DEAR ABBY: I paid $5,000 for a seven-day cruise with my grandkids. All I asked was for them to pack a carry-on and a backpack. My granddaughter and son are having a problem with it. I tried explaining that I’m handicapped and do not want to check a large bag for her because it’s a […]
Dear Abby
Siblings come home to visit, but not with family members
DEAR ABBY: I have a problem I haven’t seen in your column before. My husband comes from a large family with siblings spread far and wide. We live in the home state and are happy to accommodate his brothers and sisters (families, dogs) when they come home to visit and ask to stay with us. […]
Restricted diet makes dinner parties awkward to attend
DEAR ABBY: I have multiple chronic health conditions. Because my symptoms are worsened by a lot of foods, I’m on a highly restricted diet. If I stay on it, I feel as well as possible. (I never feel entirely well.) When I go to friends’ homes for dinner or parties, would it be rude for […]
Hostility from sister slows aunt’s efforts to help niece
DEAR ABBY: I’m unsure about how to proceed with my niece. She is struggling with child-rearing and debt. Twenty-five years ago, when she was 16, my sister “Nan” and her husband threw her out on the street. I took her in for two years. Until she graduated from high school, she lived with me and […]
In his fiancee’s eyes, man’s secret life online is cheating
DEAR ABBY: After a long relationship, “Eric” and I plan on getting married very soon. My problem is, Eric is secretive. He keeps his phone right next to him, and before he walks into the house, he sits in his car, clearing his history. I know he looks at porn, and I’m not happy about […]
Daughter wishes stepfather would visit mom more often
DEAR ABBY: My mother is in a locked ward of a nursing home because she has Alzheimer’s and is a flight risk. My stepfather has begun dating her best friend. He doesn’t consider it dating because, at 85, he’s no longer capable of having a physical relationship. However, taking someone to dinner, the theater, church […]
Mom-to-be in third trimester needs husband’s help at home
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for eight years. He has always been independent. He works full time and goes to bars with (single) co-workers four or five nights a week and stays until I’m in bed. He also likes his weekends to be his “me” time to decompress from all the […]
Dear Abby: Mom questions daughter’s attitude
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I retired five years ago and moved to a small town where my two daughters and two grown grandchildren live. We moved here from another state to be near them and other relatives who live closer, but not in this city. I am sad and hurt by the way one […]
Mom wonders why daughter keeps her at arm’s length
DEAR ABBY: My husband and I retired five years ago and moved to a small town where my two daughters and two grown grandchildren live. We moved here from another state to be near them and other relatives who live closer, but not in this city. I am sad and hurt by the way one […]
New hire is disappointed to be working as gofer
DEAR ABBY: I recently landed a new job and was excited about doing work that would be directly in line with my education and background. I left a job of more than a decade to pursue this field. My problem is, I’m being asked to carry luggage, make coffee, run errands, etc. This was not […]