Annie's Mailbox® from Creators Syndicate

Annie's Mailbox, October 19 for 10/19/2009

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been together for 23 years. I love him more than life itself, and he says the same. We have two boys, 19 and 20.

Here is my problem. "Don" is a self-employed contractor, and last year, he did a job for a woman and they became friends. I told him I was not comfortable with this friendship. A year ago, I caught him sending her a very personal e-m ...

Updated: Mon Oct 19, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 20 for 10/20/2009

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: I am a recovering alcoholic with six months' sobriety. Recently, I was hired at a new company. The job is everything I dreamed of, and my bosses and co-workers are great. The problem is, every Friday after work, they go to a bar to socialize.

I am always invited to join them, but since bars were where I did most of my drinking, it is essential to my recovery that I stay out o ...

Updated: Tue Oct 20, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 21 for 10/21/2009

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: "Audrey" and I have been together for 21 years, married for 16. The past couple of years, however, have been stressful.

While camping with friends, I walked into our RV to see Audrey half-naked with another man. She told me she was just flashing him. A few months later, I was working out of town, and when I called home, Audrey just happened to be cutting that same g ...

Updated: Wed Oct 21, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 22 for 10/22/2009

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: My old roommate from college is beginning to cause a huge problem. "Sandy" was promiscuous in school, and there were many nights I crashed on a neighbor's couch due to being "sexiled."

Five of us still get together once a week for a girls' night out. Sandy always ruins the evening and becomes hysterical, claiming she was raped in college. We are all dumbfo ...

Updated: Thu Oct 22, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 23 for 10/23/2009

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: I am one of 12 siblings. My younger brother, "Dan," age 42, met "Karen," one of my daughter's friends, at her college graduation ceremony. He later married her. Since then, the two of them have tried to redefine their relationship with my daughter to suit their own needs.

Dan demands that my daughter not call him "uncle." My guess is he thinks it ...

Updated: Fri Oct 23, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 24 for 10/24/2009

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: My parents are in their 80s. My father has been having strokes, and his right side is mostly paralyzed. He is usually in a wheelchair.

Whenever I visit, Mom cries that Dad is having an affair with a woman who lives in the same apartment complex, and that this woman has stolen things when Mom is not at home. Mom claims the woman has taken paper towels, silverware, plates, food ...

Updated: Sat Oct 24, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 25 for 10/25/2009

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: I married "Dean" nine years ago. It was a second marriage for both of us. Soon after we wed, he said we would split all expenses 50-50. However, the house is in his name, and he will not put my name on the deed since I can't match "his" down payment, even though I pay him rent each month.

Everything we do, I have to pay half. He and his teenage son went on ...

Updated: Sun Oct 25, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 26 for 10/26/2009

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: I am very antisocial. I don't go to parties as often as most teens, I hardly ever invite friends over, and the few friends I do have no longer attend the same school. I don't belong to any clubs or do other extracurricular activities, including sports, which has greatly affected my health. I spend most of my days at the computer, watching TV or pacing back and forth in my backyard.< ...

Updated: Mon Oct 26, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 27 for 10/27/2009

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: I have an elderly father with a bunch of serious medical problems. We've never had a close relationship. I suspect he could pass away soon, and I would like to have some meaningful dialogues before that happens. I also have a terrible secret I'd like to tell him before he dies.

Dad and I have an awful relationship. He always yelled at me, and was extremely rude, boorish, crit ...

Updated: Tue Oct 27, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 28 for 10/28/2009

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: I am a good person. I always try to do the right thing. But I did something stupid, and it could cost me my job and the respect I have earned.

For 10 years, I have been the director of a preschool. Every member of the staff has to take 18 hours of learning in-service. One of my staff members was absent during one of the in-service exams, so I took the test for her and signed ...

Updated: Wed Oct 28, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 29 for 10/29/2009

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: An acquaintance recently lost his job, and we invited him and his wife to move into our home on a temporary basis. We all agreed they would live with us until one of them found another professional position.

It's been only three months, but it's already uncomfortable. "Sue and Bob" do small household chores and pay a minimal amount in rent, but that doesn't countera ...

Updated: Thu Oct 29, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 30 for 10/30/2009

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been happily married for 20 years. After the kids were grown, we decided to downsize. We put our home on the market and moved to a different state.

My husband's mother did not want us to move. She started interfering with the real estate office that was showing our house. She was given written warnings to stay away from the property. She then stripped al ...

Updated: Fri Oct 30, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, October 31 for 10/31/2009

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: My husband's parents are wonderful people in their late 70s, but I am concerned that their kindness is being abused by my brother-in-law, "Dan," and his wife, "Jane."

Mom and Dad have always been involved in their grandchildren's lives, but lately it has become taxing for them both physically and mentally. Dan and Jane call on them for baby-sitting day and ...

Updated: Sat Oct 31, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, November 1 for 11/01/2009

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Annie: My husband and I recently separated after 20 years of marriage. I love him, but not like a husband. However, we've always been there for each other when it really mattered and have decided divorce is the only way to save our friendship. We're working hard to make sure our teenage boys still feel we are a family and know we both love them.

The kids and I finally moved out of m ...

Updated: Sun Nov 01, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, November 2 for 11/02/2009

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Annie: My boyfriend and I are in a long-distance relationship because he's at college, 2,000 miles away. We've been together for two years.

At first, everything was fine, but he soon became distant and unavailable to talk. I figured he just needed space. Whenever it bothered me, he would reassure me that nothing was wrong and swear he still loved me.

A week before I was sched ...

Updated: Mon Nov 02, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, November 3 for 11/03/2009

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Annie: Seven years ago, my mother had a stroke. She recovered quite well physically, but has never been the same mentally. My aunts wanted to put her in a nursing home, but my sister and I decided to assume responsibility for her. The plan was that Mom would spend six months with me and six months with my sister.

Somehow, my sister's turn never came, and seven years later, my mother ...

Updated: Tue Nov 03, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, November 4 for 11/04/2009

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Annie: I'm 13 years old and have a younger brother. My dad is addicted to gambling. To make matters worse, he doesn't work much, either. Not that it matters. Even when he worked hard, he lost all of the money gambling.

My parents recently got a divorce. Dad is practically broke, so he still lives in our tiny apartment with us. He's not the best father in the world. He never comes to ...

Updated: Wed Nov 04, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, November 5 for 11/05/2009

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Annie: My husband is an amazing man. He is selfless and has uncompromising integrity. He is well-known and well-respected in our small community. I am proud to be his wife.

I am 19 years my husband's junior, and this, along with his well-deserved reputation, casts a huge shadow over me. I understand some of this can't be helped, but why must people treat me as though I am some kind ...

Updated: Thu Nov 05, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, November 6 for 11/06/2009

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Annie: Last weekend, my daughter, my grandchildren and I attended an exhibition at a well-known museum in Chicago. While waiting to enter, I saw a boy around 8 years old trying to comfort his toddler sister, who was crying. The mother was not present. However, when she returned, she snatched the little girl away and slapped the boy viciously on his ear. He cried out in obvious pain and ran ...

Updated: Fri Nov 06, 2009

Annie's Mailbox, November 7 for 11/07/2009

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Annie: My parents divorced 18 years ago, and Dad has had numerous partners and wives since. Three months ago, Dad found out he had stage-four colon cancer. Two weeks after his diagnosis, he married "Sue."

Here's the problem: Before he was sick, Dad didn't get along that well with Sue. They argued a lot, and my sisters and I thought he'd eventually break it off. Still, we w ...

Updated: Sat Nov 07, 2009