Advice columnist Annie Lane is a young wife and mother with a gift for helping other people solve problems. In a voice that's sympathetic, funny and firm, Lane provides common-sense solutions to life's dilemmas.
Dear Annie: I am a single senior woman. I am very close to a neighbor family.
Residing in an assisted living center is what scares me.
Dear Annie: There is a family in our congregation, “Fred” and “Wilma,” who have two kids who are the same age as ours. My wife is friends with Wilma, and the kids all get along well. The problem is Fred. He’s a fat jerk.
Dear Annie: Having been a registered nurse for the past 40 years, I have seen many changes in health care. I believe that nursing is a calling and not just a career. In my initial, youthful bliss, I took great joy in helping people in their hour of need. Patients and families were grateful and appreciative for every little thing that was done for them.
Many of my friends love to get out on the dance floor and dance the night away. I’ve never enjoyed dancing...
Dear Annie: My sister and her husband are both in their mid-80s and live on a farm.
Dear Annie: I have worked in the same office for 18 years. For many years, there were five of us in our division: three women and two men. One of the men left for a different job a year ago, and he was replaced by a woman, “Carla,” who is very difficult to work with. In fact, I’m convinced that she is a liar and a troublemaker.
Dear Annie: I consider myself to be a self-aware social media poster. However, there is a family member on Facebook who posts her child care needs at least once a week. She posts the day and time she needs and has said the names of the children who need a sitter. She has three children.
Dear Annie: My husband of 42 years discovered a new way of breathing, and it has made me scared to death. I am afraid that he might die in his sleep.
Dear Annie: My wife left me a little over a year ago.
