DEAR ABBY: My widowed mother-in-law, “Minnie,” works full time as a trucker, traveling around the U.S. She doesn’t have a home of her own since she lives on the road. My husband and I live in a small one-bedroom apartment. When she’s here for holidays or family functions, she always sleeps on our couch. At […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a woman in my 30s with a good head on my shoulders, but I have a dilemma. I recently became Wiccan, and I’m hiding my new religion from my fiance. I was raised Protestant but have drifted away from Christianity. My fiance was raised Catholic but no longer practices. He’s not […]

DEAR ABBY: My 40-year-old son has been in a volatile on-again, off-again relationship with a woman who has physically and emotionally abused him repeatedly. He’s an Iraq War veteran with issues of his own, including a previous marriage and messy divorce from a narcissistic woman. They share custody of two grade school-age children. The current […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I recently celebrated our first anniversary and have decided we’re ready to start a family. Our first month of trying has not been successful. My newly engaged cousin has just announced her wedding date. If our second month of trying is successful, my due date will fall just two days […]

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been thinking about suicide a lot lately, more than usual. I’m not angry about anything, just in pain. I keep getting knocked down after I try so hard to pick myself up. I tried calling a hotline, gave up on that. (I guess they’re busy.) I can’t afford doctors and psychiatrists. The […]

DEAR ABBY: I moved in with my boyfriend, “Greg,” three years ago into the tiny but very economical house he rents. It’s cheaper than all other rentals in our area and allows us to save for a home of our own one day. However, after many months, I have discovered to my dismay that our […]

DEAR ABBY: I am in a 14-year marriage, but there has always been another woman, “Emily,” I have thought about almost daily the whole time. My wife and I have just turned 40. We have no kids, but we have a dog. I always thought I would want kids, and we tried half-heartedly, but there […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I very much wanted a child and used an egg donor to become parents. We are eternally grateful to the semi-anonymous donor (we have limited information on her) and love our 11-year-old son more than anything. We have told him that I needed help (for example, lots of shots) to […]

DEAR ABBY: I need advice on how to discuss a sensitive matter with my son and daughter-in-law’s babysitter. She watches my grandson Monday through Friday while they are at work. They live with me, and I work from home, so I am around all day while she’s sitting with the baby. Overall, she’s pretty good, […]