DEAR ABBY: I helped a friend by giving her rides to and from work for two weeks while her car was being repaired. When she got her car back, she told me to let her know if she could ever repay the favor by helping me. Recently, my car needed repairs, so I asked if […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been taking care of my father-in-law for four years — getting his groceries, going to the bank, picking up prescriptions and doing different tasks. He’s disabled and lives in an upstairs apartment with no access to getting downstairs. He can’t walk, bathe himself or get in and out […]

DEAR ABBY: My daughter, “Virginia”, age 27, lives with her boyfriend, “Ray,” on the East Coast and teaches kindergarten. Last month, she confided that she had caught him cheating. She saw texts on his phone. When she confronted him, Ray immediately confessed and was very apologetic, but he also kept the woman’s number in his […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have three grown children, all of whom still live at home. I had always thought that once they graduated from college and got good jobs, they should start paying rent. Because my husband had to pay rent when he still lived at home, he said he would never do […]

DEAR ABBY: Some time ago, you printed a letter from a grandmother who said she was changing her will because neither her adult children nor her grandchildren ever wrote her thank-you notes when she sent a gift. I had taught my son the importance of writing thank-you notes, but he wasn’t doing a very good […]

DEAR ABBY: I got out of rehab two months ago. While I was there, I met someone. “Annie” lives in Florida, and I live in California. We both are doing great, and I believe we make each other stronger. Do you think a long-distance relationship can work? I hear it’s not possible. She has recently […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 17 years to a good man with many great attributes. However, our relationship lacks connection. Every effort at emotional connection is initiated by me (like planning date nights or going out for a walk to have a conversation). I have told him many times I need him to […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m in my early 30s; my husband is 46. We have been married three years. He has a 24-year-old daughter, “Kiki.” Kiki has always been spoiled and catered to; she learned how to lie and manipulate during her childhood. I have tried to help her because I believed his family when they said […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a 37-year-old woman who seems to be the go-to person in my family to figure things out. Due to my stepmom not feeling comfortable enough with her English and my striving to win her approval, I made sure to take care of the things she couldn’t from an early age. The […]

DEAR ABBY: My elementary school teacher passed away recently. I hadn’t seen her in more than 20 years because of how she made me feel. I remember her as manipulative and having a negative attitude toward the less fortunate. Because I didn’t come from a rich or prominent family, I was subjected to humiliation, fear […]