ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My mother is toxic. She had a terrible childhood, and she takes it out on me and my younger siblings. I live far away; they live in the same town as she does. If they don't drop everything for her and do what she wants, she calls them selfish.

Because I had to leave town to get my life together, I am accused of "abandoning" her. I am...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship with "Ben" for 13 years, but I have been to his parents' home only twice. I really love him. We never go anywhere or do anything together. He has never given me a gift for any occasion or "just because." Material things don't matter to me, but if he thought to get me something, it would make me feel he ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My 25-year-old son lives with his two girlfriends, who are also romantically involved with each other. They share a single bedroom. One of them has a baby due this week, and the other has made noises about wanting a child.

I don't approve of this arrangement and can't see it ending well. I love my son and I have a good relationship ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a Chinese man born in the United States. My girlfriend, whom I've yet to meet in person, lives in China and is 24 years younger than I am. (I live in California.) We're awaiting approval of paperwork with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. We have both been divorced twice. She has a grown son (single) in his 30s in ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My sister passed away from cancer seven years ago. Her daughter and I have always been close -- doing things together, going on trips, etc. Four years ago, she started dating a guy who thinks he's better than everyone. I have met him but have yet to meet the rest of his family. She always comes up with some excuse.

This past weekend ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I had a baby right around the time my father remarried. I didn't know my new stepmother very well when she started giving me parenting advice. The issue is, her convictions are not in line with mine and also conflict with the advice from the CDC or the American Academy of Pediatrics. Some examples: She insists ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My son and his family live six hours from me. I can afford the gas to drive there, but paying for a hotel room for two nights is beyond my means. My son is a stay-at-home dad of seven children. When I asked his wife if I could stay at their place, thinking one child could make a pallet on the floor, giving me their bed, she said she ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: When I was young and even as I grew older, my father touched me inappropriately. It made me uncomfortable even as an adult. I feel like when I was very small, something more may have happened. I may have been drugged to keep me from remembering. I know a few weird things that went on, and my mother knew about it. I always felt ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been together for 15 years and share a 14-year-old son. We no longer have a physical relationship. I'm trying to decide if it's worth getting a divorce. Our marital relations were what I would consider normal, at least once a week, before and during my pregnancy. However, once my son was born, it became less and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I met this guy at work. He was everything I'm looking for in a guy. During a lunch walk, he told me about his breakup with his ex and how he moved out and bought a house. He lives with his son and his nephews and their family. The entire two months we dated were amazing. There may have been a couple of red flags my co-worker and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My father has depended on my mother (and me) for money for as long as I can remember. It wasn't because he was unable to work, but because he was lazy and had a drinking and gambling problem. My parents eventually divorced, and my father moved in with his sister (my aunt). She died in 2016, which would have made my father homeless, so...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was shocked at your response to "Hosted Out" (March 28), who was frustrated at having to host, feed and entertain her husband's hunting buddy and his wife several times a year. I agreed with your suggestion that she stay elsewhere while these friends stay at her home so her husband will (hopefully) see the light when he's the one ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been having an issue lately involving my mother. It feels like she isn't really my "mother" but someone who thinks we're best friends. It's like she never really grew out of her high school days -- and I'm almost 30.

I'll have days at work where she texts to tell me about her day or her recent struggles, or she asks me to find ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My girlfriend, "Jessica," thinks I've cheated on her because I didn't come home right away after being given the day off. My grandparents were away on vacation. When they go away, they want me to check on the house and bring in the mail and newspaper.

On this particular day, I decided to drive by, did what needed to be done and spent...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I recently watched a video of the founder of Overeaters Anonymous, Rozanne S., telling the story of founding the program and her own struggles with food. In it, she mentioned that your mother had been instrumental in getting OA information out to the public and was responsible for its growth.

Abby, OA saved my life, and I'm grateful ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We invited a couple for a short visit to our remote country cabin. Afterward, I discovered a pair of pink panties lying on the road in front of our mailbox. When I picked them up with a stick to carry to the trash, I realized they were a pair of clean pink panties I had misplaced. They must have stuck to the sheets I had placed on the...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My fiancee has a number of male friends she has known for years. One of them stops off at her work, brings food and gifts, and may go out with her after hours. Another called her one evening and invited her out for drinks to celebrate his promotion.

At a recent party, another one had his hands on her back or shoulders whenever he ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My sister has bullied and controlled me most of my life. She has said many very unkind things, and I have reached a place in my life where I need peace and distance from her. Because of this, I have blocked her from texting or calling me.

The problem I'm having is that my sister texts and sends pictures and presents to my in-laws. I ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We adopted our daughter, "Opal," at the age of 2. She is 6 now. Opal lived with us off and on as a newborn, but by age 1, she lived permanently with us. We live in a small community, so everyone knows everyone. Opal lived with her biological mom prior to adoption.

We tried to allow interaction between them with certain rules in place...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We have five grandchildren. All but one call me MeeMaw. I've been MeeMaw since my first grandchild was born 15 years ago. Four years ago, our third grandchild was born, and the fourth arrived the next month. This fourth grandchild was calling me MeeMaw until one day when she started calling me MeeMawMeeMaw, which my child's spouse ...Read more