Trending
Dear Annie: I have now been married and divorced three times, with a total of over 37 years of married life. Though I doubt I will marry again at this stage of life, I would like to find a woman interested in a lasting, serious relationship. In trying online dating services, thus far I have found most women run the other way or quickly giving me the brush-off when I tell them, in the spirit of being honest and upfront, about my being divorced multiple times, plus having been estranged by my three daughters.
In sharing these facts of my past, the two options both appear to be doomed to rejection. If I confess everything in a first meeting, I appear either obsessed with or callous to my past; if I avoid those topics, I come across as dishonest and untrustworthy. How and when should I broach these issues to give a new relationship a chance? -- Albatrosses Around My Neck
Dear Albatrosses Around My Neck: You don’t hand someone your entire case file on date one. Let the first few dates be about getting to know each other. By date three or four, when things feel like they might go somewhere, that’s the natural time to bring up your history.
To be honest, the daughters are more worrying than the divorces. You say you doubt you’ll marry again, yet you’re pouring your energy into dating while three relationships that already exist sit unattended. That may be worth a second look.
Any woman worth keeping is going to ask what happened there, and “it’s complicated” won’t hold up for long.
Dear Annie: I’ve been dating my boyfriend for two years. The problem is, I really don’t like his dog.
I know that sounds ridiculous. I’m not a monster, I promise. But this dog is a lot.
He’s a puppy, still under a year, and he jumps on absolutely everyone who walks through the door, me included. He steals food off the counter (I’ve lost two dinners so far). And he barks nonstop whenever we try to have a conversation.
I know my boyfriend is part of the problem. He hasn’t put in any time or money on training, and he’s charmed by everything this dog does.
I love my boyfriend, but I don’t love spending time at his apartment anymore. Am I wrong for being this bothered by an untrained dog, or is this actually a red flag? -- Not a Dog Person (But Trying)
Dear Not a Dog Person (But Trying): You don’t dislike the dog. You dislike watching your boyfriend refuse to take responsibility. Puppies are chaos by design, and letting one run the household with zero training would drive anyone crazy.
Being a pushover with a dog isn’t a red flag about his character. The true test will be what he does once you tell him how you feel -- that the dog needs real training. How he responds to that will tell you more than the dog ever could.
“Out of Bounds: Estrangement, Boundaries and the Search for Forgiveness” is out now! Annie Lane’s third anthology is for anyone who has lived with anger, estrangement or the deep ache of being wronged -- because forgiveness isn’t for them. It’s for you. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Follow Annie Lane on Instagram at @dearannieofficial. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2026 CREATORS.COM