ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I have a former high school classmate who, over the years, I've gotten pretty close to. He has been there for me when I was at my lowest, and I have been there for him as well. He lives several hours away, but we talked almost daily in addition to being on social media.

A few months ago I stopped hearing from him, and his social ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was deeply hurt after going to a barbecue at my oldest daughter's home. It was to celebrate my granddaughter's fourth birthday. My daughter's husband is from Thailand. He barbecued beautiful dishes of shrimp and something that looked like a gigantic crawfish. While my daughter is accustomed to and enjoys this food, she and her ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I hope you can answer a question for us. Two couples we were extremely close with for more than 10 years were divorced two and three years ago. We have just been told that Husband A has been secretly dating Wife B for six months. Wife A and Wife B were besties. The men were good friends, but not best friends like the women...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I love my wife very much, but we are, unfortunately, having a communication/interpretation issue. She is inquisitive and asks a lot of questions. I become defensive when I'm questioned. Sometimes I feel it shows a lack of confidence or trust in me. My wife says I am being too sensitive.

There are times when I infer a negative tone ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been in my second marriage for almost 20 years. My wife came with two grown children, who each have two kids. I have tried to be the best family man I could, and a father and grandfather who treated them like they were my own.

My wife's daughter Diana recently disrupted everything after I gave her daughter (my granddaughter) ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: After 28 years of marriage, is it strange that I would like my wife to initiate sex? I would like to know that she is interested, not just me. When I brought it up three weeks ago, her response again was, We can whenever you want to, which wasn't true because I have been turned down before. Any suggestions? She stays home all day and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a guy who is 27. I have always been somewhat shy and reserved, but I do like people and I like mixing. After more than a year of being locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic, although I was fine being housebound, I started missing human contact.

Social opportunities are opening up for me now, and though I was never great in ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am currently without a job. I hesitated to inform my mother because I was sure her reaction would only add to my stress. I was right. She constantly corners me about my efforts to find a job. I talk to her nearly every day to keep up with how she and my stepfather are doing. Because she never fails to dig into me about my job search...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A friend of 40 years is always saying what she can't afford, yet she owns property, has a 401(k), always finds additional work in her field and buys the cheapest groceries. She won't spend a dime, even when it's necessary.

In a recent text she was going on again about money. When I (jokingly) quipped, You're probably a millionaire by...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and I'm undergoing chemotherapy. My children are still in school. I have lost all my hair and wear a wig when out in the community. It closely approximates my pre-cancer hairstyle, except it's a bit shorter with highlights.

Acquaintances have seen me at events, and complimented me on my ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 16-year-old girl, and I've been struggling a little bit. My family is super-Christian. They believe that members of the LGBTQ community are sinful because of who they are. I do not agree.

I have a small group of friends. Two of them have come out to me as bi and gender-fluid. When my family talks about gay people, they say ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 41-year-old divorced woman. My two grown children live with their dad. I have been in a relationship with Sir Talks-a-Lot for 16 months. I feel like I love him, but I'm having lots of doubts. When I don't see him, it doesn't bother me. If I made a pros-and-cons list, there would be more cons than pros.

And he talks nonstop -- ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My 24-year-old son is in rehab for the second time. We paid for the first, but we are not financing this one. He has moved in and out of our home since he was 18. We have tried written agreements, but he doesn't follow them. We let him move back in after his first stay in rehab, despite the fact that he had stolen from us and had ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My 16-year-old daughter, Lily, came home from her father's very upset. She has trouble sleeping, and I have been taking her to the doctor for tests. Her father told her not to tell anyone, handed her a vibrator and told her that an orgasm will help her sleep. Lily was shocked and embarrassed that he would suggest such a thing and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 28-year-old mother of two. My teenaged adopted sister steals makeup from stores. It sometimes happens when we are together, but I never catch her doing it. She has told me she feels no remorse about stealing the items.

My parents and I have lectured her time after time. She's now claiming her friends give her makeup they don't ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been with my boyfriend, Nick, for 10 years. We have been through a lot. We have a 3-year-old son, and Nick's mom passed away shortly after his birth. Nick now tells me he doesn't want to watch our son, that he wants his time for himself. All I need is for him to watch him one day a week while I'm at work. My family helps the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to my loving husband for 28 years. We have a great relationship, and are soul mates. On holidays and birthdays my husband is generous, but he buys me jewelry that suits HIS taste, not mine. He likes a specific style that I don't care for at all, so it sits unworn in my closet. After all these years, he finally ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: What financial responsibility do parents have to their adult children and grandchildren? We are a blended family of 35 years. It is the second marriage for my wife and me, with four children and eight grandchildren. One child insists it is our responsibility to assist with the cost of educating his two children. Over the last 15 years...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for nearly 10 years. I guess I never noticed this while we were dating, but as our marriage has progressed, it's becoming increasingly apparent he's a complete mama's boy. He calls her constantly with updates (some I'd prefer she didn't know about) and invites her over frequently without consulting me.

I have ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been dating a great guy for a year and a half. For eight years before we met, he dated a woman with teenage daughters. He never had children, so they are as close to his own kids as he will ever have. He was recently invited to the graduation party of one of the daughters. It will be a weeklong trip, since they have moved across ...Read more