DEAR ABBY: I’m a freshman in college and have the sweetest boyfriend in the world. We’ve always been close and trusted each other, never pushing the other too far. I always thought it was innocent and safe. Last weekend, though, things got a little heavy between us. We stopped before anything happened, but I felt […]

DEAR ABBY: A number of things in the letter from “Uneasy in Indiana” (Oct. 21) can be red flags for sex abuse. I have worked in child welfare for 35 years. Abusers often start with “playful touching,” comment about “cute” body parts, continue after being asked to stop, and make power statements that they can […]

DEAR ABBY: What is a wife to do? My husband occasionally pitches in to help me prepare holiday meals. He prides himself on his dishwashing skills, but when he’s done I have to rewash most of the pots and pans because he doesn’t check his work. If I ask him to redo them, he reacts […]

DEAR ABBY: Late last winter, a sheriff called to tell me that my daughter “Amy” had been found standing, bruised and battered, on a street corner in upstate New York. Her arm had been broken. He was convinced that the man she was living with had beaten her and kicked her outside to freeze. Her […]

DEAR ABBY: My dad and I raise rabbits. My friend “Zoe” has always wanted one. Recently one of our rabbits had a litter, and Zoe fell in love with one in particular. Her birthday is coming soon, and I’m thinking about giving her this rabbit as a present. I would also include several days’ worth […]

DEAR ABBY: My fiance, “Todd,” and I have been together for four years. He proposed this summer and our wedding is planned for next year. I thought planning our wedding would be fun, but it has turned out to be a nightmare. I want orange as our primary color, but now Todd is saying he […]

DEAR ABBY: It saddened me to read the letter from “Lacks the Mothering Gene” (Sept. 15). Seven months pregnant, she feels nothing for her baby, and her husband is furious with her for feeling as she does. You told her that she should discuss this with her obstetrician, and you were sure that once the […]

DEAR ABBY: Whenever I receive a business communication from someone unknown to me with my first name in the salutation, as in “Dear Robert,” it immediately goes into the trash. Being addressed by my first name in this context is just plain wrong. Since I don’t know the person who is sending the correspondence, I […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been battling breast cancer and have been blessed to have a lot of support from family, friends and some awesome medical providers. My husband’s best friend and his wife socialize with us quite often, and the friendship is important to him. I recently celebrated a birthday and these friends had us […]

DEAR ABBY: Sept. 11 was the 10th birthday of our neighbors’ little girl, “Megan.” At church that day there was a lovely memorial prayer for the victims of 9/11, but no mention of Megan’s birthday among the other special occasions of the week. Megan’s family went to the cemetery, put flowers on the memorial there […]