ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: Last year, I helped my close friend through a tough time when she was struggling financially and feeling lonely, but now that she's in a better situation, she has completely stopped talking to me. I was not only a friend who was there for her emotionally, I also supported her financially. She had recently gotten divorced and lost...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am still not inured to the rampant trend of women tattooing their hands, feet, arms, backs and even faces. I don't believe at all that I am old-fashioned, but defacing one's body will never be attractive.

What am I to say to a woman -- "What a pretty tattoo. It really enhances your dainty feet"?

GENTLE READER: And what ...Read more

Dear Annie: Here's my dilemma: I moved back into my dad's house several years ago, and he has been good friends with "Chuck" and his wife "Rose" for at least 20 years. He goes out to dinner with them regularly and often has them over to the house for drinks and cards.

Well, about seven years ago, Chuck was sent to prison for molesting his very ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My young daughter and I had the pleasure of spending three months with my parents while my husband was deployed. We had a lovely visit, but over the course of our stay, I noticed my parents were spending more time on their phones than previously. Both are retired and in their mid-60s.

I'm glad they are keeping up with technology, but...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a mountain of debt, and no matter how optimistic I am, I don't see a way out. Work is virtually nonexistent, and it has been this way for more than a year. I have cut back on all my expenses to the best of my ability, but I'm still suffering. I don't want to ask anyone for help, but I don't know what to do. Sometimes I ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I regret to tell you that, in the modern parlance, "You're welcome" isn't polite. It is currently more polite to say "No problem" or "No worries," which imply that whatever was done, the doer was happy to do it.

On the other hand, "You're welcome" is passive-aggressive and means to communicate that the recipient better be ...Read more

Dear Readers: Wishing you all a very happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Please enjoy this excerpt from one of the most famous American speeches ever made.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed -- we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.

"I have a dream ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have three daughters with children of their own. Every year, we have a family vacation. My daughter "Monica's" children, ages 8 and 9, whom I love and see regularly, behave badly. They cuss, yell at adults and show no respect whatsoever.

We have brought this to Monica's attention multiple times. She always reacts like we are wrong ...Read more

Living in the desert teaches you a different respect for fire. Fire can clear land, restore balance, and make space for new growth. However, uncontrolled fire doesn't necessarily transform. It can just as quickly destroy what you poured your efforts into over time.

There is a fire growing from an anger at the injustices we see daily. It's ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm just heartbroken. My son moved out last year, and he never talked to me about anything before he moved. We were so close, and we always talked. But all of a sudden, he packed up and moved out with no explanation. He had met someone a year prior to that. I met her for a second, and that was it. I do know where he is living but he ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am neat and organized, but my wife is the opposite. She's messy and disorganized. I knew it before we married, but we made a handshake deal that she'd make an effort to pick up after herself once we moved in together. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened.

Every time she comes home, whatever she's carrying gets dropped on the nearest ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently welcomed my adult son into my home. I didn't know him as he was growing up; I learned about him when he was already 18, and since then we've stayed in touch through visits, calls and texts. When his mother passed away, he asked to move in with me. My wife and daughters supported the decision, and he's been living with ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I had a choking incident at the office today when I inhaled a cherry tomato.

One of my direct reports did the Heimlich maneuver and helped loosen it, and then one of the guys from another department joined in to keep the tomato moving. As I recovered, a secretary from down the hall put a cold compress on my neck and forehead....Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 32-year-old single woman facing a predicament. I've been friends with a guy named "Stan" for a few months, though we haven't actually talked in over a month now. We were acquainted in high school, but we lost touch after a short while. Stan and I went on a couple of dates, and I thought things were going well, but then he asked...Read more

DEAR ABBY: To help out his parents, I pick up my grandson from day care two days a week. I recently started taking him to a local park for about 45 minutes before I take him home. I'm physically active and climb the slides, chase him around and play with him. He loves our time together.

Over the last two weeks, there has been a little 6-year-...Read more