ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My tattoos are destroying my marriage, and I just don't understand why. I'm a 56-year-old elementary art teacher and the father of three grown children. Since I was young, I have loved the artistic expression of tattoos, and I ALWAYS envisioned having them, lots of them.

It had been about 10 years since my last one, but I decided to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband was the product of an extramarital, interracial relationship. Both of the parents who raised him are white, and he has always denied he was biracial despite the obvious physical characteristics that say otherwise.

Our two beautiful teenage children were raised to believe they are white. We recently took ancestry tests, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I are both recently retired. Our 19-year-old daughter lives 100 miles away at college. My wife has an elderly mother. My problem is family and friends who text early in the morning.

When I was working, I had to get up at 4:30 a.m., so one of the biggest rewards of retirement is no alarm clock. My wife keeps her cellphone ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been separated from my wife for about four years, at her request. It was justified. I wasn't the best husband. I wasn't abusive, but I was sad and feeling sorry for myself, like now.

I took her for granted and didn't show her the affection she deserved, but I have been going to therapy to work through issues that I had ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have something to say about Still Fun in the South (Jan. 4) and her complaint that single middle-aged men only look for younger women, instead of women their age. I am a 53-year-old widower. I have a six-figure income. I'm smart, healthy, easygoing and have a good life with many hobbies and interests.

On multiple dating apps, I ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm in my late 20s, married and happily child-free. My best friend recently became pregnant, and I am having a hard time with it. I don't enjoy children, and it feels like I am losing my best friend. All she wants to talk about is the baby. I've tried hinting that I'll be here when she and her husband need a break from being Mom and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I recently met a man, and I have fallen in love with him. He says he feels the same way and tells me often that I treat him better than anybody ever has.

Unfortunately, when the time came to move our relationship to an intimate level, I found my attraction to him was one-sided. When I asked him why, he said he did not find me ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a senior male. I understand I may have some beliefs that others find old-fashioned. However, I consciously try to be tolerant of others' feelings and beliefs. That said, my problem is with my younger brother, who is a homosexual. I have always tried to ignore that side of his life and, consequently, we have always had a good ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a single mom. I have a man in my life who I have been with for almost four years. He went through a bad divorce during the time we got together, and anytime I try to mention marriage in the future, he gets upset. I'm unsure what to do or how to respond anymore.

I know my kids aren't his, so he owes us nothing, but I need more ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have grown really close to Pete, my trainer at the gym I joined two years ago. We are both married. I know it's wrong to feel this way. I love my husband, but I'm not sure I am in love with him anymore.

I think what I feel for Pete may be more than just a physical attraction and connection. Our lives are so parallel. We are both ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my husband for seven years. We are in our 60s. He refuses to make a will. He tells me what he would put in his will and asks me if I am OK with his wishes.

He has an adult child from his first marriage and would like to include her in the will. I'm fine with what he wants. This conversation has been going on ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: At the age of 30, I recently had to move back with my parents. I am not the tidiest person in the world, but I thrive on the saying, Dust, not dirt.

I recently went on vacation. I knew my room was a little messier than I'd like, but I also knew I'd return from vacation ready to tackle the pile of laundry and sweep and mop the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a young wife. I married after three months of dating my military husband. He was previously in an on-again/off-again relationship that lasted about eight years, during which she had a baby with another man, etc. I believe my husband is still in love with her. After constantly asking him, he says he just wishes her well and he ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for six mostly blissful years, but recently, some of his fantasies have started to worry me. About six months ago, he told me he had an attraction to women with amputations. Naturally, I was confused. I didn't even know that was a thing, but I accepted it, even though I thought it was odd.

Three ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a woman in my late 30s. Tim and I have been best friends for more than 10 years. Over the last few years, he has struggled with depression and addiction, and I have done my best to help him.

A few weeks back, Tim called me crying and said he was planning to end his life. It wasn't the first time he has spoken this way, but it ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am 40. During the quarantine, I got pregnant by someone I was just starting to know. I didn't think I was able to have any more kids. My daughter is now 12, and suddenly here I am -- pregnant. I don't love the father. In fact, I'm pretty sure he loves someone else. Nonetheless, we ended up getting married for insurance purposes.

A ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have meddling in-laws. Anytime my husband of 20 years and I have a disagreement, he calls his parents to complain about me. On six different occasions, I found messages and Facebook chats between my husband and my in-laws in which they called me a bad mother, a terrible person, crazy, evil, the devil and disparaged my family.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Last year, my across-the-street neighbor backed into my car. At least, that's what I think happened.

My car was parked legally on the street, and there was a huge dent in it. I called the police and, based on the location of the dent and the neighbor's driveway, the officer determined that the neighbor had backed into it. Furthermore...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I used to be a successful working woman until I lost my husband of 30 years. After I became homeless, I met Tom. We've been good friends for the last five years, hanging out in the woods, sometimes getting hotel rooms. It's a platonic relationship, but we rely on each other.

I receive Social Security survivor benefits now, and I want...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a faithful male reader of your column. I lost my beautiful wife of 40 years last year.

During our marriage, I had prostate cancer and decided to have the surgery to remove it. I was told by my doctor that there was a chance I would never again be intimate with my wife, and she was OK with it. Now that she's gone, I have grown ...Read more