ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friends and I were planning a surprise baby shower for our other friend. I have been the main person planning everything and have been working hard to keep this a surprise. However, I just found out that one of the girls accidentally spilled the beans about it two weeks ago, and no one told me. I am beyond irritated because no...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When did it become de rigueur to wish every woman you see, for an entire week, a happy Mother's Day?

When I was growing up, Mother's Day and Father's Day were days that you did something nice for or with the respective parent. Unless a person was a close friend, you didn't ask "What are you doing for Mother's Day?" out of ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband is a wonderful man in many ways, but lately I feel more like the household manager than his wife. We both work full time, yet somehow I am still the one remembering birthdays, scheduling appointments, keeping track of the groceries, planning family events and noticing when something around the house needs to be done. If ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm 43, and I have been married and divorced three times. I have three adult children and a 13-year-old. My last divorce was final a few weeks ago. I was sure she was The One. Now she now wants to give us nine months and see if we are going to reconcile.

I am confused. Years ago, before I married the first time, I thought I was ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I've been married for 14 years now. My husband and I have three kids together, and we live in a beautiful home. My friends and family often compliment us on how great we look and how proud they are of us; however, I think he's cheating. When you are with someone for so long, there are certain behaviors and habits that you notice ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband is the president of a local college alumni chapter, and I am the secretary. The chapter recently held an alumni meeting at the residence of the headmaster of a local private high school. Though the setting was a private home, the event was a formal gathering attended by the university president and various ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have read your responses to letters about barking dogs and neighborhood noise, and I appreciate the calm, compassionate way you approach these conflicts. You encourage people to start with empathy, assume good intentions and try to work things out neighbor to neighbor. That sounded wise to us, so we followed that advice exactly. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been together for a few months, and we're great together. We have a mutual friend who is married and, in the past, showed interest in my boyfriend. She has asked him not to show me the texts she sends him. We are both concerned about her and her husband, as they are going through marriage counseling.

I have ...Read more

One of my pet peeves is getting a voicemail from someone who just simply asks me to call them back. No topic. No indication if it's urgent, or important, or worst case, urgent and important. Usually, this makes it drop down on my list of priorities, unless curiosity gets the best of me and I do have some time.

I've been debating effective forms...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister-in-law, "Kay," was once one of my closest friends. For more than 25 years, we were there for each other through everything: marriages, divorce, raising children, heartbreak and all the ordinary ups and downs of life. We never had a serious fight, and I truly believed we would always be family in every sense of the word.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been together for many years and have raised wonderful children. We have close friends, a beautiful home and, thankfully, our health. She's my best friend, and the light and love of my life. We are, and have always been, happy together.

However, my wife is also a narcissist from a long line of narcissists. There's ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I cut things off with my boyfriend recently. Unfortunately, I do not think it was the right time for us to be together. Throughout our relationship, we had many problems that all stemmed from us not being mature enough to be in a serious relationship.

Breaking up has been hard. We decided to go no-contact so we don't fall back ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am planning a birthday party for my 3-year-old daughter. Last year, for her second birthday, we did a small event at home, and she was pleased about it. I only invited friends from her daycare to make it special for her.

For her first birthday, I invited her friends and their parents to our home. I also invited her daycare ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband has three children from his first marriage. For the first 20 years of us being married, everything was great. But the last 15 years have been hell with two of the children. They became super religious and political to the point they are always pushing their way of life on us.

We told them to stop, that we have our own ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My mother and stepfather, "Pop," divorced a few years ago. He was the only father figure in my life and was good to me, so I want to maintain a relationship with him. What happened between them is a "he said, she said" situation. I don't know where the truth lies, and I have tried hard not to take sides.

Last year, Pop and his new ...Read more