DEAR ABBY: My mother is toxic. She had a terrible childhood, and she takes it out on me and my younger siblings. I live far away; they live in the same town as she does. If they don’t drop everything for her and do what she wants, she calls them selfish. Because I had to […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship with “Ben” for 13 years, but I have been to his parents’ home only twice. I really love him. We never go anywhere or do anything together. He has never given me a gift for any occasion or “just because.” Material things don’t matter to me, but […]

DEAR ABBY: My 25-year-old son lives with his two girlfriends, who are also romantically involved with each other. They share a single bedroom. One of them has a baby due this week, and the other has made noises about wanting a child. I don’t approve of this arrangement and can’t see it ending well. I […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a Chinese man born in the United States. My girlfriend, whom I’ve yet to meet in person, lives in China and is 24 years younger than I am. (I live in California.) We’re awaiting approval of paperwork with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. We have both been divorced twice. She has […]

DEAR ABBY: My sister passed away from cancer seven years ago. Her daughter and I have always been close — doing things together, going on trips, etc. Four years ago, she started dating a guy who thinks he’s better than everyone. I have met him but have yet to meet the rest of his family. […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I had a baby right around the time my father remarried. I didn’t know my new stepmother very well when she started giving me parenting advice. The issue is, her convictions are not in line with mine and also conflict with the advice from the CDC or the American Academy […]

DEAR ABBY: My son and his family live six hours from me. I can afford the gas to drive there, but paying for a hotel room for two nights is beyond my means. My son is a stay-at-home dad of seven children. When I asked his wife if I could stay at their place, thinking […]

DEAR ABBY: When I was young and even as I grew older, my father touched me inappropriately. It made me uncomfortable even as an adult. I feel like when I was very small, something more may have happened. I may have been drugged to keep me from remembering. I know a few weird things that […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been together for 15 years and share a 14-year-old son. We no longer have a physical relationship. I’m trying to decide if it’s worth getting a divorce. Our marital relations were what I would consider normal, at least once a week, before and during my pregnancy. However, once […]

DEAR ABBY: I met this guy at work. He was everything I’m looking for in a guy. During a lunch walk, he told me about his breakup with his ex and how he moved out and bought a house. He lives with his son and his nephews and their family. The entire two months we […]