Advice
Asking Eric: This workplace incident is hanging over me, a year later
My friends say I'm right to feel hurt.
Dear Abby: I wanted a fresh start with my daughter, but things haven’t turned out that way
My role as a grandfather is not what I was led to believe.
Asking Eric: I dread going to the wedding because of the no-contact drama
This couple said we had hurt their feelings beyond repair, and they cut all ties.
Harriette Cole: My husband keeps talking about leaving LA, but I can’t go back to suburbia
He's not hearing how big of a change this would be for me.
Miss Manners: That awkward moment when you see a smile-and-wave acquaintance out of context
Surprise, joy, affection ... and then acute embarrassment.
Dear Abby: The new neighbors encroached on us, then said we’re the problem
Plus: Should I have to pay my boyfriend to watch our kids?
Asking Eric: I never saw the recommendation letter he submitted with my name
He won't admit what he did was wrong. Should I just let it go?
Harriette Cole: We just found out my sister’s irresponsibility could cost us our house
Plus: They want me to divorce their dad, but it's not that easy.
Miss Manners: Our host ostentatiously does laundry while entertaining guests
Believe me, I'm not the only one irritated by it.
Dear Abby: My son was joking around, and the other kid’s parents billed me for the damage
Plus: They're putting in dibs for my stuff like I'll be dead soon.
Magid: Inexpensive gadgets that make life a bit easier
I have had Alexa Echo devices from Amazon in my house for years, so when...
Asking Eric: My son’s holiday plan doesn’t seem fair to me
He's apparently OK spending all this time with his girlfriend's family.
Harriette Cole: I dread going out of my apartment but I don’t want to live anywhere else
DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m a 75-year-old woman who has lived in the same charming walk-up apartment...
Miss Manners: My friend’s new partner is getting a reputation as a difficult guest
I'm worried she'll pull this act at my upcoming party. Do I disinvite them?
Dear Abby: My granddaughter is a nightmare, and timeouts are no use
We can't stand being around her. What should we do?
Asking Eric: I had a doozy of a year, and I let it all hang out in my Christmas card
When all else fails, trot out the cute dog.
Harriette Cole: I’m in my 30s, and that’s too old to date a man who acts like this
Plus: Do I owe my co-worker an apology after her stupid mistake?
Miss Manners: They publicly oppose my rights, then accuse me of intolerance
I wonder why they even claim to want to be my friend.
Dear Abby: I’m worried about my friend’s sudden interest in men
Plus: I'm hating my husband but it's too late to start over.
Asking Eric: I didn’t know why my friends ditched me — and then I remembered Paulo
Plus: A reader's advice to the walkers who are being sprayed by their neighbor.
Harriette Cole: A car crash wrecked my daughters’ relationship
I offered to pay for the repair, but the younger one says it's not about...
Miss Manners: Can I wear this at my wedding without upsetting my new husband?
Plus: Why am I expected to tip? Just get a better job!
Dear Abby: My ex-wife is our housemate, and my girlfriend isn’t happy about it
Plus: Maybe I should go to church. Maybe I should play with my cats instead.
Jill On Money: Is the economy A-OK?
Why are so many Americans feeling left behind?
Avis charged me $450 for a ‘heavy smoke smell’ in the car — but I don’t smoke!
A Los Gatos man rented a car for seven hours, but the company didn't inspect...
Asking Eric: My own husband mooches expensive meals off me
Meanwhile, for my birthday dinner I got half a sandwich.
Harriette Cole: I realized the credit card thief was my own son
Plus: The man I was dating just dropped out of my life.
Miss Manners: I don’t want to be stuck at a party with women who don’t like me
Plus: What's with this note on the envelope?
Dear Abby: My daughter has all these rules about my grandson, and it’s so stressful for me
Does she have the right to impose such restrictions? Plus: Is it tacky to have...
Asking Eric: I’m banned from their house because of what I said about the kids’ violent game
I was told I was disrespectful, but I wasn't the one punching an adult for...
Dear Abby: Parents’ cute idea leaves teacher in stressful situation
It's no way to show appreciation for someone who has already given her all.
Asking Eric: I posted one photo to tell people of my son’s wedding, and he made me delete it
He claimed he asked me not to do it, but that's not what he said.
Harriette Cole: I keep replaying what my friend said about my child
Now she's acting like nothing happened.
