DEAR ABBY: A young bride-to-be who signed her letter “Touchy Decision in Ohio” (June 18) prefers her stepdad walk her down the aisle at her wedding, but is worried about what her biological father (whom she sees once or twice a year) and other relatives might think. In my many decades on this earth, especially […]

DEAR ABBY: Many years ago an advice columnist (your mother?) posed the question to her readers, “If you had it to do over again, would you still have children?” I’m wondering when the information was collected, and what the results of that inquiry were, and if you asked the same question today, what the majority […]

DEAR ABBY: “Tracy” and I have been best friends since junior high. (We’re both 31.) A couple of months ago she and her two sons (my “nephews,” ages 9 and 5) moved out of her parents’ home and into their own apartment. Tracy has never lived on her own before. As a result, she’s constantly […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are expecting our first child in a few months, and my mother, who lives out of state, will be flying in to help with the new baby. This will be her first grandchild. Mom adopted a small indoor dog about a month ago. “Trixie” is pint-sized, but she has […]

DEAR ABBY: A friend recently purchased a mother’s ring from a pawn shop. When “Caron” told me about it, I told her she didn’t have the right to wear one because she’s not a mother. I discussed it with some other friends and they agreed with me, but Caron says I “overreacted” and that everyone […]

DEAR ABBY: I love my grandmother, but she constantly puts my grandpa down, even in front of the family. I know some of the harsh words she uses could be resentment built up over the years from past hurts. Still, if she talks so rudely to him when we’re around, I wonder what she says […]

DEAR ABBY: My fiancee and I are living in a studio apartment owned by her mother. We’re currently looking for another place to live, and can’t decide whether or not to get a two-bedroom and a roommate. We both know the pros and cons of living with other people, and I have a potential roommate […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m in a real pickle. My ex-wife, “Gloria,” and I have been divorced eight years, but have managed to remain civil to each other. Last year, my daughter had a big birthday party to which I wanted to bring a date. Gloria decided that she would not attend because it would be “hurtful” […]

DEAR ABBY: Sometime ago, you printed a letter from one of your readers who was upset over her son’s polyamorous relationship. I didn’t respond then, but now that my triad is ready to come out to my boyfriend’s family (we are out to mine and to my husband’s family), I feel the need to address […]

DEAR ABBY: Your response to “Secondhand Rose” (June 11) was well-intentioned but won’t provide the level of intervention her husband needs. He’s clearly a compulsive shopper and hoarder, and her going along on his buying trips will only lead to more family conflict and bad feelings without solving anything. He needs cognitive behavioral therapy, the […]