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Equal Parts Heart Over Equal Parts Money
Dear Annie: My husband and I work comparable hours, but I earn less than half of what he does and have little discretionary income. I come home to my "second shift," which includes cooking, cleaning and picking up after this man, who …Read more.
Valentine's Day Sex Therapy
Dear Readers: Happy Valentine's Day to one and all, along with our special good wishes to the veterans in VA hospitals around the country. And our particular thanks to those readers who have taken the time to send valentines, visit the vets and …Read more.
Too Much Power in an Ex
Dear Annie: "Ron" and I have been living together for more than a year. I love him and believe he loves me. We are both in our 60s and retired.
Ron is good to me in all but one way: He can't seem to cut off contact with his old girlfriend. …Read more.
Wannabe Doc Has No Time for Mom and Dad
Dear Annie: Our 22-year-old son is in college. He lives at home, and we pay all his expenses, which is fine with us. He was never particularly interested in school until his last year of high school. Now he's doing really well.
The problem is, he …Read more.
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Annie's Mailbox®, June 7Dear Annie: Since I was in my early teens, I have pretended to be sick on a lot of occasions when I really wasn't. I am now entering late adulthood and still doing it. I can't seem to stop. I know it is an awful way to get attention or whatever the reason may be. My therapist doesn't even know the scoop. I suffer from bipolar disorder, which wasn't diagnosed until my 20s. I feel ashamed, devious, like a liar, and sometimes despair of ever breaking free of this habit. What can I do? I worry I'm going to hell for tricking people like this. My mother was distant, and my father was an abusive, mean alcoholic. Both are dead now. My brothers and sisters don't have this particular problem, but they are all addicts of one type or another. One of my younger sisters gets attention by hyper-dramatizing everything, good or bad. It's like she's performing on stage. She embellishes every fact and lies like crazy. We're one deranged family, I know. Hardly any of my siblings speak to one another. Any ideas? — Trying To Get Well Dear Trying: As you know, the first step in healing is acknowledging the problem and then doing something about it. You are already on the path to recovery. While your therapist helps you uncover the reason you need this kind of attention, also discuss medication, if you are not already taking any for your bipolar disease, along with behavior modification to change the way you conduct yourself. Ask for specific guidelines or a referral to someone who specializes in such behaviors. We'll be rooting for you. Dear Annie: Seven years ago, I met "Dan" at college and we became fast friends. A semester later, he moved back to his home state 10 hours away. Even with the distance, we've grown closer over the years, e-mailing, calling and sending small gifts for birthdays and holidays. Once in a while, we'd meet up and talk about everything under the sun. I consider him like a brother. I recently discovered that Dan may not be who I thought he was.
Dear Wendy: There may be a perfectly innocent reason why you are having trouble finding accurate information on Dan. Sometimes students who leave before graduation are not listed as members of that class. The person you found online at the address you checked may have been someone else altogether. So ask him directly. Explain that you couldn't find him on your college website or anywhere else and see what he says. Dear Annie: My condolences to "California," the father whose son died of alcoholism. It is a common occurrence that is seldom listed on the death certificate. Alcoholism took the life of my first wife and her parents, as well as my father. My son also seems to be committing suicide on the installment plan. As a recovered alcoholic, I heard these words of wisdom spoken by another recovered alcoholic: "There is nothing you can do to get an alcoholic to stop drinking or start drinking unless they decide to." We are all under God's grace, drunk or sober. We live in a society where fixing blame is more important than taking responsibility. Tell him to blame the disease, not himself, and then deal with it as best he can. — St. Louis Dear St. Louis: Thank you. We hope "California" will find your letter comforting. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
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