Miss Manners: How do I set rules for my kids without offending the other parents?
Plus: People are fascinated by how I salt my food. Is it that odd?
Dear Abby: My teenage stepdaughter is queen of the castle
She misbehaves with impunity, and I'm turned into the bad guy.
Asking Eric: I used to get gifts I didn’t want. Then I came up with this strategy.
Plus: They think they know what I can eat, but they really don't.
Harriette Cole: Everyone at the dog park laughs when I’m disrespected by another owner
Harriette suggests carrying a shield.
Miss Manners: She commandeers my kitchen to prepare the simplest potluck item
I swear, if I asked her to bring salt, she would demand counter space and...
Dear Abby: I worry that my ex-friend might tell my wife what I said about her
Also, I think it's disloyal that she's still in contact with him.
Asking Eric: Her Facebook behavior goaded me into a juvenile response
I don't understand what my friend is doing, and it makes me uncomfortable around her.
Harriette Cole: I was taken aback when she said she’s surprised I’m still married
I'm not happy with my husband, but I didn't realize I was complaining so much.
Miss Manners: Why would someone refuse a surprise vacation? Now I can’t get a refund.
Plus: A much larger person jabbed me when we were waiting in line.
Dear Abby: I’ve saved up for an exotic dream trip. Is it OK to go without my wife?
Plus: My brother thinks he's smarter than everyone. I think he has a mental disorder.
Asking Eric: He wants to come to Christmas with a woman who’s not his wife
Plus: Can we tell them we don't want this gift for a third year?
Harriette Cole: I’m going home to people who think I’m a big-city success
How can I avoid having to explain what's happened?
Miss Manners: My co-workers don’t seem to realize what I do for a living
Talking on the phone is a big part of my job, and all these chatty...
Dear Abby: After the thrilling kiss, I want to send him a message, but I’m afraid his wife will see it
I'm panicked that my friendship with her has been ruined.
Asking Eric: We’re not sure she deserves part of the inheritance
Is she even part of our family?
Harriette Cole: He mistook me for someone else — a woman I consider obese
Is that how people see me? My head started spinning.
Miss Manners: I’m uncomfortable about the strange men on the street
I don't want to encourage them, but ignoring them seems rude.
Dear Abby: The bartender said he’d give the cash to the bride. Was I wrong to involve her mother?
Plus: Since this incident, she hasn't let me watch the grandchildren.
Jill On Money: Giving thanks to my readers
Personal finance isn't really personal at all. It's about all of us trying to build...
Asking Eric: The cookie elves are starting to feel unappreciated
Some family members don't even acknowledge my late mother's tradition.
Harriette Cole: I don’t know how this man could just dump me like he did
We had a blow-up about his poor communication, and all of a sudden he was...
Miss Manners: The store manager berated me after my run-in with a noisy child
I was told "disrespecting children" would not be tolerated.
Dear Abby: My podcast might cost me my marriage
Is it fair for my wife to demand that I give up my creative outlet?
Asking Eric: My wife was very keen on rural living — until we got here
Plus: I can't stop dwelling on the unfairness of this nasty woman's longevity.
Dear Abby: My sister, the favored child, believes the lie my father tells about me
How can I continue my relationship with her under these circumstances?
Asking Eric: I wish I didn’t have to hear this mockery of my parents
My brother won't ask his partner to cut it out.
Harriette Cole: Why aren’t my sons dating? I even offered to pay for it.
Plus: My daughter is making me feel guilty about my sewing room.
Miss Manners: Should I tell them their gift to me was an obvious fake?
I don't want to embarrass them, but this is not my signature scent.
Dear Abby: I don’t want kids, but then who will take care of me when I’m old?
Plus: I'm afraid that if I kick my 20-year-old son out, he'll move to a...
Asking Eric: I’m still hung up about what happened on my birthday
Plus: They think I'm a snob. Can't they understand it's just how I'm wired?
Harriette Cole: This eager student has become a distraction in class
Plus: My new boyfriend won't put his phone down because he's "multitasking."
Miss Manners: They barely know me but they’ve decided I should be married
I just "need to find the right woman"? Well, I did, and she died.
Dear Abby: I’m afraid to tell my mom who my new boyfriend is
She has a grudge against him, but he honestly has changed.
Asking Eric: The college student living in my house has turned sullen, and I want her gone
Plus: How do I talk to my host about the way the sheets smell?
