DEAR ABBY: My best friend, “Sophie,” just became engaged to her longtime boyfriend, “Brian.” I want to be happy for her, but he doesn’t deserve her. She knows it, but she won’t leave. My problem is, I may very well be asked to be maid of honor at her wedding, and I dread the idea […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a single, stay-at-home mom of a special needs 14-year-old. I also take care of my elderly father. When life starts to overwhelm me, I tend to isolate myself to focus on taking care of my son and Dad and taking care of my mental health. I haven’t even been on social […]

DEAR ABBY: We have a close family, and we have helped our children with the down payments on their homes. My daughter has a master’s degree, is a professional with a good job and owns her own home. She has been corresponding with and visiting a high school acquaintance who has been in prison for […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have had some crazy life swings since the beginning of the pandemic, mostly positive. I found a wonderful, well-paying job that I enjoy. In our 16th year of marriage, we have also brought a healthy, happy daughter into our lives. We recently bought a lovely home, and have added […]

DEAR ABBY: I am the mother of three wonderful children. My oldest boy (who is from a previous marriage) is 11. My two younger ones are 2 (a girl) and 7 months old (a boy). My mother-in-law, “Nancy,” is the grandma of my two younger ones. She is good to all of my children, except […]

DEAR ABBY: I have always been extremely close to my cousins; we even refer to ourselves as sisters. The problem I’m having is with the boyfriend of one of them. They have been dating for almost 10 years. For the first few years we were all close, and I enjoyed spending time with them. The […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been with my husband for more than 30 years. We have no kids together, but he has three adult children from a previous marriage. All of them are in their 30s. He and his ex had a bad breakup, and she has never given up on him coming back to her. […]

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, “Aaron,” and I have been together almost 10 years. We are both divorced from narcissistic spouses. We have discussed a future together and are working toward it. It’s taking so long because Aaron’s children are quite a bit younger than mine. (I’m an empty nester; his kids are just going into […]

DEAR ABBY: From time to time, I pick my granddaughter up from public school. This week, I picked her up on Tuesday and again on Friday. Both days, she was wearing the exact same outfit, a shirt/hoodie that was too small and hand-me-down jeans that were too big. On Tuesday, when my son came to […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to “Duane” for 41 years. Between us we have five children. I had three sons; he had a son and a daughter. All of them are grown now. Over the years, the relationship my husband has with my sons has deteriorated. They feel he treats them like they are […]