ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I have a smartphone, and I love its convenience. I check my email, texts and voicemail three or four times a day and always try to respond promptly. But I do not carry my phone with me every moment of the day.

Some family members insist that the polite thing to do is to return a text message or voicemail IMMEDIATELY. They carry their...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a college freshman. I have decided I want to get a job so I can support myself and pay half the rent in the apartment my mom resides in.

I have always been shy because I don't really know how to talk to people. Every interview I go on, I never get a callback. How do I get connected at school and manage a job? How can I have more...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was happily married with three daughters until I found out I had fathered a son two years before I married my wife. The news was a shock to us all. That information was kept from me for 13 years, and my wife is having a hard time dealing with the situation. We were dating at the time it happened.

I have been trying to do the right ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A new co-worker started a few weeks ago. (FYI, I'm a gay man.) We share similar interests and have a lot in common. As I am getting to know him, I have become increasingly attracted to him and his personality. My joking around with him is borderline flirtatious. He hasn't said anything about it or shown signs of being uncomfortable, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We have a small house, and family and friends are always welcome. We also have six cats, and their care and comfort are paramount. We keep our cats separated so they don't fight, so two cats occupy what used to be our guest room. We have explained this to overnight guests, several of whom are allergic to cats or don't like them, and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a friend on social media whose brother died by suicide several months ago. She was the one who found him. They were close, and I think he was her last immediate family member. She has posted openly about how horrible this experience has been and how sad she feels.

More recently, however, her posts have become increasingly ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been spending time with a certain gentleman for more than five years. I am in love with him. We dated at first, then became friends with benefits. He had another woman move in with him a few years ago, but we are still friends with benefits, and he has become my best friend. He listens when I need someone to talk to and knows how...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My father died three years ago. My parents were both close to his younger brother and his wife. For the past two years, I have suspected that my mother and my uncle have been having an affair. They live in different states and text back and forth. She has left her phone open when she has gone places with us, and the comments back and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I need some advice for my dear friend. She needs to have chemotherapy and her husband says he won't help her when she gets sicker from the meds. She is devastated and feels like he isn't even her husband anymore. He told her he will move out and put her into a nursing home and that they can break up. Any advice? -- DEVASTATED IN THE ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My father was killed recently in a shooting. I have received text messages and phone calls from my immediate family and close friends. My mother-in-law was thoughtful enough to send me a card, and I called to thank her the day I received it.

My husband has other close relatives. None of them called me, not even my sister-in-law. They...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am 30 years old, the only child of divorced parents in their late 60s. Neither of them has remarried.

Because of certain family events, I encouraged Dad to create a will four years ago. He never had one because he doesn't have much money or any property to bequeath, but my understanding is that putting things in writing helps ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Our college-age daughter has been withdrawn and depressed for some time. During a recent visit, after asking her several times what was wrong, encouraging her to continue counseling and expressing general concern for her, I finally asked her (again) if she was gay. She broke down and said she was.

She seems conflicted by it, relieved...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been together for nearly a year. He has several female friends I have met and like very much. However, one of them texts him every day, even while we are together. She also sends Facebook messages and sometimes calls him at work. Sometimes she drops in at his home.

Abby, this woman is married with a family of ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: When I was 11, my parents and I moved near my grandparents. I loved them very much. One day, my grandfather offered to take me for a ride around the countryside, and we jumped in his pickup truck to explore.

When we started our ride, he had me move over as close as I could to him. Then he popped open a beer and handed it to me to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been employed at a fine dining restaurant for 30 years. I love my job.

New owners bought it eight years ago, and the restaurant was booming. Our owner had an affair with another employee, and her schedule and treatment became insane. She didn't have to work as hard as the rest of us, treated everyone she worked with horribly ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm frightened that I will become homeless and won't be able to pay my bills. I'm afraid of getting older and ending up a homeless woman, freezing to death on the streets. I worry that the college degree I'm working toward will be useless.

I see the challenges older people go through: house bills, medical bills, student loans, car ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I were happily married for 45 years. We both come from large, close families, and we were devoted to each other. We virtually never fought. She died suddenly four months ago. There was no warning. I was devastated, but my family and my faith buoyed me up through the darkest times.

I still have great sadness over her death...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am getting married soon. I grew up without a biological father. When I was younger, a man (I'll call him Tom) stepped into my life and has been like a father to me for almost two decades. I have gone on several family vacations with him and his family.

In preparation for the wedding, I asked Tom if he would walk me down the aisle. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a man in my early 30s who was born with a moderately severe form of cerebral palsy. This disability has always been a major part of my life. As a child, I used a wheelchair and had several surgeries on my legs that were somewhat traumatic. However, through physical therapy and the encouragement of my parents, I was able to learn ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband's best friend remarried a couple of years ago, and the new wife, Jane, is a handful. When we get together, she's as free-spirited and open as you can get, sexually. She hangs on her husband like a magnet, grabbing at him provocatively and letting everyone know anything and everything about her sexual attraction and their ...Read more