to the porch. The kids are at school. The chores can wait. Some mornings aren't about doing. They're about being. If you're lucky, you can be with someone who makes even your weirdness feel like it belongs.
This morning, I was on the porch with my husband....Read more

Asking Eric: Aging parents’ anxiety causes a family rift
Dear Eric: My now-retired parents are terrific people. They're interesting, kind, hardworking and A++ grandparents. My wife and I marvel at how instinctive, capable and giving they are with our two young boys.
That said, every year that goes by, their anxiety reaches new heights.
It seems like a classic case of having very little to fill the ...Read more
Gift-Giving Across the Spectrum
Dear Annie: I love your column and am writing to offer a different point of view for the woman whose family does not celebrate her birthday or Mother's Day or Christmas the way she wants. She says she gives them presents, but they don't reciprocate.
Well, I have a friend who goes overboard in celebrating these holidays. She will spend an entire...Read more

Asking Eric: Manager’s affair causes chaos in the office
Dear Eric: I work at a small bank with nine coworkers, including myself. We have a dilemma going on in the office. The president and his assistant are sleeping together. They were caught on video after hours in the office. They also rush a few of us out of the office at the end of the day and stay back to do who knows what.
They have been ...Read more
Single File: Agree or Disagree?
Just how bad is it to be without a mate? If you really want to know what's going on in your inner life, jump into the following and show yourself what you really think about this unmarried life by agreeing or disagreeing with these statements. (This is an equal-opportunity quiz; both genders are invited.)
--Being single means being alone and ...Read more

Ask Dating Coach Erika: Can I be happy single?
Back in 2019 (and for some reason it graced my mind today), the actress Emma Watson brought attention to singledom, not simply by saying that she is happily single but by naming herself as “self-partnered.” It not only acknowledges the fact that being single is a choice, which many people seem to forget, but it’s a valid one at that.
Too ...Read more

Ask Anna: Starting over -- dating with confidence after a long break
Dear Anna,
I recently got out of a long-term relationship — seven years, monogamous, talked-about-getting-married serious. I’m 34, and this is the first time I’ve been properly single since my mid-20s. It’s been a mix of freeing and terrifying. The dating scene feels like a completely different planet now — apps, situationships, ...Read more
Millennial Life: The Luck of Not Dying Today
I don't want to write today. There wasn't much to say after watching the horrors scrolling on my phone. Whatever I could try to shape into language feels inadequate against a video that rewires your nervous system.
It showed women and children waiting in line outside a clinic, and then they weren't. They were bombed. There was a bloody white ...Read more
Single File: Think in Many Tenses
It's a complicated challenge, this single life. On your own, shunning both dependency and isolation, you adjust after a while and learn to be in the present moment. Sleepless nights have taught you that you should not voyage into the future (what could be) too often or dwell in the past (what might have been). The fancy footwork needed to ...Read more
Inside Life Advice
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