DEAR ABBY: I have a sister in-law, “Karen,” no one in my husband’s family likes. She’s rude and insulting and acts like she is better than everyone else. She feels she’s entitled to have family members watch her kids so she can do what she wants. (If you refuse, she drops the kids off at […]

DEAR ABBY: For several years, I have gone to a medical specialist I’ll call “Eric” for certain issues. Eric’s wife, “Nina,” and I were very close friends. Our families celebrated holidays and special occasions together. However, over the course of our friendship, Nina shared many details about their personal lives with me. They are now […]

DEAR ABBY: Two and a half years ago we lost my dad, who was 94. He and Mom had been married 72 years. She entered assisted living right before COVID — with all its difficulties — set in. We made it through that, we’re all vaccinated now and her facility has opened back up. Mom […]

DEAR ABBY: A friend, “Marie,” approached me in the parking lot after church, raising her voice, flailing her arms and saying three people had told her that I told them to stay away from her and her husband. I told Marie it wasn’t true, and she and her husband were my friends. She reiterated that […]

DEAR ABBY: I met my boyfriend online last year. He lives in the U.K.; I’m in the U.S. I love him dearly and we talk about moving in together within the next year. The original plan was for him to emigrate, since I am closer to my family and have an established job. However, I’m […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband of 30 years has always made me feel like I wasn’t good enough for him. He would flirt with other women and say things to me about an ex-girlfriend he broke up with before marrying his first wife. (I caught him private messaging her.) He has told me four different times […]

DEAR ABBY: I became engaged to a wonderful man five months ago. We have set a wedding date for next year. I’m ecstatic — thrilled to be planning such an important milestone in my life. I’m the youngest of five girls. Four of us are extremely close. Three of my sisters have graciously offered to […]

DEAR ABBY: Although my husband and I are no longer in a romantic relationship, we are what I call “life partners.” After cancer left him impotent, he rejected any physical affection at all. I had an extramarital affair which lasted four years. My boyfriend passed away last year. I have no desire to be physically […]

DEAR ABBY: Fifteen years ago, I “ran away from home” to get away from my adult children, and I finally made a life for myself. They were able to stay in the house because I continued to pay the mortgage. Their dad — my ex — and his family all lived nearby. Now, none of […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for five years. My husband and I are both past middle age and have been married before (me twice; three times for him). For much of our early marriage, my husband was ill. He required several surgeries and a lot of care. I never complained or felt burdened, yet […]