DEAR ABBY: Although he has never hit me, my husband has been emotionally and verbally abusive ever since our wedding five years ago. One of his favorite names for me when he’s angry is “F—-n’ B—-.” I know this is my fault because I have tolerated it. Today, my 2 1/2-year-old daughter (who is usually […]

DEAR ABBY: My daughter and son-in-law’s dog, “Zeke,” is a poor houseguest. We have kept him several times while they were vacationing. This last time, a long weekend, was very stressful. Zeke is a hound dog (58 pounds) and stubborn. He jumps on furniture, jumps up to the kitchen counter and dining table trying to […]

DEAR ABBY: I cut off contact with a friend I’ll call “Mick” after my wife and I had our first child. He was a gambling addict, an alcoholic and a serial abuser of women. He was violent when he drank and once broke my nose because of some perceived slight. Mick had a troubled childhood […]

DEAR ABBY: Something has been bothering me for a long time. When I attend family functions, I become extremely bored. Whether they are birthday parties or Christmas Eve celebrations, they bore me to tears. To be honest, I would prefer not to attend, but I don’t want to offend anyone. Must I continue to be […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are trying to have children. He was raised Catholic, but is now agnostic. I’m also agnostic. My deeply religious father-in-law insists that our future children be baptized Catholic. I’m against it because I think it should be a person’s right to choose which faith, if any, to follow when […]

DEAR ABBY: My fiance and I have begun planning our wedding for next year. We have both been married before, so family doesn’t think we should have a “big” celebration. Mom actually told me that it can’t be as special as my first one. While lying in bed the other night, we were discussing how […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a 28-year-old male who is still a virgin. I always wanted to be intimate with a virgin female for my first time, but I have never met one. I’ve had opportunities for sex but refrained because she wasn’t a virgin. The older I have gotten, the harder it has become to achieve […]

DEAR ABBY: My father, who is in his 60s, has always been a storyteller, but since retirement his tales have gotten longer, and so has his nose. I suspect he’s concerned about his waning influence in the world and that’s why he puffs himself up. He tells people he has academic degrees he hasn’t earned, […]

DEAR ABBY: My family has suffered a great loss. My older sister died by suicide. My younger sister’s best friend “Carrie” drove four hours from Michigan to be with our family. From the day after we found out and for almost a week, Carrie was by our side, comforting us, helping with arrangements and anything […]