DEAR ABBY: I am a person with a million-dollar heart and a 5-cent bank account. I have big dreams that I know could change lives. I want to write a book about my experience with emotional abuse so I can help others heal. I also dream of starting a soda stand to build something tangible … Read more
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