DEAR ABBY: This is difficult to write. My sister reads her children’s text messages after they’re asleep. She bragged to me about how popular her daughter “Naomi” — my 14-year-old niece — is because she’s giving oral sex to the boys. My sister claims Naomi isn’t “having sex,” so she thinks it’s OK! I am […]

DEAR ABBY: Allow me to respond to the column about obesity in the United States (Dec. 27). Why has obesity in the U.S. become the “elephant in the room,” off-limits to discuss? Obesity is a serious health problem and should be talked about. Obese people need to understand the potential dangers of their condition, just […]

DEAR ABBY: After 33 years, I recently reconnected with my first girlfriend. We are both 49. I have been married twice, and she is ending a long relationship. We have been talking and e-mailing, and she came to visit for a few days — no sex, just laughing and reminiscing about how we’ve grown since […]

DEAR ABBY: A friend told me something recently that was so disturbing I’m having trouble sleeping. ”Marie” was at a mini-mall when a man parked his car next to hers and walked into one of the stores, leaving a boy about 8 years old in the back seat with a cat. Marie saw the boy […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a 17-year-old girl who is obsessed with remaining a virgin. I’m uncomfortable around guys my age for fear they will want sex. I am tormented all day long by thoughts of losing my virginity. If I see a mildly racy scene in a movie or have a sexual thought and experience […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m 13, and one of my best friends attempted suicide. “Greg” always seemed so happy that this has come as a shock to all of us. We’re thankful he is alive, but we don’t know how to behave around him. When Greg returns to school, what should we talk about and how can […]

DEAR ABBY: You assured “Overwhelmed in Ohio” (Dec. 18) that fellow student “Dan” will “move on and start building a life” after high school is over. On what base might he build? Because “Overwhelmed” says Dan is an “outcast” whom everyone treats as invisible, and he has attached himself to the one person who has […]

DEAR ABBY: My 70-year-old father has asked his 40-year- old girlfriend to marry him. This will be his fourth marriage. They have been dating for a year, and she says she wants to have two or three children with him. My sisters and I are not happy at all. Our father was a horrible father […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m an independent, 41-year-old woman who attracts men who are 10 to 13 years younger than I am. I’m not interested in them because I feel they are only after one thing. Another problem is, when I start getting close to a man my own age, he always makes me feel “smothered.” It […]

DEAR ABBY: How long should I hold onto greeting cards from family and friends who send them on my birthday and holidays? I feel guilty throwing away something that someone spent time and money on for me, but they’re doing nothing more than taking up space in a drawer. — CLUTTERED WITH CARDS IN CONNECTICUT […]