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Dear Annie: I have a question I hear many people ask about wedding gifting.

The old rule of thumb was the gift should cover the plate. Others say it's a gift and you're not responsible for paying for the couple's wedding.

Recently, my husband and I attended a family member's wedding; we put $200 in an envelope and gave them a lovely wedding ...Read more

Dear Annie: I had been in a wonderful relationship with an incredible woman for two years and 10 months. She recently broke up with me because I had not discussed my personal finances with her.

I am a private person and have a difficult time opening up. My reasoning behind not discussing my finances was that we are not living together.

But ...Read more

Dear Annie: The recent letter about giving children experiences instead of things really struck a chord. When the writer said, "One of the most beautiful sounds in the world is the laughter of a child. You can almost hear their brain enjoying life," it nearly brought me to tears.

I've been a "recess teacher" at the local primary school (...Read more

Dear Annie: I lost my 32-year-old son (the baby of my three kids) almost two years ago to a fentanyl overdose; we all battled his addiction right along with him for more than a decade. He was in and out of jail, and actually skipped out on a court-ordered rehab (which of course led to more jail time).

He had several broken romantic ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm struggling badly with something that occurred over a week and a half ago. I'm a mom. My son is 15. I've been dating a man for two years now, but I've known him for over six. He has no kids and has always expressed his interest in becoming a dad.

A year ago, we decided to try for a baby, but I was a bit hesitant considering my ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've always disliked house parties. During the first ones I'd been invited to, I had to leave early due to the loud music, vulgar dancing and drunk classmates -- an environment that would only make me feel anxious, disgusted and sick.

I thought this feeling would wear off and I'd eventually be able to integrate and have fun just ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 45-year-old man, and I was married for 17 years to my lovely wife until her untimely death a year ago. My wife and I have three children, one of whom is from her previous relationship. I love her so much, and when she passed, I was heartbroken and severely depressed.

Recently, an old girlfriend from my teenage years reached ...Read more

Dear Annie: We have neighbors who reside in a cul-de-sac that is at the rear of our property. Our property is located on a U-shaped half-mile neighborhood, which is ideal for walking. Over time, these neighbors have chosen to repeatedly cut through our property on an almost daily basis to facilitate their walking routine. It's gotten to the ...Read more

Dear Readers: Many of you wrote in with tips on encouraging children to focus less on material items. Thank you for sharing these terrific suggestions. Here are some of my favorite letters:

Dear Annie: I just read your letter from "Caught in the Middle," the parent whose daughter is being spoiled by her grandparents and is looking for a ...Read more

Dear Annie: Over the years, I have worked in day care centers for 2-year-olds, and my husband is a speech therapist. I have a family friend who is raising a 2-year-old from the community. We see their child continuously and think that he is behind developmentally, especially in speech.

They could hypothetically wait until he is old enough to ...Read more

Dear Annie: My 96-year-old mother has two children -- me and my older sibling, "Jennifer." Our mother's trust originally had Jennifer as trustee, but she moved to the West Coast, about 2,000 miles away. A year and a half before Jennifer moved, she tried to steal some small, expensive pieces of jewelry from our mother. She was caught standing ...Read more

Dear Annie: I notice many readers have problems and anxieties. Maybe something my mother taught me will help them.

She lost two husbands to illness and had a chronic illness herself. We almost lost my brother on the same day my dad died. She raised three boys in a small town taking any job available. Through all these hard times, she always ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have let myself get involved with a significantly younger guy. To make matters worse, I'm married. In my defense, before I even started talking to this other guy, my husband and I had come to a place in our marriage where we were more like roommates than husband and wife. We didn't even share the same bedroom (which was his ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a mom and have been married for nearly six years. But for the past few years, my husband and I have not been on the same path. We can't communicate without fighting, bickering, arguing, etc. Our sex life has been nonexistent. And I have tried talking and suggesting that we do more things together. I have even tried losing weight ...Read more

Dear Annie: A few months ago, someone wrote to you about how uncomfortable the bad manners of children of a relative made her feel at large family gatherings and dinners. I read your column faithfully and did not see any readers' suggestions printed in the following weeks.

Of course, large family gatherings have not happened this past year due ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been married for 26 years. I have a 24-year-old son at home on the autism spectrum, and his 4-year-old daughter, of whom he has full custody. They get by with my help, and money, of course.

I have always been a very loving and supportive husband. I cook, clean, do laundry and whatever else needs to be done. I'm getting older ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for 15 years. A little over a year ago, I started having an affair with an ex-girlfriend. The affair ended a month ago. It is over and done with.

I am not sure if I should tell my wife about it or just keep it a secret. I feel that if I tell her, nothing good would come from it, other than being truthful. However...Read more

Dear Annie: I work in a small office with only four employees and one supervisor. Two of my colleagues and I are coffee drinkers. Instead of starting a coffee fund, we started taking turns bringing in a fresh container when we find the previous one is running low. This system has worked for us and has prevented any issues from arising.

What we ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a friend, "Donna," who lives in another state. We've been friends for three years. Due to past trauma of being cheated on, I have trust issues, not just in relationships but friendships as well. I've damaged and even lost a few friends because of these issues.

Donna is an introvert and doesn't want to talk all the time. I'm...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a school secretary. Parents often call in with issues regarding their children. Some are very personal including health, family issues, abuse, neglect, behavior, etc. Many parents go into FULL detail as to what is happening. In these circumstances, I am not the person who can assist them. Instead, I refer them to a counselor, ...Read more