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: 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 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
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been in a long-distance relationship for almost six years, engaged for two, and I love my fiancé. But the thought of moving out west after spending so much time on the East Coast is really intimidating. It means leaving my parents behind, especially with my dad being sick in the hospital for … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am a 35-year-old woman who’s never been in any sort of relationship with a man and, yes, I’m a virgin. For some reason, I am surrounded by women at school and at work. The one time I tried dating a colleague, it turned into the office romance from hell. I was publicly … Read more
DEAR ABBY: One of our co-workers doesn’t want to be a closer friend even though at work we say we love each other. We want to take the friendship to a deeper level, but she hesitates when we try to hang out outside of work. She has a mansion that many people in our office … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My cousin’s son, “Troy,” is being married in eight months. I just received the “save the date,” and I’m trying to decide whether to attend. The wedding is out of state, requiring travel and a hotel. Troy and I haven’t spoken in years. He has never shown an interest in getting to know … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I have fallen out with my best friend of 20 years, and I’m not sure how to proceed. A few years ago, she started a new job and became too busy for chats or to catch up. However, whenever we do manage to chat or catch up, she wades in with advice and … Read more
DEAR ABBY: Six months ago, I started spending time with a woman I knew casually for about a year following her traumatic breakup with her ex-boyfriend. At first, we were just friends, but it quickly progressed as we opened up and shared everything about ourselves with each other. She continued insisting we were “just friends” … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My wife is having an affair with an old flame from when she was in high school. He was just released from prison after serving time for murder. I have forgiven her, but I told her to stop the contact. She said she’d rather divorce me than do that; I would have to … Read more