ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I am a man in his 60s who lost his wife two years ago to a heart attack. I have fallen in love with my cousin, who is also in her 60s, divorced and a lawyer. Is it reasonable for me to ask her to go with me on dates? Can a man marry his first cousin? -- CONFUSED IN NEW JERSEY

DEAR CONFUSED: According to the free legal reference ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a man in my late 60s who hasn't had a family birthday party since I was a child. My mother's birthday is seven days from mine, so celebrations were always for her, and mine were sort of lost in the shuffle. This was never a problem for me when I was younger, but as I get older, I think it would be nice to have a party.

When I ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My fiance gets annoyed and calls it weird that I talk to my daughter every morning on my way to work and in the afternoon on my way home. She's a wife and young mother of two, ages 1 and 4. I'm proud of how well she is doing.

I work full time, and she works part time. We're both always busy, so we don't see each other as often as we'...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My two youngest children have special needs. Both have the mentality of a 7- or 8-year-old. Today, my daughter (13) told the school counselor that her brother (15) has been touching her inappropriately. I feel like I'm reliving a nightmare. Six years ago, my oldest son touched her. He was charged and tried as an adult.

My daughter is...Read more

DEAR ABBY: As an 80-year-old man, I'm up against a problem I cannot deal with. I've been married to an amazing lady for 57 years whom I love to death. She has put up with a lot from me, and I am so grateful. Now it's my turn, and I'm falling woefully short. Her mother died of complications from dementia, as did her older brother. My mother had ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been in a relationship with a man for three years and living with him for the past two. He has two married daughters and seven grandkids. Before I entered his life, he had an open-door policy. He allowed them to visit whenever they wanted, and they still have keys to his house.

My partner and I are not on the same page regarding...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I moved 2,000 miles to be near my daughter and her family. One of my granddaughters, "Libby," was diagnosed with a medical condition and has put on some weight. I was at my daughter's and was going to mention my concern for my granddaughter's weight. Before I could finish, my son-in-law came in, told me I shouldn't be talking about ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: All members of my family are white. When my children were smaller, an incident occurred at a family holiday. One relative has a history of making racist comments, so this time we told everyone that if it happened again, we would leave. He did, and we left. My husband raised his voice at that person and made polite excuses to everyone ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 79-year-old woman who, over time, has suffered the loss of several family members. Now I'm facing the worst loss imaginable. A year ago, my 24-year-old grandson "Rafe" cut himself off from his father and from me. Until then, we had been a close, loving family who did things together. Rafe and his girlfriend live rent-free in my...Read more