ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 40 years. My beloved mother-in-law passed away two years ago. She had always been my buffer against the rest of my husband's family -- two brothers and their families and his stepfather, none of whom care for me. When we would visit from out of state, I could be sure that, by my MIL's side, I would be ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a girl of 23 who has never had a boyfriend. Now that I finished college and am a journalist, I have met some guys, mostly from high school and places like that. One of them, who went to my middle school, recently asked me on a date. Another one from high school asked me out, too, in the same week. (Neither one ever talked to me in...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 40-something single mother of two teens. A 24-year-old neighbor with a young daughter moved in next door a couple years ago after her divorce. She recently joined the workforce, and being a single working mother for the last year and a half has been a difficult adjustment for her. When she sees me outside, she comes over to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am getting married, and my fiance's daughters, 19 and 21, are in the wedding party. I have purchased the dresses they are wearing, which are light and flowing. I have told the girls that on the day of the wedding I do not want them wearing thong underwear. The older one then went to her dad and said she didn't want to wear regular ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a gay man who has been in an on-again/off-again relationship for three years. My partner still lives at home with his mother. He has never left the home, aside from a four-month period when he and his mom weren't getting along.

My issue is, aside from never fully committing, my partner, Damien, seems to always find a way to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I met my husband on the job when we were one year out of school. We are both 36. We dated for three years and were compatible in every way. Ten years later, we have two kids (7 and 5), own a home and are financially secure.

When we dated, we discussed our history, and he told me that he'd had five prior girlfriends. I had three ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I can't stand being around my dad. I love my mom, but no longer respect her because she stays married to him. He's a narcissistic bully. My brother agrees. My parents and I live in the same town and get together for holidays, birthdays and other events. My brother lives out of state.

I grew up with Playboy magazines lying around the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship with a married man for 2 1/2 years. I know it's wrong, but there's just something there between us. We live five hours apart, but he's a trucker, so I see him often. He makes me all these promises -- that if I uproot my life and move to his city he would be able to be with me more, his wife is sick and he...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 30-year-old married woman. My job requires a lot of domestic travel, which I love. My parents continue to ask that I check in whenever I fly, and often text or call asking me where I am, even though I provide them my schedule.

I feel this indicates a lack of confidence that I can take care of myself. They frame it as they love...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Twenty years ago, I reconnected with a childhood friend. When we were in high school together, she used to love telling stories, not all of them true. Most were harmless and cast her as the center of an interesting adventure.

After graduation, I headed off to college, she started a job and we lost touch for almost 30 years. We now ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a grandson (25) and granddaughter (22) who are both extremely overweight (300 pounds each). They not only have health issues, but also mental issues. Both work part time at the same company as their mom and dad -- and still live at home. They don't date, don't drive and are very dependent on their parents because their parents ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My college senior daughter, Lisa, insists on inviting her significant other to every holiday and to our home when she's on break. This is Lisa's first girl/girl romance, and she thinks she's in love.

This girlfriend has zero personality and adds nothing to our family dynamic. None of us can stand her. How can I nicely explain to my ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am having trouble dealing with my wife's extended family, who are mostly evangelicals. My family isn't overly religious and some are atheists. Her family doesn't think twice about asking me if I have a relationship with God, and have even declared that they are praying for me and my children. I chafe at these comments because I feel...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am an active 90-year-old grandmother who every year treats my family to a week's vacation at a beach house. We have a lovely time together.

Two years ago, my grown son, Robert, brought his girlfriend, Gennifer, and her teenage son, Jackson. After the trip I was shocked to hear Jackson had killed the family kittens to see how it ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship for two years with a man I love very much. We're both in our early 20s. I have a house. He lives with his parents and is going to school.

Last year, after living together for a few months due to COVID, I invited him to move in with me. It took him five months to even give me an answer about whether he ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been dating the same woman for more than two years. She is a beautiful lady who has quite a few male fans on Facebook, mostly from before we met. What bothers me, and I don't understand why, is her habit of posting selfies and then loving the comments from other men about her looks. We have discussed this many times, but she can'...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I separated three months ago. She has moved out into her own apartment. We are not legally separated or divorced. She removed her wedding ring three weeks after she left. I want to reconcile. Whether she does at this point, she's not sure. She says she isn't seeing anyone, nor is she interested in anyone. I want to keep ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been together 23 years. A few years ago, he told a friend of his he wasn't in love with or attracted to me. I'm the same 5-foot-6-inch, 135-pound woman he married. Recently, he has become increasingly short-tempered.

He gets angry at every driver on the road, he destroyed the vacuum when it stopped working and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was sexually assaulted by my cousin's boyfriend a short while ago, and it was hard for me to process. When I told my cousin about it, she acknowledged that it wasn't OK, but made it all about her. Although we are extremely close, I didn't get the type of support I was hoping for. In the end, she got back with him, and casually ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I went to lunch with Anita, who proceeded to question me about how I know my friend Gail. It seems like an innocent question, but Gail and I met in Alcoholics Anonymous. I didn't tell Anita we met in AA because it would've destroyed Gail's anonymity, so I said we met through mutual friends.

I didn't mind one question, but Anita kept ...Read more