ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I take care of two girls. I have never asked for money from their dad. Because they are poor, I go to great lengths to make sure they get the same advantages as everyone else.

I took the girls to the hair salon because I wanted them to feel pretty. When it was the youngest girl's turn, the stylist found lice in her hair! She was at ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: For several years, my husband and I were good friends with Pam and David. About a year ago, we moved to a new house just a few blocks from theirs. They decided they liked some of the features of our new home and immediately started remodeling theirs to resemble ours.

Pam and David both work and I am retired, so Dave asked if I would ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my husband for four years, and before that, I knew him for about a year. At the time, he was very loving and considerate, but right after we got married, his true nature emerged.

He drinks heavily every night and says horrible things. In the morning, he has no recollection of it and expects me to be loving and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I met a really great guy online eight months ago. He lives in another country and we have been in a long-distance relationship for the last six months. We talk all the time, video chat frequently and have grown very close. I have never clicked with anyone like I have with him, and I know he feels the same.

We are having a significant...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My niece (age 25), despite numerous warnings against getting pregnant, deliberately did three years ago. This was a result of an affair with a man who is in a live-in relationship with another woman.

My niece ended up in the hospital and had to have some serious surgeries. She lost her job and moved in with my sister and her husband....Read more

DEAR ABBY: My sister Blanche and her husband moved to the small town where my husband and I settled 23 years ago. Blanche is 11 years older than I am. My husband and I like our space, but we do spend time with them. They are retired, but we are still working.

Over the past three years they have not made any friends here in town to socialize ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: When I first started dating my boyfriend seven years ago, I told him that I wanted to someday adopt a child. He said he would like his own children first, but adoption would be cool.

We now have two children, 5 and 3, and I'm ready to adopt. We're financially able to support another child, and we both have great careers.

When I ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My brother and sister-in-law recently told me their 5-year-old son claims my 9-year-old son touched him inappropriately on several occasions. Understanding that any parent believes what their child says, I asked my son if he has ever touched or done anything inappropriate to anyone. His response was, Why would I do that?

My ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I dwell in a small, Southern and, I thought, safe hometown. I'm currently unemployed and therefore unable to afford a place of my own. I live with my parents. I have job-searched for months now for something within walking distance. I pay for food with food stamps. But I can't yet pay for transportation, insurance, necessities, etc.

...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am writing about your Keepers booklet, the collection of your most popular essays, poems and letters. I would like to purchase a copy, but first, I have a question. Is there a particular favorite of yours in there? -- BIG FAN IN FORT WAYNE, IND.

DEAR FAN: My Keepers booklet contains 72 column items that readers have told me they ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm recently married, and in my opinion, my wife has too many pets -- seven inside dogs. She also feeds the neighborhood cats, so at any given time of day, there are 10 to 18 cats in our front yard.

The dogs inside have no boundaries. They have taken over the main living space. The family room sofas are filthy and destroyed, so we ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am in my 30s and correspond with a pen pal. She is over 65 and lives several states away. We have never met in person. We have been writing each other for seven years. Recently, she has been having memory problems. She has indicated that she's done testing and been to doctor's appointments for the issue.

Her letters are becoming ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband raised my son as his own from the time he was an infant. Now my son's biological father is saying he wants our son to stay away from my ex-husband. However, my ex-husband and my son have a very strong bond. I believe the bond is even stronger than what he has with his biological father.

They are both good dads, but my ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: About a year ago, I confessed to one of my close guy friends that I liked him. He said he wasn't looking for a relationship. I haven't brought it up since. I have now found out his roommate is interested in me. I politely declined his advances, but I can't help but wonder if the guy I like turned me down because he knew his roommate ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I moved from another state four years ago. He went a year and a half before getting a job after we moved. Now he's out of a job again.

It has been seven months. He sits on the sofa and lounges around the house. He looks briefly for alerts on new job postings. He does a few chores -- not many.

He was an attorney, but ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 30-year-old divorced male. I suffered from a stroke six months ago and have paralysis on one side of my body. After rehab, I returned home able to walk with a cane.

I have started texting a beautiful divorced woman. She lives next door, and we have been friends for more than six years. I don't know her age, but she's at least ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was involved with a man (Mike) I cared deeply about. One day he came to me saying he had a secret he needed to share. He explained that he was in love with another woman, and they had decided to get back together. I asked him all the normal questions. He explained as best as he could and apologized.

Three weeks later, Mike called ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 15-year-old girl. I have been friends with Amanda for two years. She helped me through a really tough time, which is how we became friends.

Recently, she has been going around telling people she is dating someone famous from a band and claiming she gets to hang out with them all the time. It is really stressful.

My other ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have always been close to my oldest brother and his wife. I'm 24 years younger than they are. In some ways, I think I was like a child to them because they were never able to have children naturally or through adoption.

Ever since I had my first child two years ago, they have become distant. They skip family occasions and don't ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I know a young newlywed couple who just had their first baby. The baby is weeks old and isn't crawling yet. My concern is that they have a box turtle for a pet in their small apartment. They've had the turtle for probably a year and, while it has a cage, they often let it loose in the kitchen. I don't know if it has reign over other ...Read more