DEAR ABBY: I am 17 and my sister, “Cheryl,” is 16. She likes wearing flannel shirts, black leggings or jeans everywhere, especially to school, because they are comfortable. Sometimes she even wears sweatpants and a T-shirt. Our stepmom tells her she looks like a lesbian and that she gets one day out of the school […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married 25 years. I was 19 and he was 28. Among a number of things we disagree about, there’s the notion that he feels I should have zero privacy. If he finds out I locked the bathroom door or the bedroom door for five minutes to get […]

DEAR ABBY: Years ago, I bought a beautiful little cottage in the North Carolina mountains as a second home. I feel very lucky to be able to afford such a luxury and have always been generous, sharing it with family and friends. However, it has reached the point where people constantly ask to use it. […]

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been married 25 years and have three adult children who no longer live with us. We are religious and belong to a conservative church. We have a satisfying sex life. About 15 years ago we started using graphic language during our lovemaking. We find it exhilarates and enhances […]

DEAR ABBY: I come from a small, close family. Last year, we suffered a devastating loss. My cousin and her two children were killed in a car accident. We have all been profoundly affected by this loss, especially my aunt and uncle. Fast forward: Another cousin is pregnant with her second child. She wants to […]

DEAR ABBY: What do you say when a friend’s son has committed a horrific crime? Does one say, “I’m sorry” or “Call me,” or merely pat them on the shoulder and move on? Or, what? I know she is suffering and blames herself for his crime. How do I even approach her? I knew her […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are proud parents of our first child, a girl. Despite his excitement and pride, her arrival has caused his childhood sexual abuse by his stepfather to resurface with more detail than he previously remembered. It has reached the point that if he isn’t thinking about suicide, he’s grilling me […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m dating my grammar school and high school sweetheart, “Gary.” We’ve known each other since I was 6. (I’m 33 now.) In high school we dated for nine months and were in love, but he told lies to my dad, so Dad ordered him to stay away. Now, 16 years later, after being […]