ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My sister and I have a close but complicated relationship. She has always embellished stories about me when she's talking to others, and most of the time they portray me in a bad light. I usually ignore them when they get back to me, because I choose to pick my battles with her.

In the past when I confronted her, she has blown up at ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been going out with this guy for a couple of months. The problem is, he has to ALWAYS talk to every woman he sees -- from a two-second conversation to a several-minute conversation. He doesn't even know 99% of them.

When we go to a store, I feel like I'm invisible. He'll walk away from me and start talking to women. I don't ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: During my teenage years, I was repeatedly raped by my brother. The emotional and physical damage has left my life broken. He is now in a long-term relationship. Should I tell his girlfriend about the abuse? When I confronted him about it years ago, he denied it. If you were his girlfriend, wouldn't you want to know? -- HOLDING ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: When my husband and I fight, which isn't really that often, he shuts himself away for several days. He locks the door to his office or the guest room and won't come out. I try to give him time to cool off, but sometimes it's awkward. He wouldn't talk to me at all for several days while his whole family was here celebrating his grandma...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My fiance, Peter, has a number of female friends I'm not comfortable with, primarily because they are women he had interest in before we started dating. He says he has told them he's taken now and they can't be more than friends, but I don't think they got the message. He recently told me one of them told him a guy had proposed to her...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My girlfriend, Dyanne, and I recently had a baby conceived not long after we started dating. While I love my child with all my heart, Dyanne is constantly dropping hints that she wants an engagement ring or a promise ring. I understand why because she has explained her reasons. But she's pressuring me to provide something I believe ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: How do you know when a grandparent is no longer capable of babysitting? Recently, my mother-in-law came to visit and, as usual, she babysat our toddler while I ran errands, went to the gym, etc.

When I returned, it was immediately obvious that my son had soiled his diaper, so I changed him. I could tell it had been some time since he...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A year and a half ago, I separated from my husband because I was being neglected, not respected, and mistreated emotionally. During the separation, he had to have surgery and needed to be taken care of while he healed. I went back because, as his wife, I felt obligated to do the right thing.

I have tried to move forward and restore ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I need some advice regarding my mother-in-law. She has hated me since the first time she met me because I'm not from the country but from the city. I have given her gifts for birthdays and holidays and invited her on day trips with us, but she always refuses.

She also makes up lies about me. She claims I have STDs, spend all her son'...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 38-year-old woman who used to be nice. Then I had a three-year affair. Knowing I'm one of America's bigger fools -- and for such a long time -- is infuriating, but I finally saw the light. The only person I think is a bigger fool than me is his wife.

Some highlights of our romance: He gave me an STD during spring break, I found...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am becoming more and more irritated with people. My fuse is short and I'm prone to bursts of anger. Today I watched another driver run a red light, and I proceeded to honk my horn, lower my window and give the guy my middle finger. (Yeah, I know it was risky, but I couldn't resist the impulse.)

I am sick of people! They are, in my ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My niece is getting married this spring, which has created a dilemma for my immediate family. When the save-the-date cards went out, she addressed them only to the women in the family. We thought it was a mistake at first, but now the invitations have arrived, and they are also addressed to the women only.

My husband and my son (her ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My brother dated an alcoholic for years. Jenny's drinking progressively worsened to the point we could no longer have a conversation with her. She was a sloppy, emotional drunk and lied about her drinking to my brother. He finally became unhappy and recently broke off the relationship. His adult children, our dad, my husband and I are...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been talking to my ex-boyfriend of more than 22 years. We have a grown son. We are now in our 50s and talking and texting again. I still love him, and I want a relationship with him, but I'm not sure he wants me back. I don't know if he's interested in me or just being friendly.

Can you help? At the end of our last phone call ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a friend, Tara, I have known for a long time. Early in our friendship when we made plans, she would bring her boyfriend along (without asking or telling me she was). When she began dating her now-husband, it continued. I did grow to like him and appreciated the chance to get to know him, but I thought it could have been handled...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A friend of 40 years got mad at me after the last presidential election. I told her I didn't want to talk politics, since we voted for different candidates. She then emailed me saying she thought we should take a break from our long-distance phone calls. We had been calling each other every two weeks to catch up.

Because it has now ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My preteen son is friends with a boy I don't quite approve of, but I understand that sometimes bad decisions lead to future wisdom. When I can, I allow the friend to come to our house to hang out with my son because this friend allegedly has a difficult home life.

During this last visit, I noticed them hanging out a little physically...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A year ago, I was contacted by a half-sister I'll call Shyla, who my mother placed for adoption at birth. My mother passed away five years ago. She was a horrible mother who physically, verbally and emotionally abused my brother and me. Giving Shyla up was the best thing she ever did. I have spent years in therapy to work through my ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Our daughter has been married for three years to a wonderful guy she dated for 10 years and loves dearly. Because she doesn't like his last name, she chose to maintain her maiden name. He understood this soon after they started dating.

She's now three months pregnant and facing a dilemma about what to name their child. She's adamant ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My significant other is a super-nice guy, who everyone likes and gets along with -- until the topics of religion, spirituality and afterlife come up. Any discussion of these subjects (whether or not it involves him) is injected with his sarcasm, hostility and sharp criticism.

He refuses to be silent during the discussions and ends up...Read more