V. Personal Columns

When a couple grows old together, they have each other. They have their identity and shared memories, tasks to do and goals to strive for. When their lifelong partner dies, the world changes. They change. The widowers and widows start to depend on their adult children and grandchildren to brighten and give meaning to their lives. My mother has been a widow going on 10 years.

My 96-year-old mother lives on her own in Fortuna, California - the same community where my oldes ...

These were people I didn't really know. We'd gone to school together and graduated 40 years ago from Cleveland High School in Seattle, Washington.

Of the group, maybe I was close to a handful in high school while the rest were familiar names and faces. When we matched the names with the faces then I could make the connection. It was weird. For most, they were definitely recognizable. The basic thread of personality was also discernable.

Despite our advancing age, it se ...

Dear Dr. Farmer,

I have a 16-year-old daughter about to enter the dating stage. That can be a troubling time for parents with "gorilla" boys out there - drugs, date rape and drinking. You went through this with your daughters didn't you?

Every year I try to attend the annual convention of the American Psychological Association and pick up papers summarizing the latest research in the field. It is like the annual harvest of crops in the field. For a psychologist in the media like

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to send me a note or a letter. Your doing this is one of the things that makes writing this column so worthwhile. Here are some letters that were thought provoking and I would like to share with you.<

Nine reasons for not moving:

1. Leaving dear friends, relatives, business colleagues and sentimental places is painful. Saying goodbye is hard. Giving up the convenience and efficiency of your life pattern is hard.

2. You

Our family is moving to Fargo. Why Fargo?

With last year's blizzards, floods, and the movie "Fargo" on people's minds, Fargo has a certain cachet in a perversely negative way. Obviously there are stories to tell and eager lis

I interviewed a group of foreign exchange students about their experiences in the US educational system. Most of the students were from new, independent countries formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union - including Yuri who lived with u

We have every confidence in her and her choice for a husband. It