DEAR ABBY: After three years together, my fiance and I plan to be married next year. While we have the usual couples’ things going on, one concern is making me consider postponing the wedding or ending the engagement. My fiance has a son whose mental illness led him to withdraw from high school at 16. […]
Dear Abby
Middle schooler finds it hard to make new friends
DEAR ABBY: My daughter is in eighth grade at a small private school. The problem is, she doesn’t have any friends there. Away from school she makes friends easily. But around classmates she has known for years, she’s quiet and awkward. She isn’t invited to parties or other fun activities. She wants to make friends […]
Teen fears siblings bullying about her sexual orientation
DEAR ABBY: I am a teenage girl who has recently discovered I am bisexual. I told a few close friends, and I’m happy to say they have accepted me. Nothing has changed. I have not told any of my family yet. I know my parents will support me, but the problem is two of my […]
Couple mending relationship eye speed bump on the path
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been in a long-term relationship with my boyfriend, “Mack,” for about 25 years. Eleven years ago we became more like roommates. I asked him to go to couples counseling, but he adamantly refused. He said, “If you don’t like it, find someone else.” Long story short, I began an affair with an […]
Line in the sand of sons’ habit of dropping by
DEAR ABBY: In our 20 years of marriage, my wife’s two sons have frequently stopped by or called ahead with literally 10 minutes to a half-hour’s notice. It usually happens around mealtime, when we aren’t prepared for feeding multiple people. I plan every meal in advance, and would welcome them to visit with a little […]
Man discovers lost family, but still feels unwanted
DEAR ABBY: I was adopted at 6 weeks old. My parents adopted my sister two years later. They weren’t very good parents — not abusive, but with no understanding of how to treat children. Ten years later they had a biological son, who became the center of their world, and I was pretty much left […]
Wife fights losing battle versus husband and his son
DEAR ABBY: My husband inherited a nasty habit from his mother. He calls people “crazy” to discredit them so he can win arguments and stifle discussion. I have told him it’s lazy to pass judgment on someone that way. It also shows the world how ignorant he is, because he thinks he’ll win every argument […]
Man fumes when longtime girlfriend redecorates
DEAR ABBY: I have been with my boyfriend for nine years. Over the last three months or so we have been fighting. It started when I bought a cabinet for our bathroom. When he came home, he threw a hissy fit about it. He told me he didn’t like it and kept yelling at me […]
Concerned for my nephew’s care by her younger sister
DEAR ABBY: My younger sister, “Fern,” gave birth to a son three months ago. Since she returned to work, it seems like all she does is dump her baby, “Ricky,” on others so she can sleep with her special someone. I watched Ricky a couple of times while they ran errands, even though they have […]
Man bites off more than he can chew with comments
DEAR ABBY: Every year my girlfriend and I take each other out for dinner on our birthdays and bring a gift. This year, even though I am currently experiencing financial hardship, I bought her a gift and offered her dinner. At the restaurant, she ordered the largest portion of what she wanted. She stated it’s […]