DEAR ABBY: Two years ago, I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in more than 25 years. We went to dinner the following week. The dinner lasted three hours. Abby, she talked the entire time! It was a mix of grandiose stories, complaints about her health, complaints about her relationships and an attempt … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’m a single mother of an 18-year-old son with autism. I have known “Cliff” for more than 20 years. We live on opposite coasts. I want to be with him and he with me, though he doesn’t want my son to live with us at this time. He wants it to be just … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’m a college junior in need of advice. I share an apartment with two other female students, “Wendy” and “Lauren,” who roomed together before I met them. Wendy is sweet and easygoing, but she grew up in a rural area and seems very sheltered. For example, she can’t swim and thinks that eating … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My father passed away three months ago, leaving my mom alone for the first time in her life. She lives nearby, so my wife and I have been doing what we can. We have her over several times a week, and we visit and call to check in often. Mom is having a … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I respectfully disagree with your response to “Woman’s wedding has been hijacked.” These mothers have no business trying to co-opt the bridal couple’s wedding. If the daughter gives in, it’s only the beginning of these two mothers trying to strong-arm themselves into trying to make future decisions for this poor couple. The couple … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am receiving physical therapy at a center with a huge TV on the wall. It is on the entire time, playing stuff like sports and home improvement shows. I find it tedious, stressful and distracting. Importantly, due to my declining hearing, the TV makes it difficult to understand the young physical therapist … Read more
An aisle seat could get you advice about walking down the aisle. Earlier this month, Denver bride-to-be Maya Lorimer was headed to her bachelorette party on a Southwest Airlines flight. When the flight attendant began making an announcement, Lorimer assumed it was about a delay. Instead, it was about Lorimer’s imminent marriage to Colorado finance … Read more
DEAR ABBY: After nearly 18 years of marriage, I left my wife. Our daughters were 10 and 12. We had married quickly, and only later did I realize how deeply judgmental her “born-again” beliefs were — so much so that she gradually cut off my entire side of the family. I tried for years to … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My fiance, “Dustin,” and I have been a couple for five years. We live together and are fairly happy. The problem is his gaming habits. At first, it wasn’t an issue because I also play the occasional video game. Since moving into our own place, I’ve noticed Dustin has started spending a tremendous … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My best friend and I got pregnant, each with our first child, with our due dates a week apart. We felt blessed to be going through this amazing experience at the same time. Our babies are now 2 months old. I am adjusting well to motherhood. I feel it’s coming naturally to me. … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been seeing “Brad” for nine months. We both have children of our own. He has a daughter, and I have a son. The little girl is a few months older than my 7-year-old son. I can see myself having a family with Brad. However, one of my biggest pet peeves is when … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My friend of many years, whom I consider to truly be part of the family, has made food the only thing that makes her happy. Besides my husband, she’s all I have left. She went to a doctor a couple years ago who told her she must lose weight, but she ended up … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am 70 and consider my mental faculties to be normal. One aging issue my wife and I have noticed is that I tend to repeat stories to our children, grandchildren and friends. Our children can be less than forgiving toward this old boomer as they deliver a comment like, “Yeah, we’ve already … Read more
DEAR ABBY: A few years ago, I started receiving mysterious phone calls from a man claiming to have in his possession videos of me performing sexual acts. I do not know where he would have gotten something like that. I changed my phone number, but somehow he got my new number and started harassing me … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am a 54-year-old woman who, after 40 years, reconnected with my childhood best friend, “Neil.” We are now engaged. I have no children, but Neil has two girls ages 11 and 13. The 11-year-old is in therapy and on medication for depression and anxiety. I love them as if they were my … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My youngest son is getting married this spring, and they have decided they want a child-free wedding reception. We have three grandchildren, ages 3 to 7. The wedding is where my son and his fiancée live, so we are all traveling. They have asked all three kids to be in the wedding party … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am writing for advice on how to be supportive of my adult children in light of an alleged crime committed by their mother. She was arrested for first-degree murder. The victim was my children’s younger half-sibling. I am especially challenged dealing with my daughter. She is supporting her mother in this. She … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been with my husband, “Ted,” for nearly 15 years, married for 11. He has two children, 38 and 33, and I have one who is 32. When we started dating, none of our children planned to have children of their own. I made it clear from the start that I have no … Read more
DEAR ABBY: Do charities and nonprofits share or sell donor information? For years, maybe decades, I’ve made quarterly contributions to two well-known charities for children’s cancer research hospitals, and I truly believe in what they do. However, over the last few years, I have started receiving an increasing number of requests for money. One continues … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have been widowed for seven years. My husband served in the Air Force in Saigon during the conflict in Vietnam. We met and married shortly after he returned from his hitch overseas. We had two daughters together. Recently, my older daughter was notified through social media that she has a half-sister, “Leiba,” … Read more