We’ll update this list periodically, so if you think we’ve missed a column that should be included, let us know here.
What are you doing with your retirement? Being honest.
A reader retired from a fairly high-powered job that offered worldwide recognition. Now, how do they deal with people’s questions regarding what they’re doing with their new free time?
A newly divorced woman doesn’t want to be angry the rest of her life
After a painful divorce, a reader is grateful for a community of other divorced people to lean on. She’s still raging over how her ex-husband treated her, and she can’t help but notice that some of her new friends — who have been divorced for decades — are still stewing. Will she stay angry at her ex-husband forever, too?
Some endings are triumphs, not failures
A reader recommended this column about someone whose boyfriend insists that the letter-writer should mend their relationship with their abusive mother. Is breaking up with him another failure on top of the estrangement? The reader particularly liked the pithy last line of Hax’s compassionate response about reframing failure.
Burned-out lawyer resigns, but second-guessers won’t quit
This letter-writer worked hard to make partner at their law firm, only to realize they were too burned out to keep going. They’re happy to quit — so why can’t others accept that? Hax gives tips for telling friends and family to, respectfully, mind their business.
New mom struggles with decision to quit her job, become at-home parent
A family’s child-care needs aren’t being met, so a new mom makes the decision to quit her job to care for their baby. She loves and trusts her husband, but she’s having a hard time accepting a new arrangement where he’s the sole breadwinner while she’s a full-time parent.
Her husband isolated her. Post-split, will friends welcome her back?
She’s out of an abusive marriage with a husband who made her cut off contact with her friends. He even insisted she stay off Facebook. She may be free of him, but she’s scared that it’s too late to reconnect with lost friends.
Couple reconciles post-cheating, but one spouse’s confidant won’t let go
A letter-writer confided in a relative about their spouse’s affair. Years later, it’s been forgiven, and they’ve moved on with their marriage. The confidant, however, has not, and still treats the spouse as a “flight risk.” These constant reminders make it challenging for the writer to leave the past in the past.