DEAR ABBY: There’s a girl I really like, “Torie,” who has a certain enthusiasm for me that few, if any people, have had. I have taken her seriously, but she works in a store where there’s a drag queen who makes herself look so much like a female that I find it disturbing. She often … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for 59 years. As he has gotten older, he has less to do to keep himself busy, and he no longer drives due to Alzheimer’s. He is now doing things inside the house without asking my opinion, including moving things around. Abby, as the woman of … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My oldest granddaughter will be looking at colleges soon. My son and her mother are divorced. My parents gave my son (their grandson) money to put away in accounts for his daughters’ college. Instead, he helped himself to that money before the divorce. When his ex-wife told me about it, I confronted him. … Read more
DEAR ABBY: For the last four years, I have been hosting my son “Dennis,” his 6-year-old son and his brother’s 8-year-old daughter every other weekend. Dennis bought a puppy, “Champ,” to go with his house and brings him on these visits. Champ is nice enough but extremely active. He runs wild and barks, digs holes … Read more
DEAR ABBY: How should I handle in-laws who show up three or more hours early for dinner and just sit at the kitchen counter? I have things to do; I don’t have time to entertain them, and I can’t persuade them to leave the kitchen. It really puts a damper on my final prep and … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have a friend, “Maron,” who is 65 and divorced from her husband, who had been extremely verbally abusive. Her adult son has a daughter by a former partner who had no interest in the girl. The girl, “Lizzie,” is living with her father (Maron’s son) in his father’s home. Maron has taken … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My mother passed away recently. She suffered from dementia and was a cancer survivor, but she lived well into her 80s. It was difficult for me to witness her mental decline when I spoke to her on the phone or visited her occasionally in the nursing home. She lived near my sister, so … Read more
DEAR ABBY: We were friends with a couple we met about five years ago. We went out together a few times and mostly saw them at our neighborhood bar. They live about 30 miles away. Well, the husband passed away about a year ago, so we offered the wife a bedroom whenever she comes this … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’m struggling with what to do about my first job out of college. I’ve been here for four months, and while I expected a learning curve, I didn’t expect the environment to feel so hostile. My boss yells at me across the office for small, easily fixable mistakes. The latest incident involved her … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have a new close friend, and I am conflicted about whether I should inform her about her husband’s misdeeds. Before we became close, I learned he had been sexting and sending nude photos to two women I know. He often makes inappropriate jokes. He recently sent me an inappropriate message, which, even … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My 43-year-old daughter, “Patti,” a mom of two from different dads, is constantly in financial difficulties and periodically asks family members for money. Her live-in boyfriend earns a good living but is no help beyond paying the rent. Their partnership allegedly exists only for the kids’ benefit. The two school-age daughters attend private … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’m an ophthalmologist, a physician who specializes in medical and surgical eye care, and I’m hoping you can help me debunk a common myth about eye health. Many assume eye disease happens only to older adults. While age does increase the risk of developing certain vision-threatening diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My wife recently immigrated to our current residence in the U.S. from Canada. She has a 23-year-old son dealing with mental illness back in Canada. He refuses to remain in therapy or to hold a steady job, and he failed out of university. My wife consistently lowers her expectations and continues to support … Read more
DEAR ABBY: For the past three years, my family has had reunions with my older half-sister, “Sybil.” We did not grow up together, and we have very different lifestyles. I grew up with little money and numerous hardships; Sybil grew up having every need and want met. She’s successful and wealthy. I am proud of … Read more
DEAR ABBY: A longtime friend recently accused me of lying about my education, and I’m still stunned by it. I completed my undergraduate studies in the U.S., earning a BA, and later earned a master’s degree from a French university. Recently, during an exchange on Facebook, my friend asserted, quite confidently, that I was lying … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I spent the morning at a close friend’s home. She is in her early 80s and starting to show some mental decline and memory problems. Her children are in their 30s and still live at home. Her husband is also in his 80s. While there, I noticed how, at every opportunity, the kids … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have a neurological disorder and can no longer keep up with my friends (who used to be my friends). I don’t explain the problems I have and why I can’t do the things I used to do unless they ask. I still drive, but I have trouble walking. I have a wonderful … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My husband is very temperamental. When something goes wrong with his meal or service at a restaurant, or when he’s driving and gets upset with another driver, he angrily vents to me nonstop, repeating the same things over and over. This happens only when we’re alone, not when friends or family members are … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have been happily married for 28 years but have not been intimate with my wife for the last eight of them. It all came to a halt when we prioritized raising our (four) children. We had been intimate on a regular basis for 20 years until it slowly faded and then stopped. … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have a situation with this guy I’ve known for five years. We dated in the summer of sixth grade, but it wasn’t serious, and we broke up after a month. But we always kept in touch and had secret feelings for each other. We have never done anything more than talk and … Read more