ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My father, who is retired, has always had a big heart and almost no regard for himself. Anytime he meets someone in a tough situation, he does whatever he can to make it easier, giving freely of his time and resources without asking for repayment. This was a big problem when my parents were married because he kept giving away the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was with the same man for 36 years, but I divorced him three years ago because of his gambling problems. We came to this country 27 years ago, and ever since then I have been working and providing for us. He never paid any bills. He was very controlling and pretty much did whatever he pleased. I guess I was so busy trying to make a ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a gay man who has been with my husband for more than 30 years. He's from a different culture, as are our now-grown adopted children. Most of my family members are religiously and politically conservative. They have known I was gay since I was in my 20s and almost always accepted us, but they are often critical of differences in ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was shopping recently and encountered a mother who had her two young children in her cart. One of them was making a loud noise. The mother slapped her hard across the face, yelling, "You're not getting what you want, so BE QUIET!" I felt I should say something, but I didn't want the situation to escalate. What would an appropriate ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My father was a terrible person. He was physically abusive to his wife and kids, and he sexually abused both of my sisters. He was a vicious bully who took every opportunity to humiliate his children and took pleasure in destroying things we worked hard for. No one in the family is sad that he's no longer with us; most of us are happy...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I met "Donny" 18 months ago. For a while, we were both happy. Then suddenly, every Friday, Donny would make some excuse, smoke a cigarette and go to the bar across the street. Afterward, he would show up here drunk, and we would argue. When Donny was sober, he was a great guy, but every weekend he disappeared. Although I tried every ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I lost my husband two months ago after a long, debilitating illness. I loved him very much, and the loss was very difficult, although not unexpected.

After his funeral, an old friend called me offering condolences. He had lost his wife last year after a long illness, and he understood what I had been through. We both had lost spouses...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband, "Andy," and I have been together 25 years, married for 16. We have three kids ages 14, 11 and 9. Our marriage has always been a happy one. Andy began a government job five years ago, and after two years, he was traveling a lot.

Once he started traveling so often, I had a hard time adjusting to being everything for my kids...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My son has trouble telling the truth. He was getting up late, dressing for work, leaving and coming back early. When my husband and I asked him about having a job, he said he had one. When we asked him to show us his paycheck, he fumbled around on his phone, then he confessed that he had no job. He said he has been at the library ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My mom is in her early 80s. More and more often lately, she seems to be avoiding seeing me and my siblings. It wasn't always like this. She would let me, my husband and our kids stay with her when we visited. Even last year, when she fell and injured herself, she let me stay with her for a couple of days to help out.

My siblings have...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am frustrated with my husband. We have been together 18 years. When it gets close to my menstrual cycle, he gets into an angry panic for us to be intimate because he travels for work and is home only four nights a week. If we're not able to, he pouts, then becomes angry and distant, and peppers me for updates to determine how soon ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a man in my early 30s who has made a career switch. My new field requires me to be more social because I will be meeting with colleagues, some of them older than I am, and attending trade shows, meetings, and business and social networking outings. This was never part of my former job.

I'm somewhat shy, and I can be uneasy in ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Our neighbors, "Wanda" and "Bob," have agreed to care for our house and cat when we vacation. We told them we'd like to pay them for their troubles, but Wanda says they want to do it for free. Bob just smiles.

Judging by her body language, Wanda seemed offended when I asked her how much she'd like to be paid. You see, I'm sure we can...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. A fellow AA member suffered critical injuries in a motorcycle accident recently and had been in the ICU for several weeks. I visited the hospital regularly, bringing cookies and offering support to his girlfriend, who is also in the program.

During my last visit, I unknowingly arrived at the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been married for 19 years to my second husband, "Jack." Our children are grown. When we met, I was a business owner, and he was retired. He has had numerous medical issues and procedures, and I have always insured him on my health plans and been his advocate. We have always had separate bank accounts and a household account we ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have read letters in your column from women whose boyfriends or husbands flirt with other women in their presence complaining about feeling hurt and embarrassment. I was married for 25 years to a man who flirted with other women while we were dating and also after we were married. I told him many times that it hurt my feelings and ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I love my cousin "Carly" like a sister. We come from a large family, and both of us are estranged from our mothers (who are sisters) as well as our siblings. We're OK with this because we have no room for toxic people in our lives.

Recently, Carly has fallen on hard times -- a bitter divorce and a failed business. She lost one son in...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I walk around a local lake three times a week. We met another couple there who seemed pleasant until the husband tried to give me his doctor's name so I could "Get that 'thing' removed." ("That thing" being the beauty mark next to my smile.) I told him I wasn't interested.

The next time we met, he brought it up again. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a man whose long-distance boyfriend of one year has a married female best friend. (She's his boss.) She is also a tobacco-addicted narcissist who drinks a lot. They chat on the phone and text for hours every day because, as he puts it, "she can't be alone." I think she uses him to compensate for her insecurities. I also think she...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My son and his fiancee are getting married in a few months. They are planning a small reception with only their closest friends and family. Unfortunately, this excludes my late father's second wife, "Bonnie," who has been in our lives for nearly 40 years. My son has no particular problem with Bonnie, but she has struggled with mental ...Read more