ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: Punctuality is important to me. My husband has many great qualities, but punctuality is not one of them. We have been married 20-plus years and, after many discussions, have not been able to come to agreement on this. We are late to church almost every Sunday and to most parties and family events.

I think it's rude to keep people ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My co-worker takes advantage of our employer's generous sick leave policy and calls in sick frequently. She will return the next day with no outward sign of illness and has, on several occasions, returned with a fresh haircut and manicure. When she's at work, she frequently steps away from her desk for personal calls.

I finally said ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: After 40 years of marriage, I just found out my husband has been having an emotional affair, in addition to an actual girlfriend he had 15 years ago. I forgave him the last time. This time, he has only said he is wrong, but he hasn't offered an apology, nor is he remorseful.

How can this be resolved? I have removed my wedding rings ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I recently married "Joel," a man I love very much. While we have our differences, we are solid in the knowledge that we love each other and are in this marriage for the long haul.

Our wedding pictures just arrived and, after going through them together, I asked my husband to create a digital album to share with our family and friends...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been with my husband for seven years, and I'm tired of having the same fight every day. He smokes marijuana, and I hate it. It has been a constant battle for years. We tried therapy, which helped for a while, but he goes back to smoking behind my back. We tried to reach a compromise that he smoke only after a certain time of ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My grandma died when I was 7. She was my favorite person, and I adored her. She played with me when no one else had the time, taught me how to bake, told me stories and didn't care that I was playing in the dishwater when she was trying to wash dishes.

I always knew that before she married Grandpa, she had worked as a cook in an ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife has been away for a while caring for her ill parents. Because I was alone, I decided to experiment with wearing women's clothes and found that I really enjoyed wearing leggings. They make very comfortable pajamas. I also found that sports bras not only provide compression that feels good, but also serve a purpose because I ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a good, if not terribly close, relationship with my adult son and daughter. We speak every few weeks. They live some distance away. There's no drama, no negative angst between us. My husband and I will soon be celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary. Neither our son nor our daughter has acknowledged the occasion nor asked if ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I went to college in France. It was my lifelong dream to move here and start my own life in this beautiful country. I succeeded. I married and had a child, but the marriage didn't work out. My son, who is now 8, has spent his whole life here. He fits in. He is popular. However, as a single working mother in a foreign land, I do not.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for 40 years, and we've had our ups and downs. My problem is, he frequently talks about the girls he knew before me. He describes them all in glowing terms -- gorgeous, perfect body, beautiful hair, well-endowed and on and on. It makes me feel self-conscious and inadequate.

Add to this he is short-...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I live with my boyfriend and his father. I moved in two years ago to help them pay bills so they could keep living in the house my boyfriend grew up in. But the situation has become unlivable.

My boyfriend's father is rude, racist and self-centered. It doesn't matter that we are struggling; he goes out and spends all his money on ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband was diagnosed with advanced chronic leukemia seven years ago. After two rounds of chemo, he was better for a while but was diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma a year ago. He has been through almost constant chemo and radiation, lost more than six inches of height due to osteoporosis and fractures, and can barely walk ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: After three years together, my fiance and I plan to be married next year. While we have the usual couples' things going on, one concern is making me consider postponing the wedding or ending the engagement. My fiance has a son whose mental illness led him to withdraw from high school at 16. He has done nothing since. He doesn't work, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My daughter is in eighth grade at a small private school. The problem is, she doesn't have any friends there. Away from school she makes friends easily. But around classmates she has known for years, she's quiet and awkward. She isn't invited to parties or other fun activities. She wants to make friends and join in conversations but ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a teenage girl who has recently discovered I am bisexual. I told a few close friends, and I'm happy to say they have accepted me. Nothing has changed. I have not told any of my family yet. I know my parents will support me, but the problem is two of my four siblings. They constantly tease and taunt me, call me names and pick on ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been in a long-term relationship with my boyfriend, "Mack," for about 25 years. Eleven years ago we became more like roommates. I asked him to go to couples counseling, but he adamantly refused. He said, "If you don't like it, find someone else."

Long story short, I began an affair with an acquaintance of ours. After a short ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: In our 20 years of marriage, my wife's two sons have frequently stopped by or called ahead with literally 10 minutes to a half-hour's notice. It usually happens around mealtime, when we aren't prepared for feeding multiple people.

I plan every meal in advance, and would welcome them to visit with a little common courtesy. We had two ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was adopted at 6 weeks old. My parents adopted my sister two years later. They weren't very good parents -- not abusive, but with no understanding of how to treat children. Ten years later they had a biological son, who became the center of their world, and I was pretty much left alone at a young age to raise myself.

Thirty years ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband inherited a nasty habit from his mother. He calls people "crazy" to discredit them so he can win arguments and stifle discussion. I have told him it's lazy to pass judgment on someone that way. It also shows the world how ignorant he is, because he thinks he'll win every argument by playing the crazy card -- a personal ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been with my boyfriend for nine years. Over the last three months or so we have been fighting. It started when I bought a cabinet for our bathroom. When he came home, he threw a hissy fit about it. He told me he didn't like it and kept yelling at me "'cause I didn't ask his opinion first." Then he proceeded to tell me if I want...Read more