ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I grew up not knowing who my biological father was. When I met him for the first time, I was 18. When we met, I felt I had found a piece of who I was. I loved him immediately, as if I had known him my whole life.

We talked and hung out for the next four months until I moved in with him to escape an abusive relationship. I was ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My friend Nan is planning her wedding and asked if I, along with our friends, would be bridesmaids. Fast-forward a few months: The bride-to-be is now pregnant. We're having our first get-together as a bridal party, and she wants us to serve only nonalcoholic mocktails for our girls' night in. I asked the maid of honor if we could have...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am in a loving relationship with a kind and caring man, Byron. He has a preteen son, Eli, from a previous relationship. Eli stays with us several days a week, and I watch him while Byron goes to work. Byron and I would like to spend the rest of our lives together, but I'm uncertain if I can truly be a stepmother to his son.

Eli ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my husband for 17 years. After several years, I realized he had some depression issues. Ten years ago, after he was diagnosed with PTSD, he stopped working and has been at home ever since.

I work full time, pay the bills, take care of the kids, run the errands, drop the kids off at practice, clean the house, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 34-year-old man who is somewhat socially awkward. I want to start dating and hopefully find that special someone. The problem is, I have an addiction. It's not to alcohol or drugs, but to online games.

I have been gaming since I was 18, shortly after I joined the military, and it has been the majority of my social interaction....Read more

DEAR ABBY: Jumbled in Ohio (Aug. 10) indicated that her lack of interest in her husband started about a year after the birth of her second child. You recommended counseling, which is needed, but you should also have recommended she talk to a medical doctor, especially one who specializes in hormone imbalance. I've been there! Luckily, with the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 67-year-old divorced mother of five and grandmother of eight. My marriage to the father of my first four children ended 30 years ago because he was physically and emotionally abusive. After the divorce, I managed to put myself through college, and I am now a retired teacher. I also remarried, which resulted in having one more ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My best friend and I are both male and 25. We've been friends since third grade. We were apart for four years of college and two years after because we were employed in different states. He has now been transferred and lives and works a few miles from where I do. We see each other frequently and often double date.

He recently shared ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a smartphone, and I love its convenience. I check my email, texts and voicemail three or four times a day and always try to respond promptly. But I do not carry my phone with me every moment of the day.

Some family members insist that the polite thing to do is to return a text message or voicemail IMMEDIATELY. They carry their...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a college freshman. I have decided I want to get a job so I can support myself and pay half the rent in the apartment my mom resides in.

I have always been shy because I don't really know how to talk to people. Every interview I go on, I never get a callback. How do I get connected at school and manage a job? How can I have more...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was happily married with three daughters until I found out I had fathered a son two years before I married my wife. The news was a shock to us all. That information was kept from me for 13 years, and my wife is having a hard time dealing with the situation. We were dating at the time it happened.

I have been trying to do the right ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A new co-worker started a few weeks ago. (FYI, I'm a gay man.) We share similar interests and have a lot in common. As I am getting to know him, I have become increasingly attracted to him and his personality. My joking around with him is borderline flirtatious. He hasn't said anything about it or shown signs of being uncomfortable, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We have a small house, and family and friends are always welcome. We also have six cats, and their care and comfort are paramount. We keep our cats separated so they don't fight, so two cats occupy what used to be our guest room. We have explained this to overnight guests, several of whom are allergic to cats or don't like them, and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a friend on social media whose brother died by suicide several months ago. She was the one who found him. They were close, and I think he was her last immediate family member. She has posted openly about how horrible this experience has been and how sad she feels.

More recently, however, her posts have become increasingly ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been spending time with a certain gentleman for more than five years. I am in love with him. We dated at first, then became friends with benefits. He had another woman move in with him a few years ago, but we are still friends with benefits, and he has become my best friend. He listens when I need someone to talk to and knows how...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My father died three years ago. My parents were both close to his younger brother and his wife. For the past two years, I have suspected that my mother and my uncle have been having an affair. They live in different states and text back and forth. She has left her phone open when she has gone places with us, and the comments back and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I need some advice for my dear friend. She needs to have chemotherapy and her husband says he won't help her when she gets sicker from the meds. She is devastated and feels like he isn't even her husband anymore. He told her he will move out and put her into a nursing home and that they can break up. Any advice? -- DEVASTATED IN THE ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My father was killed recently in a shooting. I have received text messages and phone calls from my immediate family and close friends. My mother-in-law was thoughtful enough to send me a card, and I called to thank her the day I received it.

My husband has other close relatives. None of them called me, not even my sister-in-law. They...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am 30 years old, the only child of divorced parents in their late 60s. Neither of them has remarried.

Because of certain family events, I encouraged Dad to create a will four years ago. He never had one because he doesn't have much money or any property to bequeath, but my understanding is that putting things in writing helps ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Our college-age daughter has been withdrawn and depressed for some time. During a recent visit, after asking her several times what was wrong, encouraging her to continue counseling and expressing general concern for her, I finally asked her (again) if she was gay. She broke down and said she was.

She seems conflicted by it, relieved...Read more