Archives

DEAR HARRIETTE: My adult daughters absolutely refuse to call or visit their father, and it’s become a constant point of tension in our family. I’m still married to him, and while they love me, they ma... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’m a 75-year-old woman who has lived in the same charming walk-up apartment in New York City for more than 40 years. This place has seen me through marriage, motherhood, widowhood and... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend really upset me recently. We made plans to go out to a restaurant that I’ve been looking forward to for weeks; it was special to me, and he knew how excited I was. The day... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My colleague has a tendency to be unapologetically late, and I can’t stand it! We’ve traveled together in the past for work, and I have seen firsthand how careless he can be with his t... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son has gotten ahold of my credit card information and has been using it excessively and without my permission. He is 23 years old. He has a job and lives on his own. This feels lik... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend and I were talking recently, and she made a comment about my daughter that caught me off guard. It wasn’t outright cruel, but it was insensitive: She implied that my daughter... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I go to a dog park weekly, and there’s one dog owner who keeps letting their dog jump all over me and my dog, even though I’ve repeatedly tried to set boundaries. I’ve politely asked t... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Two of my friends are extremely cheap, and it’s getting to the point where it’s hard to enjoy doing anything with them. We all live in New York City, and as you know, the cost of simpl... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend expects me to handle every single detail whenever we hang out: choosing the activity, making the reservations, checking hours and figuring out travel time. The moment we deci... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I was coming up out of the subway the other day when a man spoke to me from behind. He complimented me on my outfit and then looked at me. He remarked that he had thought I was someone... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mother passed away a few months ago, and I miss her so much. I was going through my phone recently and came upon some audio recordings of her talking about her life. Her voice sound... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My daughter graduated from college a few months ago. She got her first career job and decided to move out. I advised her to stay at my home a while longer and use the opportunity to sa... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently started dating someone who’s great in almost every way, but there’s one issue that’s starting to bother me: He's constantly on his phone when we’re together. Whether we’re o... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my co-workers has had a lot of personal stuff on her plate lately. I am always an advocate for work-life balance, because no matter what, you should always take care of yourself... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend has always made comments about my weight, saying that I’m too skinny and that I should eat more. At first, I tried to laugh it off or change the subject, but over time, it st... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend “Janice” is mad at me. We had plans to go to a food festival, and she canceled at the last minute. I had already bought both tickets, and since she said she couldn’t make it,... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My younger brother and I grew up in the same house but had very different experiences with our father. As kids, I always felt like Dad was harder on me. He was quick to criticize and s... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend and I have been dating for eight years. We started a bit young, but I feel concerned that maybe he does not see himself marrying me anymore. We used to talk about marriage... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend always changes her story when it comes to small things, but I feel like the accumulation of all these small inconsistencies is starting to get to me. For example, she was jus... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I work from home, and my roommate does, too. At first, it wasn’t a big deal; we thought we could share the space easily and just use headphones when we had meetings. Lately, our schedu... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I moved in with my boyfriend recently, and my parents are furious. I come from a traditional background where living together before marriage is considered shameful. My mother won’t sp... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My mom passed a few weeks ago. We’ve been estranged for years. She moved to the United States when I was young in hopes of creating a better life for her children. She sent for me even... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: The company I work for is known for having a great work-life balance and an overall positive culture -- that's one of the main reasons I accepted the job in the first place. Unfortunat... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I started making pottery as a new hobby, and I love it, but my roommate keeps making jokes about how messy it is. She calls it a “mud factory” and even moves my supplies around without... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My boyfriend recently moved in with me, and ever since then, my cat’s behavior has completely changed. She’s been acting out: scratching furniture, hiding for hours and even refusing t... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My fiance and I dated for a little while in high school and rekindled after college. About a year ago, he proposed to me, and I said yes. At the time, I was living with my parents but ... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve been talking to a guy for about a year now. It has been casual for two reasons: He is unemployed (for quite some time now) and struggling, and I am in the beginning of a divorce -... more

DEAR HARRIETTE: The other night, my husband said something that’s been weighing on me. We were talking about my job, and he told me that maybe the reason I haven’t been moving up in my career is becau... more