ArcaMax

Let's take a summer break from the usual, same-old (yawn) essay format and sprinkle some questions about living together as a lifestyle choice and (quite possibly) rebellion against marriage. My nationwide survey saw it coming, this fast-growing option, but no one could have predicted its overwhelming numbers. As it turns out, this extra-legal ...Read more

Dear Annie: After living in separate cities for most of our adult lives, my older sister moved just a couple of miles away from me a few years ago. One unexpected benefit of her being nearby is that we are often invited to join mutual friends and extended family for dinners out. Since I am financially able, I usually pick up the tab and do ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 26-year-old woman deeply in love with someone my parents can't stand. He's not what they envisioned for me; he's rough around the edges, has tattoos, rides a motorcycle and works with his hands for a living. My parents like clean-cut, college-educated types in suits, and he's the complete opposite.

Yes, he has a bit of a "...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a mom to a wonderful adult daughter, and we've always had a close bond. We live in the same neighborhood, and our grandkids can walk over to our house anytime. We spend a lot of time together as a family, and I cherish being a regular part of their lives.

My daughter's mother-in-law used to live out of state and only visited a...Read more

Starting at about second grade, when the novelty of reading about a family of bears started to wear off, I inhaled ghost stories. One of my favorites was "Wait Till Helen Comes" by Mary Downing Hahn. It was about dead kids, dead parents, and, the cherry on top of a trauma sundae, navigating a blended family.

I was lucky as a child. I didn't ...Read more

Dear Readers: Mother's Day arrives each year draped in flowers, breakfast trays and hand-drawn cards, but beneath the surface it carries so much more. It is a day of celebration, yes, but also one of reflection, gratitude and sometimes quiet ache.

To the mothers who are in the thick of it, wiping tears, packing lunches, offering hugs with one...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm an avid gardener in a suburban neighborhood, and in turn, I meet lots of neighbors. There's one lady who keeps stopping by with questions about her yard, which I'm happy to help answer. She even asked if I would go with her to the local nursery to help her select new plants for her garden bed, to which I agreed.

She canceled ...Read more

Dear Annie: My younger sister "Kayla" recently moved in with me while she finishes school. I offered because she was struggling financially and I have the space. At first, it felt good to help her out, but now I'm regretting the offer. She leaves dishes in the sink, stays up late watching TV loudly and has her friends over without asking. I've...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been close friends with "Marianna" since high school, and we still see each other regularly. We always split the bill when we go out to eat. I don't mind. But often I see at work (I work at a restaurant) that people will fight over the bill and offer to cover for whoever they're dining with. Marianna never does this. Even on...Read more

Agreed, the month of May is the usual time for tributes to moms' indispensable role. But mine is an off-season paean to those women who -- by some inscrutable twist of fate -- find themselves Chairman of the Board, responsible for every decision in their husbandless household. Why now, and why them? Because while motherhood is sacred in America,...Read more

We’ve all been there: Someone we don’t know extremely well—maybe a work colleague or friend of a friend—sends a biting text that immediately causes you to raise your eyebrows. You may ask friends, “Hey...what do you think this means?” Internally, you’re debating whether you should ever talk to this person again ... or if it was ...Read more