DEAR ABBY: How can I plan and enjoy holidays at my home with my three adult children? One daughter and her husband always find ways to hold imaginary grudges against our other two daughters. This daughter claims to be always left out, yet she never reaches out to her sisters or even to me and … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’m married, and in my mid-40s. My wife and I have a robust social life, for which we both feel very lucky and blessed. We have amazing friends who are a wonderful support system and with whom we go out regularly. Lately, our wives have been wanting to go to dance clubs, where … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My sister’s fiance, “Logan,” always seemed very flirtatious with me. I told her she needed to control her future husband. After they were married, the same gestures and innuendos kept happening, and I reminded my sister about it. Logan did and said inappropriate things right in front of her. Once she even commented, … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been seeing “Pete” for eight months. He has been divorced for the last 15 years. He has two grown children and five grandchildren with his ex-wife, “Linda,” who is still a significant person in Pete’s life. They text throughout the day and enjoy doing things with Linda’s husband. Pete is having major … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My son-in-law and I had words five years ago. Two years ago, I wrote him a letter of apology and told him it was always “family first.” My daughter confirmed he received the letter. They recently had their fourth child. We haven’t seen their first since he was 2 or the second since … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have been around “Kendra” since she was 4. I am 59 and not married to her mother, although we are good friends. Kendra is 36 now and has an 8-year-old son. She lives with her boyfriend, who is the father. They are not married. We have a great relationship. For some reason, … Read more
DEAR ABBY: Eight years ago, my husband of 26 years had a stroke, and his personality changed. He was difficult to deal with, but, with time, his old personality came back, and things got better. Two years ago, he finally kicked a longtime prescription drug habit. Our finances improved almost overnight (for which I am … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’m struggling to continue my relationship with my dad, who is in his 80s. He recently became very ill and nearly died. He was unable to walk for several months, and when he was finally able to start getting around, it was with a wheelchair and walker. Dad started driving his truck, although … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am not, and never will be, an attractive female. I accept this, and I’m OK with the fact that men don’t find me attractive. My issue is, my friends want to have hot-single-girl events. They are all very attractive. When they try to introduce a man to me, the man obviously has … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My sister and I grew up with our father after our parents divorced. He was a hoarder. Years later, when he finally had to move out, it took three moving trucks to empty the two-bedroom house. You can imagine what that was like. I am very triggered by clutter. I appreciate an organized … Read more
DEAR ABBY: A friend retired, moved and gave me her well-paying, once-a-week job doing industrial cleaning. It pays a sizable chunk of our bills. My husband, who agreed to work with me doing this, gives me a hard time every week by being late. We need to be there after business hours at 5:30 p.m. … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have a neighbor I truly love. I garden; she does not. Despite my asking her two years ago not to take any of my asparagus, yesterday she mentioned in conversation, “I love your asparagus. Sometimes I pick some for myself.” Abby, last year I was left with only enough for one meal … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My young adult child came out to us as transgender several months ago. My husband and I, along with her sibling, are supportive and love her unconditionally. She recently decided to share the news with her grandparents, sending a heartfelt email along with a couple of resources specifically for grandparents. One grandparent has … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been seeing a man, “Barry,” who worked with my younger brother. They had an altercation at work, and Barry was terminated for misconduct. My brother, “Rob,” is upset with me because I still see him. Barry did reach out to Rob to apologize and see if they could move on. While my … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’m part of a group of four girlfriends. We gather for all of our birthdays and treat the birthday girl to dinner at a restaurant of her choice. However, one girl in the group orders several expensive cocktails, and the bill comes out to be a fortune. She seems to have no regard … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am married, but it isn’t perfect. My husband of seven years, for whatever reason, doesn’t like my family. My mom has now been diagnosed with early dementia. I want her to come live with us, but he doesn’t want that. If I even go by her home, he has a problem. I’m … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I can’t understand why my mom kept the last name of her ex-husband (my stepfather), who sexually abused me and my sister as children. She knew all about it after I broke down and told her when I was 10. She stayed married to him for years afterward, with my sister and me … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My sister has a squawky bird she insists on keeping alongside the dinner table when she invites guests for dinner. Its ear-piercing screeching inhibits guests’ ability to carry on normal conversation, so I asked her if, in the future, she could please put the bird in another room during dinner. She responded that … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My husband has been retired from law enforcement for five years. I can’t retire, as I am self-employed. I was always the one who had to take time off work to care for him with his back and hip surgeries, his mom, his dad and my mom for the past 15 years. I … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My sister and I have been estranged for eight years. She had an “unusual” relationship with my ex-husband, meaning they moved in together three days after I left him. My entire family insists there’s nothing between them. She blames me, and even though I have reached out, she has never responded. She tells … Read more