DEAR ABBY: My 12-year-old niece “Tammy” is very shy. When I recently visited my brother’s home, she hid in her parents’ bedroom behind a closed door. She wouldn’t come out to say hi or even speak to me through the door. Today I was on the phone with my sister-in-law and I asked if I […]

DEAR ABBY: My 13-year-old daughter, “Alisa,” has earned a scholarship to participate in a month-long summer language program in Turkey. As soon as my sister “June” found out I was allowing Alisa to attend, she called me a moron. She has been giving me the silent treatment for almost a month. June is terrified my […]

DEAR ABBY: I agree with your advice to “Driven Away in Georgia” (May 26), whose widowed mother has become so bitter, all eight of her children avoid her. As a clinical neuropsychologist who works with people with dementia and other aging-related problems, I’d like to share my thoughts. When a spouse dies, previously undetected early-stage […]

DEAR ABBY: We have a problem — our pastor. He uses the pulpit to criticize, put people down and offers no compassion. A person can only take so much. The problem is, if you say anything to him, you can bet the next sermon will be about what you discussed. How can I talk to […]

DEAR ABBY: During this economic recession, may I offer a reminder to your readers who may have their homes on the market and available for showing? Someone entered my home during an open house and rummaged through my drawers. The thief made off with my cherished sapphire engagement ring, an emerald band and several other […]

DEAR ABBY: I have suffered from allergy-induced asthma for 10 years. It becomes a problem only on the major holidays when we visit my mother-in-law. She has two cats and poor ventilation in her house. For years, I have followed my doctor’s treatment of inhalers and allergy remedies with slight success. This last year the […]

DEAR ABBY: When my children were young, I was a single parent. I always put my children first. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we got by. If they asked for something we couldn’t afford, we would discuss it. I’d show them the budget and the bills, and we’d find a way to […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m only 12 and I feel like my life is ending. I just finished seventh grade, I don’t have many friends and I feel like the ones I do have don’t really care. I do gymnastics and volleyball, but my friends there don’t really care, either. My family is no help. My sisters […]

DEAR ABBY: My parents divorced 20 years ago. The court approved a mutual agreement that Dad would pay monthly alimony until Mom remarried or one of them died. He has never missed a payment. I have recently discovered that Mom secretly married her live-in boyfriend 11 years ago, but has continued receiving the alimony without […]

DEAR ABBY: Has the marriage proposal become an invited ceremony like the wedding, or am I out of touch? A few months ago friends and family were invited to a beach near Seattle for the proposal. Our grandson and his live-in went for a short seaplane ride. The plane returned, beached and the couple got […]