Dear Abby
Happy host declines help in kitchen
For more than 20 years, my husband and I hosted a dinner every Sunday after church. I set the table for 10, but we often had more. When guests offered…
Dear Abby
Dear Abby
Time, technology change communication
Examples: She’ll cut off a conversation to answer another nonemergency call. She frantically texts that she needs to talk right now, then doesn’t call and won’t answer when I try…
Dear Abby
Mother longs to reunite her family
Because of past abuse from family and previous partners, I find it very hard to trust. I would love to go back, but I keep being told that it would…
Dear Abby
Brother alarmed by sister’s choices
My sister lied to my parents repeatedly about it, but later, when they went through her phone, they found explicit images that a girl her age should never have. Furthermore,…
Dear Abby
Wife in awkward position with friends
The problem is, my husband still hangs out with them. He defended me when they talked negatively about me, and continues to support me in all my struggles, but they’re…
Dear Abby
Relationship is more off than on
He accuses me of picking fights and says I will never be happy with anyone when I try to talk with him about it. He breaks up with me at…
Dear Abby
Bullied student longs for hometown
My family plans to stay here another two years. My parents say that when/if we move back to the United States, we won’t return to our hometown. I find this…
Dear Abby
Boy’s punishment doesn’t fit crime
At first I was upset with my brother and his wife because it was their fault that the boy had access to it, and boys are naturally curious. But when…
Dear Abby
Story shared without permission
I sat in prison seven years before I was able to prove my innocence and regain my freedom. Even then, I was forced to accept certain requirements to keep my…
Dear Abby
Adult daughter annoyed by dad’s pats
Right now, all I can do is try not to place myself in a position where my behind is exposed. I no longer walk in front of him or wear…
Dear Abby
Student has trouble getting homework help
Dear Student: Of course you do. When your mother becomes frustrated while trying to assist with your homework, the reason may be she is stressed about something else after a…
Dear Abby
Woman frets about ending relationship
Every guy I date I compare to him. It’s hard to imagine myself with anyone else. We were so similar, and we made so many plans together. Our families weren’t…
Dear Abby
Cameras don’t sit well with sitter
Do I ask them to turn off the cameras, or stop babysitting? I can’t be the only person who is uncomfortable being monitored all day like a caged animal. What’s…
Dear Abby
Couple splits after missed chances
Our issues could have been fixed, but we were too prideful. Now, I’m starting to have regrets – what have I done? We could have been a family for our…
Dear Abby
New mom not in the mood for love
My husband refuses to understand how exhausted I am, and his constantly asking for sex makes me want it even less. I try to reassure him that it’s not him,…
Dear Abby
Distraction more than forgetfulness?
My husband has this. (It was not diagnosed until he was in his 50s, and I had nearly torn all my hair out.) He still occasionally leaves cabinet doors and…
Dear Abby
Nurse fears consequences of speaking up
Since I started working here, we have been assigned six or seven patients at a time, although I was told when I was hired they were going to hire enough…
Dear Abby
Communication a one-way street
When she invited me to her wedding, I was surprised because when she got engaged, I reached out to congratulate her and asked for the story of the proposal, and…
Dear Abby
Couple endures marriage without intimacy
Three years after our wedding, my husband told me he was no longer physically attracted to me. It hurt. A lot. It has been seven years since that day, and…
Dear Abby
Busy mom fights to hold temper
My problem is I’m finding myself struggling to control a very strong temper. The kids or my husband may be getting on my nerves, or I’m late turning in an…
Dear Abby
Family makes little effort to stay in touch
My three adult children are ages 37 to 43. The eldest lives out of the country with my 12-year-old grandson. My other son and his wife live 2,000 miles away…
Dear Abby
Togetherness strains relationship
Even though our marriages ended, mine wasn’t an ordeal. My ex and I both knew it wasn’t working anymore, and we still get along pretty well. But Andy and his…
Dear Abby
Wife grapples with family’s history
After an estrangement of many years, he has now started talking to his mother and sisters again. His mother is now in her 70s. It breaks my heart that he…
Dear Abby
Woman hurt being kept at arm’s length
I haven’t heard from her in months during the pandemic, which has been hurtful. I’m a working single mother, trying to take care of my son during this dark time,…
Dear Abby
New start brings hope for better days
Today presents an opportunity to discard destructive old habits for healthy new ones, and with that in mind, I will share Dear Abby’s often-requested list of New Year’s Resolutions –…
Dear Abby
Man plays with woman’s emotions
In the beginning, I didn’t know he was married. He doesn’t wear a ring, and he never mentioned a wife until one day while we were chatting, he let it…
Dear Abby
Fiancee loses sleep over mementos
At first, I thought he had worked through his grief because his wife suffered from early-onset Alzheimer’s and the last six years of their marriage she was very ill. We…
Dear Abby
Porn addiction rocks marriage
He says he wants to save their marriage and has vowed to give up the porn. I was told he told his wife that if she decides to divorce him,…
Dear Abby
Memories cloud devoted dad’s happiness
I just have this feeling of loneliness. I feel like I have my children and that’s it. My mind often wanders to a woman from the past. I would never…
Dear Abby
Working mom pressured to stay on job
After our first child was born, my husband made clear that it was unacceptable for me to leave my career or reduce my working hours. I never realized I would…