DEAR ABBY: I am a teacher. I have a young son, and I love being off when he is out for school holidays and spending summers together. I feel I have the best of both worlds. I recently married a woman who is 14 years younger than me and is also a teacher. My wife […]

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend is 18 years younger than I am. Our relationship hasn’t been perfect, but I love him to death. Unfortunately, I’m going through menopause and have all the side effects. Long story short, he found another girl. It was just supposed to be for sex, and he told me he wouldn’t get […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been divorced for nine years. Before that I was a stay-at-home mom raising four children. I had an in-home business, and most of the money went to our family’s needs. My husband became an alcoholic 20 years into our 28-year marriage. After we divorced, my two adult daughters abandoned me because […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I live in a lovely older neighborhood and have enjoyed wonderful neighbors over many years. The homes are close together with windows often left open in spring, summer and fall, as large shade trees keep our homes cool. A couple of years ago, our longtime next-door neighbors moved, and a […]

DEAR ABBY: A few years ago, my sister and I took our kids on vacation together. She and I get along but have never been close. Sometimes I walk on eggshells around her because I never know what might make her upset. I thought we were having a good time on that vacation and getting […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a happy, decidedly single woman with a large group of friends who are all married. Most of us grew up together, and all of us have been like extended family for the past 25 years. This year, one of the wives lost three family members within three months. This has been […]

DEAR ABBY: The first Christmas my future husband and I were dating, he gave me an angel ring. I asked him to take me to a bar where my best friend worked so I could show it to her. When I showed it to her, she told me her cancer had come back. I gave […]

DEAR ABBY: My parents have been divorced for 30 years. It was an unpleasant divorce because Dad had an affair with a woman he worked with and married her soon after. Mom was devastated. She and Dad were high school sweethearts. Both have moved on from this — sort of. Dad has since divorced, remarried […]

DEAR ABBY: I have a 25-year-old niece, “Meadow,” who embraces the hippie lifestyle. She’s kind and sweet and loves everyone. She has also opposed “the Establishment.” She’s heavily tattooed and has several facial piercings and thick underarm hair. My son is the complete opposite. He is in the business world and is very professional in […]

DEAR ABBY: I am on a limited income. My younger sister, “Tara,” is a medical professional with disposable income she spends on frivolous things. I have one son, age 13; she has three children, ages 14, 10 and 3. Tara and I live a few miles apart; our mother lives 60 miles away. My mother […]