Neighbors Get Loud 시끄럽게 구는 이웃

Dear Annie: I recently moved into a new townhome, and for the most part, I love it here. It's quiet, cozy and exactly what I wanted for this next chapter of my life. That is, until my new neighbors moved in upstairs. It's a couple with a dog. The dog is an angel -- never barks, never causes a problem. The issue is the husband. From morning until late at night, it sounds like he's walking around in boots made of concrete. Heavy, constant thumping across my ceiling, sometimes so loud it startles m

From Stepmother to Stranger 새엄마에서 남으로

Dear Annie: I have been married for more than 35 years, but for most of that time, I have felt unloved and trapped. I came into this marriage desperately wanting children, and when my husband was widowed young with two little ones, I stepped in and raised them as my own. I was the one who got out of bed in the night, went to every school event, and poured my heart into giving them the love and stability they had lost. To them, I was "Mom," even if I was never allowed to adopt them. Meanwhile, my

Caught Between Sisters 자매 사이에서

Dear Annie: I am caught in a very difficult family situation. I have twin sisters-in-law, Tricia and Tanya, who have not spoken to each other in more than 25 years. To complicate things further, Tanya and her mother have also been estranged for 24 years. I've managed to maintain good relationships with both sisters, but things have come to a head. Their mother, whom I have personally cared for over the past five years with no help from anyone else, has just been admitted to a nursing home. Her d

Always Been There for Family 늘 가족을 위해 곁에 있어주었는데

Dear Annie: I am an 85-year-old widow living alone. I have three children, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. In years past, when I was still driving, I would visit regularly and made it a point to stay involved. I helped pay for camps, lessons, pageants, tutors and even household expenses. I have always tried to be generous with both my time and resources. But lately, I feel the closeness we once had slipping away. For example, I sent my youngest granddaughter, a college senior, a

Babysitting or Back-Seat Parenting? 아이를 봐주는 건지 아니면 육아에 훈수를 두는 건지

Dear Annie: My husband and I have a 3-year-old daughter, and we're trying to raise her with structure -- regular bedtime, limited screen time and no sweets before meals. The problem is my mother-in-law. She watches our daughter twice a week, and despite repeated conversations, she ignores every boundary we set. She lets her stay up late, gives her fast food for lunch and parks her in front of cartoons for hours. When we remind her of our rules, she says things like, "Oh, come on, it's just Grand

Letting Go 포기

Dear Annie: My three brothers and I are all senior citizens, and throughout our lives we have endured a very difficult relationship with our mother. From the time we were children, she was physically and emotionally abusive. She controlled us, manipulated us, lied to us and often gaslighted us. Now that we are adults with families of our own, she has essentially cut us out of her life because we no longer comply with her demands or conform to her expectations. Her love has always been conditiona

Boundaries Before the Wedding 결혼식 전 선 긋기

Dear Annie: My fiance, "Mark," and I are getting married in six months, and there's one issue I can't shake. His best friend, "Tyler," makes me uncomfortable. Tyler has a history of cheating, drinking too much, and making offhand comments that cross the line -- especially toward women. At Mark's bachelor party planning dinner, Tyler joked that he was in charge of "making sure Mark has one last wild night," and when I said I didn't like the sound of that, he laughed and told me to "relax." I've t

Private Family Time 가족만의 시간

Dear Annie: My husband works in the family business alongside his father, his brother-in-law, and sometimes his brother and cousin. He is a generous, hardworking man who would give the shirt off his back for his family. Unfortunately, they seem to take advantage of that generosity. Despite the pressures of the business, we make it a priority to enjoy our life together. On Sundays, we take our children out to eat, and we plan family activities and vacations with just the four of us. These outings

Stepdad Stepping on My Toes 새아빠가 거슬려요

Dear Annie: My mom remarried last year, and her new husband, "Ken," has made himself very at home -- too at home, if you ask me. I'm 26 and still live with my mom while saving up to buy a condo. We've always had a good rhythm: we cook together, watch movies, take walks. But ever since Ken moved in, everything's changed. He rearranged the kitchen without asking, took over the living room TV with his sports packages, and complains if I come home late or leave lights on. He's not mean exactly, but

Sluggish Grandson 나태한 손주

Dear Annie: I am at my wits' end. I don't know what to do for my 29-year-old grandson. He needs help, but I don't know how to help him. This is what I call a wasted life. He has no motivation to better himself. He has been living at my house for five months. After he got here, he got fired, so he sat here until the end of the July doing nothing but sitting in his room playing video games. He sleeps all day, gets up at 5 or 6 p.m. and sits in the garage all night smoking pot. I finally told him t

Friendship or Boundary Issue? 우정일까요 아니면 거리두기 문제일까요

Dear Annie: My husband, "Mark," and I have been married for six years. For the most part, things are good between us, but there's one recurring issue I can't get past. Mark's ex-wife, "Tina," is still very involved in his life -- not in a co-parenting way, since they don't even have kids, but socially. She calls him every few weeks or so, invites him to group outings and has even dropped by his office "just to say hi." Mark says they've remained friends and that there's nothing inappropriate goi

Won't Let Go 포기할 줄 모르는

Dear Annie: I need advice on how to deal with a former fiance. We dated for nearly a year before getting engaged, but the engagement lasted only a few months. Once we were engaged, he began laying down expectations for our future: dinner on the table at 5, how many children we would have, even which promotions I should turn down at work. I am a health professional with two graduate degrees, and our outlooks on life could not have been more different. I ended the engagement. At the time, he told

Sister-in-Law Strikes Back 시누이의 반격

Dear Annie: I never thought that I would be writing a complaint to one of these columns, but here it goes. I married my husband 12 years ago, and I was excited because that meant (well, I thought) that I would be getting seven sisters. My husband is the only boy among seven girls. Well, his youngest sister has an attitude as thick as molasses. I have tried throughout the 14 years I have known her to get her to like me, but she will only talk to me when she wants to, and she gets away with everyt

Full Circle 완전한 순환

Dear Annie: When my daughter was little, I met with a potential employer who asked about my family. I told him I had a 2-year-old, and he said something I've never forgotten: His daughters were grown, and his greatest joy was talking with them as adults and realizing he had raised two amazing women. Now, at 75, I understand exactly what he meant. It was difficult when our daughter went off to college four hours away, and even harder when she left for graduate school eight hours from home. As som

Feeling Forgotten 잊혀진 듯한 기분

Dear Annie: I have always considered myself someone who values friendship deeply. I have many friends, at least on paper, but I have noticed something that has started to weigh heavily on me. I am almost always the one reaching out. If I do not initiate the call, text or invitation, days or even weeks go by in silence. It is rare that anyone checks in just to see how I am doing. I am 70 now, and lately I have been feeling the ache of loneliness more than ever. I still try to be upbeat, loyal and