Carolyn Hax
Partners without the passion
She married a man she didn’t find intimately satisfying. Should she cut and run, or think about how to rebuild the relationship?
Regrets? Early marrier has a few.
The image of the lifelong, passionate romance is largely unrealistic.
Protecting his online reputation
His ex’s negative postings about him are at the top of search results. Should he fight back?
Carolyn Hax: The answer to a father’s bigotry
A woman engaged to a man of another race is told by her father that she and her husband-to-be don’t have “the right to pollute the gene pool with our biracial children.” How to respond?
Carolyn Hax: Talking to kids about sex
Key tips: Tell the truth to your children. Don’t punish tough questions or laugh at what they say. Give them a chance to talk, and listen.
Hints From Heloise: Back-to-school sales
This is a good time of year to shop for school supplies and summer gear.
Hints From Heloise: A new home for VHS tapes
What to do with all those old VHS tapes? A training program in Missouri accepts them for recycling.
Hints From Heloise: A formula for cleaning grout
Borax and baking soda are the trick.
Miss Manners: Discreet inquiry will uncover co-worker’s marital status
A noninvasive way to determine marital status is to assume a co-worker is married and to ask questions about a spouse.
Miss Manners: Uncomfortable question may require candid response
What to do when a man complains to a woman who is not his wife about his lack of a sex life.
Miss Manners: Texting a marriage proposal is not recommended
The Gentle Reader has somehow managed to captivate two men who texted proposals to her.
Ask Amy: Musician needs couch time to be creative
They’re a couple, and in the same band, but she works full time at a restaurant while he lives rent-free with his parents. True, he’s working on his music, but she wonders if she’s going to end up being a substitute for his parents.
Ask Amy: Mother worries about daughter’s pot habit
She doesn’t allow pot-smoking in her home, but her 24-year-old sneaks upstairs to smoke pot with an in-law.
Amy Dickinson: Dad doggone tired of being put on the spot
Responsibility for their family dog of two years has devolved to the dad, even though he was promised that other family members would do most of the work.
Animal Doctor
Protecting pets from biting insects; possible causes of an itchy face; acid reflux in dogs; fish can post health hazards for humans and animals.
Bald spots and hot spots
Yorkshire terrier’s “bumpy” spot might signal a serious problem developing.
Animal Doctor
Cat has never purred; treating warts on dogs; ferret has halitosis; helping cats enjoy long and healthy lives.
@Work Advice
(Deb Lindsey / DEB LINDSEY/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)
@Work Advice: Um, your callowness is showing
Karla L. Miller offers thoughts on how to help a leggings-wearing, bra-strap-flaunting, fringe-sporting protege
(Deb Lindsey / For The Washington Post)
@Work Advice: The powers of persuasion
Karla L. Miller on convincing a boss that you are right, and colleagues that you are friendly.
(Deb Lindsey / For The Washington Post)
@Work Advice: In a work rut? Don’t quit your day job.
How to search for a new perspective while still earning a paycheck.
(Deb Lindsey / For The Washington Post)
@Work Advice: He’s a big guy; he cannot lie
But he doesn’t deserve BMI bullying by a fellow manager. ...
(Deb Lindsey / For The Washington Post)
@Work Advice: Is her career being mommy-tracked?
Reassigned lawyer wonders if she’s just being rerouted — or ridden out on a rail.
Family Almanac
The volatile 12-year-old
A preteen with a temper probably needs talk therapy, but she should visit a physician and maybe an allergist first.
Going broke for ballet
A young ballerina’s siblings are growing jealous and her parents are going broke.
How to cure the summer doldrums
One mother asks how to keep her kids sharp this summer without spending a fortune.
When loved ones die
Talking to your children about death is a difficult — but essential — part of parenting.
Dear me!
I never saw myself as someone who would grouse that kids these days have no respect for their elders, until I got several e-mails from children addressing me as “Tracy.”
Teen drivers, nervous moms
New studies showing the dangers of teen drivers along and with pals may make parents more cautious.
Date Lab
Date Lab: She needs a good man. He’s just glad they’d never met.
It’s not easy to find two attractive, single, Jewish Washingtonians who haven’t crossed paths yet.
Date Lab: Maybe sorta kinda possibly a little bit?
These two are talking a wide circle around the possibility of a second date.
Date Lab: No electricity? Maybe she can lend him a spark.
Will a post-derecho date pack more power than Pepco?
He may not know how he feels, but she does
DATE LAB | They both say the date was great, but was there a romantic connection? We’re not sure the daters even know.
Date Lab: He didn’t find her fiery side. Or her car.
The conversation was easy, but was it romantic?
The best of 'Dear Prudence'
This week readers will discuss the best, worst, or weirdest 'Dear Prudence' advice and submissions.
Elsewhere in Lifestyle
The Post Most: LifestyleMost-viewed stories,videos, and galleries in the past two hours