DEAR ABBY: I was born 40 years ago and raised by my mother to believe that her husband was my birth father. She divorced him and raised me while receiving court-awarded child support, based on her insistence to all involved that she had not had an affair. As the years went on, it became increasingly […]
Dear Abby
Boyfriend’s behavior pushes woman’s boundaries’
DEAR ABBY: I have been with my live-in boyfriend for eight years. During the last five months, he has started staying out until daylight, choosing his friends over me, snapping at me when he talks at all and doesn’t want to be around me. We have always gone everywhere together and shared our friendships with […]
Mom’s abrupt shift leaves kids scratching their heads
DEAR ABBY: One night about six months ago, my mom walked out on my dad. A week later, she admitted she had been having an affair for a whole year. My parents’ divorce was final three months after she left. Mom has now announced to me and my siblings that she’s engaged and plans to […]
Political spat over restaurant was bad manners
DEAR ABBY: My father-in-law and I are just cut from different cloth. We are political opposites, although we do get along for the most part. On a family vacation (we were visiting them), we were going out for dinner. My wife and I knew he was going to take us to a restaurant we both […]
Sales pitch comes soon after brother’s passing
DEAR ABBY: After my husband’s younger brother recently passed away, the family gathered. When one group of nephews arrived in a city an hour away from us, we were invited to lunch. (The restaurant was where the nephews had first been introduced to beer by their now-deceased uncle.) My husband didn’t want to go, saying […]
Bachelorette party planning foreshadows expensive trip
DEAR ABBY: My best friend is getting married next year and is planning for her bachelorette party. Right now, they are looking at places that have a three- or four-night minimum and would cost each person more than $500. (That’s just to rent the place.) It wouldn’t cover food, gifts, etc. My friend isn’t a […]
Bachelorette party planning foreshadows expensive trip
DEAR ABBY: My best friend is getting married next year and is planning for her bachelorette party. Right now, they are looking at places that have a three- or four-night minimum and would cost each person more than $500. (That’s just to rent the place.) It wouldn’t cover food, gifts, etc. My friend isn’t a […]
War letters project marks 25th year as work continues
DEAR READERS: Twenty-five years ago tomorrow, I told you about a new, nationwide effort to honor and remember our nation’s troops, veterans and families by seeking out and preserving their war correspondence from every conflict in U.S. history. The response was overwhelming. The founder of this initiative, Andy Carroll, just told me that, as of […]
Wife’s online chats with man irk hovering husband
DEAR ABBY: I discovered last year that my wife was exchanging flirty texts with a local man and had been doing so for years. I found out when I uncovered an image of an adult toy in her phone’s deleted images. At the time, I nearly divorced her, but although our marriage went through a […]
Grandparents prepare final gift for thankless grandkids
DEAR ABBY: For years, we have given generous gifts to our six out-of-town grandchildren and received almost no thanks or acknowledgment. It hurts my feelings because I devote a lot of thought, in addition to money, to choosing something special for each of them. Obviously, they don’t care, but when we have just sent checks, […]