ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I'm in a strange situation with my co-worker, "Jordan." We've worked together for three years and have always had a friendly, joking rapport. Lately, though, his comments have crossed a line -- not inappropriate in a HR sense, but overly personal. He teases me about being single, makes remarks about how "picky" I must be and once ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 55-year-old father of a 7-year-old child. My social skills and experience are rusty due to graduate school and post-graduate training years (12 years, to be exact) without much social interaction. I believe I missed an opportunity to bond with our 7-year-old.

Five years ago, my wife and I ran into a Hall of Fame ballplayer. I ...Read more

Years ago, during my single-mom-and-widow phase, fear was very much the biggest part of my emotional baggage. A whole family of what-ifs would wake me in the middle of the night and start droning their litany of fear. What if my son never again has a father? What if I get sick and can't care for him? What if that nice man I just met doesn't call...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mom is such a hard worker! She has an incredible story that includes learning English as her second language, going to college, struggling to find work, going back to college while pregnant to pursue a more promising path, graduating and providing for me and my siblings for as long as I can remember. She is now on her way to ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My wife and I had an amazing and intimate honeymoon in the Leeward Islands. In the spirit of the occasion, we booked first-class tickets for our flights.

During boarding for the return leg, the flight attendant asked if we would like anything to drink. We requested champagne to commemorate a perfect week spent together. The ...Read more

Dear Annie: I formed a close bond with my former daughter-in-law when she married my son. Even after their divorce -- due to his addiction and abuse -- she and the kids lived with us for a while, and we remained close. Over the years, I supported her through abusive relationships, helped care for the children and was always there when she ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been in a text relationship for nearly a year. I call it a text relationship because we communicate solely through texting. Because I'm not a video chat person, it doesn't bother me that we don't Zoom. Additionally, the few times he has tried to contact me via video, we just don't seem to connect.

Even though our communication...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Earlier this year, I met someone at a friend's birthday party. I thought he was handsome, and my friend ended up fixing us up. We live in different states, so we exchanged numbers and kept in touch. We talked often on the phone, and I felt comfortable with him.

He offered to visit me in person, staying in a hotel and taking me ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: As a teacher for the past 30 years, I have been fortunate to receive thoughtful gifts of thanks and appreciation from my students and their families during the holiday season and at the end of the school year. These gifts often include mugs, chocolates, baked goods or gift cards. (Between us, I will admit that my favorite ...Read more

Dear Annie: Over 10 years ago, I worked with a nonprofit organization on a contract project and became friendly with a few people on their team. I genuinely admired their mission, and when I moved on, I started making a modest monthly donation to support their work. It felt good to stay connected to something meaningful, even in a small way.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Our son and his girlfriend had our first grandchild 18 months ago. We helped them move out of their rental house before the baby was born and buy a cute little house, which we made sure was in good shape before they moved in. (They had ruined the rental property with a couple of cats they had and their refusal to clean it at all.) We ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My 4-year-old son absolutely hates going to day care. Every morning is a struggle. He cries the moment he realizes it's time to go and clings to me when I try to drop him off. It's not just a passing phase or a little separation anxiety; this has been going on for months, and nothing we do seems to help.

My husband and I have ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What's happened to mealtime conversation?

We have friends who are perfectly capable of talking about all kinds of interesting subjects, but only so long as there is no food in front of them. If we meet at restaurants or for meals at each other's houses, all they ever talk about is the food. They grill (sorry!) waitstaff at ...Read more

Dear Annie: I read with interest your response to the mother whose spouse undermines her authority in front of their 6-year-old daughter. As a mother, foster parent and now a grandmother, I've seen firsthand how damaging it can be when parents don't present a united front.

Every time one parent undercuts the other, they chip away at that ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A few years ago, my daughter went "no contact" with both sides of our family -- grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, as well as cousins. Since then, I have been struggling with how I should answer acquaintances who ask, "How is she doing?" as well as those who ask, "Do you have children?"

I have been told by friends and family ...Read more