ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My best friend "Carla" and I haven't spoken for several years, which breaks my heart. Her son was getting married. The dress was evening cocktail attire. The venue was an hour and a half from where I live. I don't drive. At the time, I was having financial difficulties and was worried about the attire and transportation to the venue. ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my friends is newly engaged! I was over the moon for her when I heard that her partner had proposed. The next time I saw her, I congratulated her and showered her with joy. She seemed coy and a bit reserved about it -- it was almost as if she was surprised that I knew, but I didn't think much of it at the time.

It's been ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: As a frequent tourist, I take lots of photos wherever I go. I try not to be intrusive, but it isn't feasible to ask permission of anonymous people in public spaces, and U.S. courts have ruled that nobody has a right to privacy in such settings.

Everyone carries a phone these days, and the number of people taking photos has ...Read more

Dear Readers: Memorial Day is often seen as the unofficial beginning of summer -- a long weekend filled with backyard barbecues, road trips and the smell of freshly cut grass. Stores run sales, families gather and children run barefoot through sprinklers. These moments of joy are part of what makes our country beautiful, but beneath the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: What do you say when going to visit a not-so-close relative who is dying? I have an aunt who has been diagnosed with late-stage cancer and has recently gone on hospice. She may have one to four months to live. I used to spend time around her during family functions when I was younger, but I haven't seen her in at least a decade now, ...Read more

Sometimes a reply has to stew. There's the meat of an argument and the vegetables of barbs that soften as the pot simmers over the flames of anger. The flavors shift with time. What first tasted like an insult might mellow into something, even just the imagined context I build for myself of the person on the other side of the screen, like ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a brokenhearted Nana who could really use your advice.

I have a 10-month-old grandson whom I adore, but I'm not allowed to kiss him -- not even on the back of his head. Recently, in a moment of pure affection, I forgot and gently kissed the back of his head. It was instinctual. I love him so much, it just happened.

The ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been divorced for 10 years and have since remarried. I began dating my current wife nine years ago. I have four daughters, ages 24 through 37. Since the divorce, our relationships have been strained because my ex continues to hold them emotionally hostage by feeding her narrative that I'm the bad guy for initiating the divorce. ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Before my boyfriend and I were an item, he and his childhood crush dated for almost 10 years and had two children together. Eventually they parted ways, and she moved out west. Since they grew up together, he is still close with her family.

A few days ago, his ex's mother called and invited him to her birthday party. He told me ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Our house uses an electronic door code instead of a key and lock. Our relatives know the code, from times when they needed to access our home without us there -- for instance, picking up supplies for us while we were in the hospital, or getting to the house before us for a dinner when the weather was bad.

Outside of times ...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend and I, both 54-year-old females, met two weeks before kindergarten. Except for a couple of years, we have stayed friends throughout our lives. We see each other every few months when I'm in town for a doctor's appointment. Since last year, we've been going to concerts and a couple of comedy shows, and we attended our...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My in-laws have repeatedly attempted to destroy my marriage. My husband knows they trash-talk us to family, thinking we don't know it, but he won't put up any meaningful boundaries or check them whatsoever. I have lost all respect for him because he lies to me, telling me he has confronted them, when I know for a fact he hasn't.

We ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I overheard my girlfriend on the phone with someone discussing an important work event she was meant to attend. Her colleague, whom I've met a few times, said they'd given her a plus one and mentioned that my girlfriend would probably want to have me there, too. To my surprise, she denied the need for a plus one, saying that I ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Our group of friends is about 15 people large. We have known each other for over three decades. At the opposite end of the group is a couple that we only see when the entire group gets together.

We like to entertain, and have invited this couple for years. They have never accepted our invitations, though they accept ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've worked as a night-shift nurse for the past six years and have always struggled with sleep, but lately it's gotten worse. I'm lucky if I get four hours during the day, and when I do, I wake up feeling anxious and jittery. I've tried blackout curtains, white noise, melatonin, you name it. I even sleep with earplugs and my phone ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have known "Sheila" for 30 years. We were once dear friends. She was always a social drinker. Twelve years ago, she lost her husband to cancer and began drinking increasingly heavily. Sheila's now an alcoholic. Friends and family have tried many times to help her. She went to rehab twice to appease her daughter. She tried AA but ...Read more