Gifts for grandchildren can be fun, practical DEAR ABBY: This is in response to “Where’s the Fun in Upstate New York” (July 26), whose husband, “Hugh,” insisted they buy their grandson a $100 savings bond for his first birthday when she wanted to splurge on toys and clothes. I understand her frustration. Couples should decide […]

Teen in despair pleads for help, guidance DEAR ABBY: I am a 15-year-old girl who is losing the will to live. I am bisexual, but my parents are very anti- gay/lesbian, so I can’t tell them about my sexual orientation. Every day I engage in self-injury using a metal chain, and I think about suicide […]

Wife’s suspicions are raised by secrets DEAR ABBY: I have been married nearly a year. My husband and I were together for five years before that. I am his fourth wife. What’s bothering me is he gets most of his mail delivered to his mother’s — things such as his cell phone bill, his paychecks, […]

Wife resents man’s failure to pick up at home DEAR ABBY: The other day my kids asked me why I’m always so angry. I didn’t know how to respond. I’m angry that they think their dad is “wonderful” because he plays with them all day (he’s not working), takes them to get fast food (instead […]

DEAR ABBY: A woman I work with is pregnant. While this may seem like exciting news, it is the opposite. She is already depressed and often talks about suicide. My real concern is for her baby. She often says how, if she has a girl, she’ll drown it, suffocate it, etc. She says it openly. […]

Despite unhappy past, girls resist divorce DEAR ABBY: I am a 15-year-old boy who has known for as long as I can remember that my parents would eventually divorce. I can’t remember a day in my life without their constant fighting. Dad has been out of the house for a year now, and our home […]

Mom’s internet sleuthing gives daughter the creeps DEAR ABBY: I have become alarmed by my mother’s recent habit of “Googling” people. She digs up things about my friends and calls to report them to me. The list of those she has researched on the Internet ranges from friends I haven’t talked to in years, to […]

Mom rations the gifts her daughters receive DEAR ABBY: My sister “Tricia’s” daughters, ages 5 and 7, are my only nieces. A few weeks ago, I sent the 7-year- old a gift for her birthday. When I didn’t get a response, I called my sister to ask if it had arrived. Tricia said, “Oh, yeah, […]

Girl thinks stepsisters’ secret is unsafe to keep DEAR ABBY: During my visitations at my dad’s, I share a room with my stepsisters. They have made it clear they resent having to share their room with me, even though I have no choice about it. They play the choking game with some of their friends. […]

Dispute over bed-making centers on pillow fight DEAR ABBY: “Pillow Talk in Abilene” (July 24) had to have been written by my husband, Dick. I went looking for him and asked if he had written to you. When I held up your column, he was shocked. We laughed so hard I had trouble reading the […]