DEAR ABBY: At a recent dinner party the men and women got into a heated debate about porn. The men said men love porn because it shows women enjoying sex with abandon. We women protested that women who behave this way in real life are labeled “sluts” by both men and women. Do men not […]

DEAR ABBY: Do you think EVERY American child should get a four-year college degree? I keep meeting students who have a real talent and passion for other jobs — military, cosmetology or skilled trades, such as Internet technology and carpentry — but whose parents are furious at the suggestion they might not graduate from a […]

DEAR ABBY: I am an amateur playwright. Our local theater sponsors an annual playwriting contest. The prize isn’t monetary, but something far more important to an author — a full-scale production of the play. I have won this prize four times — more than any other writer in the history of the contest. But is […]

DEAR ABBY: I will graduate from college in June and be a social worker. I am psychic, although I dislike that word because it conjures up visions of crystal balls, quacks and scams. For legitimate psychic individuals, it can be overwhelming to live this way. I first noticed my ability when I was young, but […]

DEAR ABBY: One of my sister’s best friends, “Tara,” has had a crush on me since we were kids. She’s 21 and I’m 25. My sister always knew about it, but never told me. I had a crush on Tara, too, but I was too shy to tell her. I moved out of state when […]

DEAR ABBY: I recently began going to a new doctor after the one I had been using retired. I like her. She shows a genuine interest in my well-being, seems to diagnose well and I get good results from her treatments. She doesn’t keep me waiting and has a charming, warm personality. So what’s the […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband, “Sam,” and I have been married for 32 years, and all these years he has lied continually. It has gotten so bad that I cringe every time we’re invited to family functions or get-togethers with friends. Sam uses these gatherings to be the star of the show, spilling out the most […]

DEAR ABBY: I am 19 and having an affair with a married man twice my age, but I am an unwilling participant. You see, I grew up with “Jasmine,” and over the years her family has become mine. I was going through a rough time, and when her family offered me a place to stay, […]

DEAR ABBY: Like “Standing My Ground in New Jersey” (Jan. 9), I had decided at a young age I had no interest in changing my last name if I were ever to be married. For me, the decision had nothing to do with an established career or a fear of losing myself. I simply never […]

DEAR ABBY: I frequently talk on my cellphone in public, and I’m often irked by the comments I get from people to put my phone away. Personally, I don’t see a difference between a cellphone conversation and an in-person conversation, provided I keep the noise level down. It’s not like I’m talking about excessively personal […]