Life Advice
/Health
Dad's Attitude Toward Ex Complicates Get-Togethers
DEAR ABBY: My parents have been divorced for almost 30 years. My father is still furious with my mother, and she is indifferent toward him.
My son is about to graduate from high school, and both grandparents want to attend the ceremony and dinner afterward. However, Dad refuses to be in proximity, or even sight line, to my mom. He wants me to ...Read more
Employee's Hours Change When Boss Adds Errands To Workload
DEAR ABBY: I started a new job a year and a half ago. It's in a small office. My boss and I are the only employees. I enjoy the job very much, but there's an aspect of it that has really started to wear on me. Increasingly, my boss has been asking me to take care of personal tasks for him that are unrelated to the business. I understand that he ...Read more
Hardworking Son Frustrated By Siblings' Free Rides From Dad
DEAR ABBY: I'm in my early 40s and have been working hard since my mid 20s. I have a nice house that my wife and I are trying to pay off and two kids. We live pretty comfortably, but by no means are we well off.
My dad is very well off, and he finances my older brother to live abroad. My younger sister, who still lives at home with him, is ...Read more
Friend's Pain Comes And Goes, Especially In Parking Lots
DEAR ABBY: My friend "Alma" has a handicapped parking permit. I never asked her why she has it. We regularly go for long walks, and she seems perfectly able-bodied. Alma did share with me once that she got the tag after an accident left her with some intermittent long-term pain. She said most days she doesn't need the accessible parking and ...Read more
Mom Devastated By Daughter's Intended Wedding Plans
DEAR ABBY: My oldest daughter, "Alexa," is breaking my heart. She's engaged to a nice enough man she's been with for five years, but she has cast aside every single wedding tradition that's important to us.
Alexa won't wear an engagement ring because diamonds are "ugly" and not politically correct. She has refused to have either an engagement ...Read more
Doorbell Camera Captures Parents Speaking About Daughter
DEAR ABBY: We were recorded on video and audio on our daughter's porch, thinking we were talking to each other privately. We were discussing how hurt we were that she didn't want to spend time with us on our 50th wedding anniversary, shortly after she and her husband moved out of state. They could easily have driven to a new RV park close to our...Read more
Second Marriage Deteriorates As Reality Becomes Clearer
DEAR ABBY: I'm 58 and five years into my second marriage. We lived together a little over a year before getting married. I spent seven years as a caregiver for my parents before marrying my current husband.
We moved to Kentucky from Florida because his mom needed us close, but since the move, he has become someone I hardly know. We finally got ...Read more
Ex-Wife Still Using 'Kids' To Hurt Their Father
DEAR ABBY: My daughter was living in my garage apartment but then got married and moved away. Her sister is in law school in another state, and her brother is even farther away in graduate school. I moved close enough to see them when they come to visit their hometown and their mother.
My ex-wife is flying the two out-of-state ones in for a ...Read more
Grandmother Thinks Toddler Should Be More Responsible
DEAR ABBY: I have a 16-month-old who has recently learned to walk. My mom was watching him one day a week while I worked part-time, but she ultimately decided it was too much stress on her back and said she could no longer lift him. Lately, she has been telling me I need to "train" him to do certain things in order for her to watch him without ...Read more