ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been amicably married for 16 years. We enjoy each other's company and are home together a lot. However, over the last year or so, I have had an increasingly hard time hearing what he's saying. He sits in his chair and mumbles to the point where I can't tell if he's talking to me or to himself. He also tries to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm in a long-term relationship with an incredible guy I'll call "Jerry." We both have grown children, his parents and family are amazing, and we all get along wonderfully.

Jerry works hard as a health-care professional. I work as well, but he supports us financially, for which I am grateful. He has an autoimmune disorder and, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I had two sons, "Seth" and "Jason," who were best buddies. Seth passed away a year and a half ago, which has been really hard on us all, but especially on Jason. He's now 17 and in high school. He's doing OK, but he is still sort of listless and keeps to himself a lot.

My sister's son, "Matt," was the same age as Seth....Read more

DEAR ABBY: My sister-in-law is her alcoholic husband's enabler. He has health conditions that make walking difficult. He falls down often and can't make it to the bathroom. Being drunk all the time (he consumes a fifth of vodka every two days) also prevents him from getting the surgery he needs.

My SIL buys his liquor for him. She says if she ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am 65, single and retired with an almost-40-year-old bipolar child. Although she's compliant with her meds, she also self-medicates and sometimes must be hospitalized due to her mania. She doesn't work and refuses to apply for any aid. I have stopped paying for her needs other than food, shelter and helping financially with her dog....Read more

DEAR ABBY: I recently spent weeks caring for my mom in hospice. I was holding her hand when she took her last breath. I had announced to family and friends her choice to enter hospice. They knew her death was imminent. Being the last surviving child, it was up to me to arrange her funeral. Everyone, including my friends, asked me to keep them ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 67-year-old man who has two sisters. Recently, I was at my younger sister "Mitzi's" house, installing some blinds. While there, I received a phone call from my girlfriend. (We have been together nine months, after my wife passed last year.) My girlfriend and I were discussing finances, including the topic of my older sister, "...Read more

DEAR ABBY: Four months ago, my 15-year-old oldest child was killed in a car accident. It has been really hard. My husband and I are doing our best to take care of our younger children and put our lives back together.

One thing I don't know what to do about is all the mail I have received from my estranged relatives. None of them came for the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 54-year-old mother of two, a wife and a full-time teacher. My days are long, busy and usually uneventful. Every evening, I am expected to call my 84-year-old mother, who lives a few states away. I oblige, of course, listening patiently to all of her stories, ranting and gossip.

If, for any reason, I happen to fall asleep or ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My parents divorced when I was in high school, and Dad kept the house I grew up in. I'm in college across town and have my own place, but I still visited Dad often. As a teenager, it used to be my job to cook the family dinner two nights a week. I loved it and continued to cook when I was visiting.

Dad now has a serious girlfriend ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband is going to be 70 next month. He is in good physical shape but has taken up smoking marijuana every day. He says he is addicted. I have told him how much I hate that he uses dope. He quits for a while and then goes back to it.

We have been married almost 50 years. I would be disappointed filing for divorce, but I am ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was diagnosed with colon cancer five years ago. After two surgeries and three hospital stays, I recovered. The experience made me realize at 62 that it was time to downsize. I moved my husband and myself into a smaller, one-story home in a lovely retirement community.

I have now been diagnosed with incurable metastatic cancer. I'm ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My sister, "Jenny," and I have had a falling-out and no longer speak. She's upset with me because she found out her adult daughter, "Paisley," had moved without telling anyone.

I discovered it when Paisley had some mail sent to my house and later revealed she had moved across the country. Jenny and Paisley were no-contact; they had a...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been a registered nurse for 11 years. I am experienced in hospital floor nursing and clinic nursing, and I have always been well regarded in my field. I have never had a problem forming positive relationships with my co-workers.

I recently moved to a new unit. Although the workflow is slightly different than what I was used to...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I'm an older gay male with many gay friends, but I have never come out to family, although I'm confident most of them know or suspect my sexual orientation.

I invited my cousin and her husband to a small get-together before an event here in the city near my house. I also invited a few close (gay) friends who were attending the event....Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are blessed with a 6-month-old son, "Tyler." I'm now back at work three days a week. My mother and my mother-in-law offered to watch him one day a week, which we were grateful for. (I found a babysitter for the third day.)

I give my mom and my MIL gift cards to their favorite restaurants because each is giving up a ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I was married for 20 years to a man who slowly isolated me from friends and family until I had no one but him to rely on. Now 49 and divorced, I am without close friends. For the last two years, I've been actively trying to build connections. I go to church and volunteer, rent a plot at the community garden to meet other gardeners, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been happily married for 31 years. I love my wife, but we are now more like roommates or friends than the lovers we were initially. We are also not soulmates. We both agree that few couples are.

But I MET my soulmate three years ago. The initial chemistry was amazing, and we have been "dating" ever since. I put "dating" in ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am a 50-year-old single mom who is extremely close with my 20-year-old daughter, who is away at college. I haven't dated for 12 years, partly because I did not want distractions from parenting.

Recently, a young man has contacted me for a casual relationship. These are my issues: He's 21. My daughter would be disgusted, and I could...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been incarcerated for 21 months. I stay in contact with my immediate family, except for my brother. I suspect that he slept with my girlfriend a couple of weeks before I came to prison, although I'm not 100% sure. He tells our family members that it isn't true and that he wants me to reach out. But I don't know if I can until I...Read more