DEAR ABBY: I’m fortunate that most of my neighbors are kind and considerate. We’ve all enjoyed sharing each other’s celebrations. However, there’s one family among the five households that we’ve never managed to connect with on a personal level. Despite our efforts, such as giving gifts and food, they have always been unresponsive. While there’s […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a single parent of two girls. My oldest, “Becca,” is 17. She has been dating this guy and, as soon as she graduates, plans to move in with him and two of his friends (another couple). What worries me is that their relationship is pretty toxic. They are always fighting. I […]

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been happily married for 15 years. My mother-in-law, “Pat,” a widow since 1997, has lived with us for the last 14 years. She lived alone in her own apartment when my wife and I first were married but was going through bouts of depression. I initially extended the […]

DEAR ABBY: I am an adult child of an alcoholic. My mother is a mean drunk. While growing up, I had to act as her therapist and deal with her co-dependency. I have been lucky to have processed a lot of the trauma in therapy and to have a loving and healthy family of my […]

DEAR ABBY: My younger brother, “Paul,” is 40 and in a rut. He became friends with a friend of mine, “Mitch,” whom I met in college. Paul also became good friends with Mitch’s wife, “Iris.” After a year of close friendship, my brother made a pass at Mitch’s wife during a BBQ. He was promptly […]

DEAR ABBY: I had a close friendship with a co-worker. We used to have lunch together and shared many personal and intimate stories. We were the two work newbies, even though I started six months before he did. He has adapted well in the work environment, but I’m still struggling with different personalities and communication […]

DEAR ABBY: Twenty years ago, I developed psychosis with a personality change. I did things I’m ashamed of. I had an affair, remarried and moved out of the country, leaving my 13-year-old daughter with my ex-husband. I snapped out of it 15 years ago with the help of a good psychiatrist and excellent medication. I […]

DEAR ABBY: I received a Facebook message from my first cousin. In it, she apologized for not communicating for the past 10 months. It ended with, “Send me your address so I can send you a birth announcement.” Abby, I wasn’t even aware that she had been pregnant. I contacted her father, who said the […]

DEAR ABBY: We share a vacation home with another family. My husband and I are neat people. The other family is the opposite. They leave dirty dishes in the sink for days, promising, “I’ll get to them.” Dirty diapers are left on the living room floor as well as toys, clothes and stale food. It’s […]

DEAR ABBY: I was dating a man for the past two years. Most of the time, we enjoyed being together. However, sometimes our discussions would turn into heated and hurtful arguments. He would disregard my point of view, ultimately shut me down and make me feel like the disagreement was my fault. After our most […]