DEAR ABBY: My teenage son has a difficult relationship with his dad. They talk roughly once a week, but his dad hasn’t exercised visitation rights in nearly four years. He’s retired, very well off and has the time and resources to utilize spending time with our son; he simply chooses not to. My son has […]

DEAR ABBY: I play pickleball with a nice group of people. Partners normally split after each game. One day, however, a woman told me I was her favorite partner. From that day on, she played with me as often as possible, even though she could have chosen partners who were better players than me, and […]

DEAR ABBY: My daughter and son-in-law are expecting their second child. Everyone is very happy for them. The problem is the difference between her in-laws’ beliefs and mine. I was brought up in a family in which parties and celebrations were held at home. We opened our house to friends and relatives, everyone brought food […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship with “Blake” for almost 10 years. Before we met, I was with “Kaden,” the father of my kids. It was a loveless relationship. Kaden was mean and cold and often had angry outbursts. My relationship with Blake started off as everything I ever wanted. He made me […]

DEAR ABBY: My mom turns 85 this year. When my father died of congestive heart failure 10 years ago, our family had a clear understanding of Dad’s wishes about the end-of-life care he wanted. We knew he didn’t want “heroic measures,” like a feeding tube or to be on a ventilator. Since Dad had been […]

DEAR ABBY: My daughter is attending a pricey college. She will be taking out the maximum of student loans, and we will slowly but surely eat through our entire savings to pay for it. Her college hires resident assistants (RAs) to help freshmen adjust to college life. In return, the RAs receive free room and […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a 37-year-old stay-at-home mother of two teens. I’ve been in a relationship with a guy I’ll call “Doug” for four years. I feel he only wants me here for sex. If I say no, he either tries to force it or verbally abuses me. He tells me if I don’t give him […]

DEAR ABBY: Twelve years ago, my son “Will” married “Mara.” They dated in high school, wound up at the same college and eloped during their freshman year (way too young). In spite of their somewhat rocky relationship over the years, Mara and I always got along well. She became the daughter I never had, and […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a 54-year-old gay man who has spent his life making decisions with everyone else in mind. Every decision, life choice, relationship and career move has been based on how I’m perceived by friends and family. Currently, I’m living with my ex in my home. I’d like to live alone, but I feel […]

DEAR ABBY: Is it normal for people to ignore relatives who have Alzheimer’s? My father spent more than two years in a veteran’s hospital before his death. During that time, he was visited regularly by his children (including me) and my aunt (his sister). His grandchildren and another aunt visited a few times. Two of […]