ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I recently got engaged to a man I've been seeing long distance for about a year. Then, out of the blue, an old military friend/crush called me and told me he has been thinking a lot about me and is working on himself. He apologized for the times he ghosted me because he couldn't handle relationships.

We talked for two and a half ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My daughter, "Maddie," 34, just left what I thought was a great marriage. After only five years, she cheated on her husband, "Glenn." Their 6-year-old son is crushed. I know there are two sides to every story, but our entire family loves Glenn. He's a hard worker, but quiet and kind of a homebody.

I think poor communication and lack ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I lost my husband of 20 years a little over two years ago. Last year, I moved to another state to be close to family. I rented an apartment, and my best friend moved with me. Shortly after, I met a much younger man. He was immediately interested in me. He's sweet, kind and very handsome. It took me months to realize that I'm also ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship for five years. It started out wonderful, but now I'm having second thoughts. He keeps putting my kids down and telling me I'm a bad mother. It's so bad he has even put a knife to my throat. And, yes, he hits me.

I am not an angel, but I always stand up for him and have his back. However, I don't see him...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband and I separated two months after our wedding. Our divorce was final five months ago. After I left him, I started talking to a younger guy I had a lot in common with. However, he has a gambling problem and ended up stealing money from my cash app.

He eventually paid me back and has done everything in his power to get me ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a medical student. I don't have kids or a family of my own yet, but I'd like it to happen one day. When I have kids of my own, I intend to push them to be the very best in whatever they want to do. I will ingrain in them "tough love" and demand excellence from them.

My classmates, friends and I grew up similarly. We did well ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: This is in response to "Living a Soap Opera" (Jan. 3), the unhappy woman who is married to an alcoholic. She is flattered by the three younger men she's conversing with online. My experience is that when men say they are in a place where you can't meet them, such as stationed far away in the army or on a ship, and they immediately ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for six years. The problem is his sister and the emotional hold she seems to have on him. There have been several instances in which she has been disrespectful and invasive where OUR business is concerned.

When I object to my husband about it, his response is either that he's sorry or he acts like ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been with my boyfriend for 11 years. In all this time he has never once asked me if I'm OK whenever I have gotten hurt. I got used to it, you might say. Well, I recently lost the ability to walk, and ended up in a nursing home for rehabilitation. My boyfriend would come to visit, but would never ask about progress. Furthermore,...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My 20-year-old niece, "Andrea," came to visit her grandmother wearing a nose stud. Andrea is quiet, is polite to her grandparents and aunt and is in her third year of college. Her grandmother is livid at her daughter for "allowing" the girl to do this. (It appears Andrea may be trying to rebel at this age.) Her grandmother is footing ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a colleague who has become an amazing friend over the last few years. We plan dinner dates or work conferences periodically, and we also try to book spa appointments together when we have vacation time.

"Sandy" is everything a person would want in a friend. However, when we go out to eat, she usually insists on paying for my ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: While shopping at the mall, I have seen too many stressed-out parents ignore or yell at their children. It certainly isn't helpful. It isn't how I was raised or how I raised mine. Years ago, I saw a poem in your column that addressed the ramifications of bad parenting versus good parenting. From what I've been seeing, you should print...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A dear friend, "Lorraine," contacted me because her daughter "Gabby" came out to her as bisexual and Lorraine knew I had experience with "this type of thing." My daughter is bisexual.

Lorraine was repulsed by her daughter's revelation and upset that Gabby expected her to be supportive and wear pride stickers, etc. My friend didn't ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been together six years. We are both divorced. We plan on being married in six months. He's a perfect partner except for one thing. Every holiday, he jumps out of bed in the morning and takes his phone with him into the bathroom. There he texts his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend. He feels the need to wish them a ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been friends with a woman I'll call "Blanche" for 40 years. We used to work together, and we supported each other during our divorces and other life problems. We lost touch for a time, then reconnected. I kept in touch with her for years through email at her work. We both are on Facebook, and she knows how to contact me.

Since...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My friend's house was severely damaged in a hurricane and she lost a lot of the contents. Mind you, she was one of the lucky ones. Others in her community lost everything. One of her friends started a GoFundMe account to help with repair costs, and it is now up to thousands of dollars.

My problem with this is: She's now on her third ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a healthy, single, 76-year-old man. I spend lots of time at a local gym. I met a woman there two years ago, and we went out for coffee. She's a few years younger than I am. She told me she was married, but it was a "complex" marriage. What started as a friendship morphed into an intimate affair.

We have many common interests and...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend of four years has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. We're both only 51. Obviously, we face a grim reality. He has already tried once to end our relationship to spare me the inevitable, but I convinced him I'm in it to the bitter end.

Now he's accusing his family (and me) of being interested ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I found out today that my wife was sexting with a man in another state. His girlfriend sent me a message, which included a series of screenshots. I had confronted my wife regarding this prior to receiving the messages, but she swore she had sent only ONE topless photo and nothing else. After I reviewed the messages, I saw much more.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Recently I have found myself in a difficult spot. My whole life I dreamed about marrying a college football player and, for the past eight months, I have been in a serious relationship with one. Last week he called me and told me we should take a break.

Immediately afterward, I have met up with a close friend from high school, and I ...Read more