DEAR ABBY: Some relatives come once or twice a year from out of state to stay at my in-laws’ house. For the past 20-plus years, it has been the same routine. They show up, but we never know ahead of time when or how long they are staying. We are expected to drop everything to […]

DEAR ABBY: I recently attended a funeral for a family member. During the 90-minute service, my great-nieces and nephews (ages 3 to 6) were running around the church. Their parents said nothing and allowed them to continue. Following the service, we were all invited to a sit-down meal in the banquet room of an upscale […]

DEAR ABBY: I am dating an older man with two ex-wives. I have met both of them. I don’t mind them. The last ex-wife and I get along. She usually calls me because he won’t answer his phone for her. The first ex-wife I don’t like at all (I used to talk to her) because […]

DEAR ABBY: My older sister had an affair with an old boyfriend that lasted several months. She was 58 and had been married for 38 years. Her husband, who is a wonderful person and father of their three grown children, forgave her. He’s a devout Catholic, and divorce was out of the question. She has […]

DEAR ABBY: “Missing My Cat in Georgia” (June 20) was told by his Catholic friend that his cat wouldn’t be joining him in the afterlife. I have been an ordained pastor for 27 years. Last summer my cat, Fred, who had been with me for 11 years, died. I claim no deeper or higher connection […]

DEAR ABBY: My fiance and I have been together for 14 years. A few months ago, his mother told us she had inherited a home that had belonged to her parents, and she wanted to gift it to us. I was skeptical because any gift from her comes with tons of strings attached. We were […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been talking to a man for a little more than a year. Things are wonderful between us, but he doesn’t seem to want to make a commitment. It’s not that I feel he’s using me for sex, because he shows me off to his friends, we go out together and he […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband’s uncle died by suicide in his home six months ago. It was a shock to the entire family. Since the funeral, we have helped to settle his affairs, including cleaning out his home to get it ready for sale. My husband’s cousin (the uncle’s daughter) has had an understandably difficult time […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been in love with a married man for more than 16 years. It started before he married, but I was married at the time, so he married her. He always told me he wouldn’t leave his wife, but I hoped he would. Three weeks ago, I told him I could no […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a gay man who is best friends with “Carl,” a man who is straight. We are everything you’d expect of a normal friendship. On a surface level, there is no difference. He goes well out of his way to make me feel welcomed and accepted, and I appreciate it. Recently, Carl found […]