Harriette Cole: My sister is stalking again, and I can’t deal with it
Plus: My boss doesn't know that I've taken on my co-worker's tasks.
Miss Manners: I find the dinner blessing unsanitary. How can I get out of it?
I don't want to offend anyone, but I've just washed my hands.
Dear Abby: It’s my dream to visit Disneyland, and I don’t want my son with us
I put my foot down, and now my husband says he doesn't want to go.
Asking Eric: Here’s how I warn a restaurant about my father’s bad behavior
Plus: My girlfriend baked for the bridal shower but didn't get invited.
Harriette Cole: I’m sorry my friend is mad, but she brought this on herself
I just wanted her to see how hurtful body-shaming is.
Miss Manners: Don’t tell me to start eating. I know the rules.
How can I tell these people to butt out?
Dear Abby: My son’s wedding stands to be very traumatic for me
The one person I absolutely don't want to see has been invited.
Asking Eric: Because of the dispute about the dress, I skipped the wedding. Now the bride won’t speak to me.
Plus: She never apologized after I broke my leg, but my husband wants her at...
Harriette Cole: Why am I being blamed for my friend’s hurt feelings?
Yes, I gave her ticket to someone else, but only after she canceled.
Miss Manners: The older women made a list of things the bride is doing wrong
They object to everything from her dress to the morning rehearsal.
Dear Abby: I got an anonymous message about my new husband, and I’m so rattled
I got free of a narcissist, and now this happens?
Asking Eric: How do I evict the person living rent-free in my head?
Plus: I don't want to be the maid for my brother's Christmas visit.
Harriette Cole: I just want them to admit the truth about my childhood
My brother and father are trying to undercut my experience.
Miss Manners: I want to sit with the fun kids but not hurt my boring friend’s feelings
He prefers to focus during class.
Dear Abby: My ex’s family doesn’t believe he’s my kid’s father. What should I do?
Plus: Is this the same husband who wrote Abby last year and admitted feelings for...
Asking Eric: We were mortified to hear how our adult kids behaved at the party
They're great young men but they've apparently forgotten what I tried to teach them.
Dear Abby: I’ve been told to apologize to my daughter’s lazy, immature boyfriend
I've gotten over this blowup 6 years ago, but he apparently hasn't.
Asking Eric: He thinks it’s my fault that our teen daughter doesn’t want to see him
We have younger kids, too, and I know this is going to cause so much...
Harriette Cole: We broke up, but his mom won’t let me go
Plus: I'm worried he doesn't want to marry me anymore.
Miss Manners: She’s publicly blasting me because our charter bus left her behind
Plus: Does one try to preserve the layers while drinking a pousse-café?
Dear Abby: She doesn’t deserve the perks of a grandmother
Everyone says I should forgive and forget.
Asking Eric: My son has video of me in a drunken rage, but he won’t show it to me
I honestly don't remember how I behaved toward him. He says it was traumatic.
Harriette Cole: My friend changes her story so often and I don’t know what’s true
I'm starting to lose patience.
Miss Manners: Her peevish behavior in restaurants upsets me every time
She sends back coffee, ice cream, scrambled eggs.
Dear Abby: My dad wants to take this teen in. It’s going to be a disaster.
Plus: My nephew is eloping, and I want to skip the reception.
Asking Eric: Should I tell her the real reason we didn’t go to her wedding?
Plus: My sister will probably never walk again, but she won't admit it was the...
Harriette Cole: My boyfriend ghosted me, but when I saw him he acted like everything was normal
How should I interpret his reaction?
Miss Manners: I don’t want to tell people how we got our puppy
Plus: How can I keep my husband's secret without lying?
Dear Abby: I’m afraid to complain about the neighbor’s noisy kids
Plus: My mother-in-law put her neighbor in her will but not me.
Asking Eric: I know my toxic brother, the golden child, is going to come after me at the party
If I tell him to stop, the family will turn on me.
Harriette Cole: Should I say I don’t have the money if she keeps asking me to pay?
Plus: I moved in with my boyfriend, and my parents are furious.
Miss Manners: What to do when the eulogies run past your bedtime
The event is on a weeknight, and I have to work the next day.
Dear Abby: He ignores my 5-second rule concerning other women. Is that a red flag?
He says it was because he was raised by women.