Dear Blake, I am an active widower with five grown children. Although three of them live in the same city and two live in a […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, What’s the best way to decline handshakes? In social settings, I often find myself ready to dine, hands washed and sanitized, only for […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I am friendly with a woman who is wonderful and caring. She calls to ask how I’m doing, drops off coffee to say […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I have a problem I just can’t identify. I suppose it’s a combination of a lot of issues. I live with my boyfriend […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My husband and I have been married 45 years. We are both retired and have hobbies to keep us busy. My problem is, […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I host an annual party for many longtime friends. Some of them bring their (small) dogs, and that’s OK. My problem is, one […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, Two good friends of mine lived together and then had a falling out. There wasn’t a big explosion, but simmering emotions eventually led […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My 80-ish mother has always considered herself an artist, although her paintings are bad at best. She insists on gifting paintings at major […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I have a real problem with my cousin and her husband. I have two sons, 13 and 14, and both are on the […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I am a widow, and I miss my husband very much. We used to go out to dinner together often. I have friends […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I have a much younger friend in another state, and we like to keep in touch. I prefer email, as I’m elderly, hard […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My 57-year-old husband is consumed with watching videos on his cellphone. This is like an addiction for him. He spends hour after hour […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, While my sister was incarcerated, she was evicted from her residence. She asked me if I would pack her belongings and store them […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My sister doesn’t want children. I fully support her decision, and I’m happy she knows herself well enough to make it. She does, […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My daughter is being married in a month. Her fiancรฉ is Canadian. We have reserved a block of rooms for guests who are […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, What is a proper tip to leave a server at an all-you-can-eat buffet? They bring water and bus the table, but we get […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I’m a divorced man. I’m semi-retired, work four days a week on second shift and have an easy job. I draw Social Security […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I met my boyfriend online last year. He lives in the U.K.; I’m in the U.S. I love him dearly and we talk […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, Fifteen years ago, I “ran away from home” to get away from my adult children, and I finally made a life for myself. […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My youngest son and his wife invited me to come live with them in Colorado. I am 68 and retired, and was struggling […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My husband passed away two years ago. I hope you can give me some advice on how to deal with my 53-year-old daughter […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I had a close friend, “Kayleigh,” for about 10 years. She helped me through tough times and was always there for me. Now […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I have a child who is 11. I have been a single parent all these years. The father has not reached out on […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I was taught to write handwritten thank-you notes when I received a gift. Over the last few years, my gifts have been acknowledged […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I like this guy at work. I think he’s cute, but I don’t know if he’s interested. I also don’t know if there’s […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My soon-to-be husband and I are moving back to our hometown in the months prior to our wedding. This is, in part, to […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My wife of 15 years is a cat lover. When we were first married, she begged me to allow the cat she had […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My friend wears a retainer and removes it at the dinner table, even in restaurants. How do I tell her that it attracts […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I have two sons, 18 and 20. Since they were young, whenever we invited one of their friends to join us for an […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, Is there a sensitive and appropriate way to suggest to my mother that she would benefit from therapy? Our family has suffered from […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I ran into a friend at the chiropractor’s, and he persuaded me to change my plans and not go to the movies but […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My husband and I have been married for 17 years and live in an older house we are slowly trying to update and […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My boyfriend broke up with me. After a few weeks, I was OK with it. Then he wanted to visit me, but I […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, With the holidays approaching, I am starting to become anxious. I have a family member who ruins every holiday she doesn’t have control […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My husband and I attended a party at the home of one of my co-workers. There were about 15 guests. The problem was […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I am almost 30, not married, no kids. I am a workaholic. I love my nieces and nephews to death, and being an […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I usually don’t let things bother me, but I sent my phone number about a week ago (via Messenger) to several friends I […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I’ve been married to a verbally abusive woman for 49 years. To the outside world she seems perfect, but behind closed doors she’s […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, My husband and I have been married for 40 years, and we’ve had our ups and downs. My problem is, he frequently talks […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I am the oldest of three. We grew up in an abusive alcoholic family. I’m considered the “failure” of the family because I […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, In our 20 years of marriage, my wife’s two sons have frequently stopped by or called ahead with literally 10 minutes to a […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, Should vehicle charging be provided as an amenity to an overnight houseguest? When my family visits our vacation home, they have gotten into […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, A year and a half ago, a newly married young couple moved into a house down the street. A few weeks after they […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, Our daughter and her cousin are the same age. Both are medical school graduates. Eight months ago, when this cousin got married at […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I am broke and disabled and live far from friends and family. They know I live alone and that I’m lonely with no […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I am a 9-year-old girl. Right now I don’t do chores or get an allowance, but I want to. How should I ask […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake. I have been interested in a woman for several years. During that time, I have dated her and helped her with her house. […]
Blake’s Advice Column
Dear Blake, I’m a newlywed, and my husband and I have just hit a big roadblock. I hate the town we live in. I always […]