DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend of seven years is very competitive. There is constantly this underlying contest about whose kid is better, whose dog is better, etc. It’s silly. They are both great kids (and dogs) in their individual ways, and I suspect he likes to brag about his 11-year-old daughter just to publicize that she’s […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m 62 and recently retired. My wife is 56 and still working. We have been married 32 years. She will retire at 60 to get a full pension from her company, and we have several million dollars in our retirement savings. We travel together internationally once a year for about 10 days. I […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a 42-year-old single mom who recently began a relationship with a wonderful man. I have two kids from my marriage to an ex who wasn’t very kind. We did our best for 16 years (we were young when we met) and finally had to go our separate ways. The man I’m […]

DEAR ABBY: I was married for almost 20 years to a jealous, controlling man. “Pete” was emotionally abusive, which I didn’t really notice because I’m not confrontational. I would just try to make him happy and ignore his controlling behavior. Toward the end of our marriage, I realized how isolated I had become. I had […]

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, “Kirk,” and I have been dating exclusively for nearly two years and live together. We met during the pandemic, so for the first year or so, we mostly hung out — just the two of us. Since the world has opened back up, I’ve been encountering some problems now that we’re […]

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been in a “friend with benefits” relationship for more than a year now. I’m 57 and he’s 79. I was raised a Christian and wanted to save myself for marriage. This is the first time I have loved someone and been the FWB. I’m jealous of his last girlfriend and what they […]

DEAR ABBY: I come from a large, close family. The majority of them live in another state. A couple of family members live in the same state I reside in. One night, my uncle came over and we were hanging out having drinks. We both drank too much and at some point, he started to […]

DEAR ABBY: A couple of weeks ago, my 17-year-old daughter broke up with “Matt,” her boyfriend of a year and seven months. My husband and I are sad because Matt had become a part of our family. We included him in vacations and holidays with us. We also became friends with his parents and shared […]

DEAR ABBY: My parents are divorced. My father, who I’m sure loves me in his own way, is super controlling and manipulative. He wasn’t nice to my older siblings, either. He constantly lied and blamed others for his abusive behavior, which made me hate them. He constantly claimed Mom cheated on him and said my […]

DEAR ABBY: I received a Facebook invitation to my 35th high school reunion. I was bullied constantly in every grade. I had no friends in my class, and the memories I have are not pleasant. I composed a letter expressing the hope that the attendees enjoy reminiscing, and then added that I have no desire […]