DEAR ABBY: Your advice to “Poor Birth Mother in Georgia” on June 12 — “Because the college loan agreement with your daughter was verbal and wasn’t put in writing, you don’t have a legal means to force her to assume the loan payments” — was wrong! Verbal agreements are enforced if they can be proven […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a 24-year-old woman and currently live with my boyfriend. We have a child. Before we started living together, we discussed having an open relationship. We realized how messy it can be, so we agreed on having a “free pass” with ONE person, ONE time. I have met that person; it is […]

DEAR ABBY: I have a very close cousin (and friend) who is in a toxic relationship with a man who breaks up with her repeatedly, manipulates and abuses her emotionally, and probably cheats. It has made me sad to see her go through the same pattern with him for so many years. They were supposed […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband, “Jeff,” and I are fostering a 17-year-old girl we plan to adopt. Jeff’s mother grew up in foster care, and after learning about her life and hardship, I felt we should help out in this way. I am a stay-at-home mother with three other children (6, 8 and 14), and we […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m 16, go to high school, play football and make good grades. At church every Sunday, a lady who is one of my mom’s friends always makes a point of coming up to me to talk. She says things about me growing up to be a man, and asks me if I’m dating. […]

DEAR ABBY: Today was my high school reunion. I was the most notable student for all the wrong reasons. I was born with some birth defects and learning disabilities. I overcame them, but it was hard. While working blue-collar jobs, I lived in my car for a few years. On a cold winter night several […]

DEAR ABBY: Last year I gave my new (at that time) girlfriend, “Alyssa,” a pair of earrings for her birthday. They were in a box from a department store marked “fine jewelry.” She loved them and became emotional in expressing her gratitude. I thought it was because it was the first piece of jewelry I […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m 13 years old, and I want to know how I can make my life easier and not be as shy as I am. I have a lot of friends at school, but of course they’re not popular either. I want to still have those friends, but I’d like to be able strike […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a few months pregnant and married to a man I love with all my heart. We have a young son together. For the last couple of months, I have had severe morning sickness, and my husband seems to resent me for it. He complains that I “don’t do anything anymore,” but I […]