Life Advice
/Health
Community Politics Make One Office-Seeker Uneasy
DEAR ABBY: There's a social club within our retirement community that meets once a month, and I have attended since moving here. During this time, I have brought new ideas and proposed new events. Everyone likes me, for which I am grateful. The current president is stepping down because he is relocating. Following his announcement, everyone was ...Read more
Son Caught Off Guard By Parents' Reconciliation
DEAR ABBY: My husband's parents divorced 50 years ago when he was a newborn. Both remarried within a few years. My husband was raised by his mom and stepdad. His mother and father had little contact after their divorce. Because of that, my husband does not have a close relationship with his biological father, who made little effort to be in his ...Read more
Childhood Friend Knows Truth Of Man's Parentage
DEAR ABBY: Forty years ago, a neighborhood boy fathered a child with a neighborhood girl. "Billy" was 17 at the time, and "Becky" was 14 or 15. Both were friends of mine. They were not a steady couple. She liked him, but I feel he used her. I heard that she married an older gentleman who accepted the baby, "Matt," as his own.
Ten years ago, I ...Read more
Alumnus Disappointed By 20th Class Reunion Snub
DEAR ABBY: I recently found out that my 20-year high school reunion took place and I wasn't invited. I'm still occasionally in touch with several friends from high school and easy to find on social media. I did attend my 10-year reunion, although I may not have received an invite myself because I went as part of a group.
I wasn't very popular ...Read more
Parents Upset By Daughter's Opaque And Dodgy Love Life
DEAR ABBY: Three days before my daughter "Ginger's" wedding, her fiance called to announce that he could not marry her because she's bisexual. It's something he knew about for a year but waited until three days before the wedding to mention.
Needless to say, my husband and I were shocked, embarrassed and devastated. We had gone to a wedding ...Read more
Office Entreaties Receive Cold Shoulder From Co-Worker
DEAR ABBY: A woman where I work refuses to acknowledge me. Every day for the past nine months, she walks by my desk and ignores me even after I've said "Hello" or "Good morning." I hate to seem petty, but I don't get how someone can be so rude.
Has workplace culture become so impersonal that people no longer have or employ basic social skills? ...Read more
Boyfriend Eager To Keep Girlfriends From Meeting
DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, "Rick," and I broke up 10 years ago and reunited two years ago. I'm in good health, own my own home, and am financially independent. Rick is nine years older. He owns his own home and is retired. We have been seeing each other every week for the last two years. He has spent many hours painting and doing repairs to my ...Read more
Friend Concerned About Woman's Homeless Plight
DEAR ABBY: A good friend of 20 years has been homeless for several months. After a short stint of staying in various Airbnbs, she is now mostly living in her car. She has a good-quality, FREE living option available to her. But it would require her to move five hours away, and she doesn't want to leave her job here. Meanwhile, I have a guest ...Read more
Family At Odds Over Wedding Invitation Involving Sister
DEAR ABBY: My young daughter is the half-sister of a famous athlete's wife. They were married last year and invited my daughter. A week later they DISinvited her! There is a 20-year gap in their ages, but my daughter looks up to her half-sister. My daughter's feelings were really hurt. My feelings may have been even more hurt. All of her other ...Read more
Man Likes To Let Others Do The Heavy Lifting
DEAR ABBY: Our son plays a college sport for which he receives four complimentary tickets for each game. It works out well because there are four of us in his immediate family.
However, my husband has been asking friends of his to join us at games by offering them free tickets. Our son then must find a teammate with unused tickets and ask for ...Read more
Absentee Mother's Prognosis Prompts Different Reactions
DEAR ABBY: I was married young to my high school sweetheart. We had five children together. During that time, I joined the Air Force. After six years of marriage, I discovered my wife was cheating on me. Once I realized we couldn't reconcile, I told her I wanted a divorce and custody of the children. She agreed. It cost me my career with the ...Read more
Wife Has A New Kind Of Workout In Mind
DEAR ABBY: I've been married to the most amazing woman for 30 years. She became a personal trainer and is in incredible shape. I'm not in her kind of shape, and I can't perform too well sexually, even with ED meds. She recently asked if she could have her (sexual) needs taken care of by a young client she trains. I'm OK with it, since I'm ...Read more
Readers Detail Options For Tech-Averse Writer
DEAR ABBY: This is in response to "Love My Cheap Phone" (Aug. 28). As a millennial who has worked in retail my whole adult life, I'm tired of the excuse that the older generation can't or won't use smartphones.
Personal computers have been out for decades, and smartphones have been around more than 16 years. Like the automatic transmission, ...Read more
Boyfriend's Bad Advice Proves Costly To Woman
DEAR ABBY: I went to visit a man I was dating and there was no visitor parking available. He told me to park in any space, even though there were signs stating non-residents would be towed. He said not to worry about it, that I'd be there only a few hours. Suffice it to say, I got towed.
He did drive me to the tow yard to retrieve my car, but ...Read more
Widow Navigates Change In Relations With Former In-Laws
DEAR ABBY: My husband passed away four years ago. I started dating my current beau two years ago. We are great friends. We are supportive of each other and enjoy our new life together.
I have drifted apart from my late husband's side of the family. We're still friendly but don't have as frequent contact as we used to because we all live great ...Read more
Siblings Discover They're Incompatible As Roommates
DEAR ABBY: I'm 20, and I recently moved into an apartment with my 19-year-old sister. I thought it would be a great idea because we'd get to see each other more often and we'd be more comfortable living together than with strangers. Recently, however, she has gotten a new boyfriend she brings over all the time.
I don't like people. Having him ...Read more
Wife's Admissions Damage Husband's Trust In Her Word
DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 30 years. Recently, she shared details of two infidelities that she had with other men.
The first was with an individual on the staff of our church who held himself out to be my friend. My wife says it was an unprovoked attack, where he forced himself upon her. But when I asked why...Read more
Sister Has A Penchant For Telling Tall Tales
DEAR ABBY: Over the years, my younger sister, "Hannah," has been lying about some significant things, such as: She claims she was there alone with our dad when he died; that our older sister tried to talk her into signing herself into a state mental hospital; that my boyfriend was imaginary, etc.
Her most recent fabrication, told to an elderly ...Read more
Teen's Wardrobe Choices Are Too Much For One Mom
DEAR ABBY: I am a fairly laid-back mom of a wonderful 13-year-old daughter. Her friends are nice kids, but some of them dress pretty provocatively. I have seen them wear super-short shorts that are very "cheeky" and tops that really expose their assets.
We have been invited to a party at a friend's home, and my daughter is allowed to bring a ...Read more
Boss Has Taken Advantage Of Employee's Kind Offer
DEAR ABBY: My boss, who recently separated from her husband and is getting divorced, has moved within walking distance of work. The problem is, she can't drive, and her daughter needs to be taken to and from school. I offered to help her out with her daughter, but now she's asking me to take her everywhere she needs to go.
I have been ...Read more