Life Advice

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Health

Longtime Friendship Entails Frequent Visits From Couple

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: My husband is an outdoor enthusiast and has a group of guys he goes hunting with every year. One of them has started coming out west to vacation at our house twice a year and now has followed us to our warm-weather winter home.

When he stays at our place, we fix all the meals and he uses our washer, dryer and detergent for several ...Read more

Son's New Playmate Resides In A Home With Sex Offender

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: We recently moved to a new neighborhood. My 8-year-old son, "Joey," has become best friends with a classmate, "Paul," who lives on our street. We know from research we did when we bought our house that Paul's stepfather, with whom he lives, is a sex offender who committed crimes against children and served time in prison.

Paul has ...Read more

Parent Has Chosen To Keep Relatives At Arm's Length

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I grew up in a big lower-class family in which there has always been drama, fights, gossip, etc. I made a vow to myself that when I had my own family, I would raise them better. I keep myself and my children distanced from all of that. Am I wrong for keeping them away from my family? I don't like drama or problems. Sometimes I miss my...Read more

Intense Emotions Accompany Arrival Of Early Menopause

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I am 34 and recently found out I have started menopause. I knew it might come early for me because most of the women in my family began in their 30s and were done by 50. I have no biological children and now probably never will. I guess I waited too long for the right time, the right person, etc. I was always careful to use birth ...Read more

Reappearance Of Wife's Friend Threatens To Derail Marriage

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: Years ago, my spouse's friend "Valerie" invited us to lunch. I had never met her, but had previous contact with her through email. Valerie clearly did not like me. We sat over lunch for four hours, and during that time, although she sat across from me, she never looked at me, never spoke to me and never acknowledged my presence. It ...Read more

Best Friend Bitter That Fall Football Ritual Has Changed

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: My best friend since the 9th grade and I have always watched NFL football on Sundays. We have watched through the births of my children (he is the godfather to both; they are now adults), deaths in the family -- everything. He has never married or had a significant other. He is very family-oriented, though. He has two sisters and two ...Read more

Wife's Veganism Has Become A Third Party In Marriage

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been teachers since 1999. We married in 2011. She became vegan in 2017. It helped her beat diabetes, which I love. However, she's pure vegan for animal rights and listens to vegan podcasts all day long after teaching and on the weekends. I mean all day, EVERY day with earbuds in. I have to say, "Knock, Knock" to ...Read more

Once-Supportive Wife Becomes Abusive Drinker

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 28 years. Last year I was diagnosed with cancer. It was discovered because of a seizure I had at work. They put me in an ambulance, took me to the hospital and did a CT scan, which revealed my stage-4 cancer. Prior to this, my wife didn't work, while I had a well-paying job. This instantly reversed for obvious ...Read more

Bride-To-Be Walks A Fine Line For Her Bridesmaids

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I recently started planning my wedding. Half the friends I want as bridesmaids are very conservative. They think sex is sacred and should be talked about only discreetly, not joked about, mentioned on TV, etc. I used to hold similar views, but I no longer do. Neither do the other half of the girls I want as bridesmaids.

My dream ...Read more

Freeloading Boyfriend Makes Woman Feel Like A Bad Person

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I've been with the same guy for almost five years. I was madly in love with him the first three years, but after I had my daughter, things slowly changed. We haven't been intimate in a while. I had some female issues I wanted to take care of, plus I'm not physically attracted to him anymore. He makes little comments about it to make ...Read more

Birthday Party No-Shows Come At A Cost For Host

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I recently hosted my husband's birthday. It was a great party. I reserved for 85 people, including the DJ, his assistant, the party planner and her crew. On the day of the event, 20% of the guests who RSVP'd did not show up. One couple said their two daughters had a debut party that night. Another family said their son had an outing. ...Read more

Relative Offended By Couple's Change To Wedding Plans

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: A relative is getting married, and the RSVP date has passed. It was announced many months ago and was to be a big, formal church wedding, with eight or nine groomsmen and bridesmaids, a flower girl and ring bearer, followed by a reception.

On the last day of the RSVP deadline, the couple sent out a postcard stating: "Change of plans!...Read more

Daughter Isn't Truthful About Her Relationship

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: My daughter was 4 when we adopted her. She's 23 now, going to college and moving into an apartment soon. She has been the center of our lives, since our older children are grown. We have supported her through abandonment issues, lost boyfriends, school, everything. We went through cancer treatment with her. She acts like things are ...Read more

Estranged Daughter Is Out Of Loop On Dad's Health

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: Three years ago, our 40-year-old daughter, "Tanya," suddenly accused me of abusing her during her childhood. She also accused my husband, her dad, of enabling this abuse. Abby, the abuse never happened!

Could some therapist have planted these ideas in her head? Tanya has problems with alcohol (which she blames on me) and has been ...Read more

Ex Fails To Show At Family Funeral

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: My mom passed away recently, and the person I was in a relationship with from adolescence to my adulthood, "Charles," didn't attend her funeral. While I'm currently in a relationship with someone else I deeply love, I still feel my mother was fond of Charles despite our many hardships. Her affection for him showed without a doubt, ...Read more

Lessons From The Past Still Ring True Today

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: Years ago, I sat over lunch, reading your mom's "Definition of Maturity." It was shortly after my dad died, and reading it made me realize how lucky I had been. Those were all lessons I learned at home from my parents.

Perhaps this item is in your booklet. But could you print it in your column again for other readers to see? It's an ...Read more

Father's Threat Leads To Change In Family Dynamics

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: While I was visiting my father-in-law, a heated conversation turned violent. My husband, "Rob," was helping his dad and a neighbor with a house project. When Rob's dad became upset at him, he lifted the power saw he was holding, turned it on and motioned toward Rob saying, "You're lucky I don't slit your throat." He said some other ...Read more

Altruistic Volunteer Is Kept On The Sidelines

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: On paper, I'm an accomplished woman. I have a doctorate in Educational Leadership and had a 36-year career in education, mostly as a school administrator. I am financially stable and I have many friends. I also have an overwhelming sense of loneliness, and this is where my issues lie.

I was well accepted when I lived in the North, ...Read more

Abusive Mom Continues To Manipulate Daughter

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: I'm an only child (in my 30s now) who was raised by an emotionally and verbally abusive mother. When I wasn't her whipping post, I was an emotional crutch for her and had to assume parental tasks. Since I became an adult, she has violated my boundaries repeatedly. We just don't have a good relationship.

About 15 years ago, she ...Read more

Journal Writer Unsure Of Sharing Entries With Son

Life Advice / Dear Abby /

DEAR ABBY: During my late teens and most of my 20s, I kept journals that filled two full spiral-bound notebooks. I kept them my entire life before reading them for the first time on my recent 70th birthday. I found it to be an enlightening journey through my past on a very personal level, dealing with the highs and lows of those tumultuous years...Read more

 

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