ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: I lost my wife of 20 years four months ago after a prolonged illness. I retired at 62 and became her primary caretaker. The job of caretaker is endless and stressful, and yet rewarding. A female friend of many years ("Dinah") came to the memorial. I grieved, attended Grief Share and read articles about grief. I experience grief every ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband's stepmother passed recently after a long illness, and her children specifically wanted our family, including our 2-year-old, to be at her service. When we arrived at the church, I tried to sit in the back pew so I could take her out when she was antsy, but they put us in front with the rest of the family.

Predictably, we ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My father died by suicide three years ago. My sister, who was initially supportive, later drunk-dialed our mother and said a bunch of nasty things about her and me. Mom didn't cut the conversation short and later told me what was said, which included that Dad had done it because my other sister and I are "unstable" and because he was ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am struggling with a recent diagnosis of severe liver disease (non-alcoholic) and need to lose 30 pounds. I have had two bouts of cancer in five years as well as arthritis. I have dedicated myself to explicitly following my doctor's directions to eat organic and low-fat foods and to exercise daily to improve my liver. I face surgery...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My son is a loving husband, father and son. He coaches his 12-year-old son, my grandson, in various sports and sometimes is just a spectator. I'm worried because he often berates his son's playing ability. He has yelled at him during and after games, whether he is coaching or not. He yelled and screamed at him in front of everyone and...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We recently suffered the loss of our first grandchild. She was only 24 and taken far too soon. My partner and I are working through our grief, which is challenging as we are in different stages. He also struggles with multiple mental health issues. They make things even more difficult, as I need to help him through some outbursts ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 22 years. It was a normal relationship, and I was very happy. However, over the last 12 years, my wife has changed. There is ZERO affection, no hugging, holding hands and nothing sexual. We are like roommates. She blames it on having been molested when she was a child. Our level of intimacy was normal for 10 ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a roommate, "Don," I have lived with for 11 years. At first, we were dating, but we broke up, and Don moved out for a year. We remained friends, and he moved back in to help me with rent and because he missed the cat. Our relationship has been strictly platonic for the last seven years.

What drives me nuts is when we get in a ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have been divorced from my ex-husband, "Cliff," for a year and a half. My nearly adult children live with me. They rarely see their dad. Our divorce was relatively painless, but the custody battle was prolonged, and most of my savings were drained in the process. Cliff pays child support, but I'm still struggling financially to ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have spent 40 years serving the public and my country, putting other people first and feeling guilty if I didn't. However, I am becoming resentful of the demands for my time.

I'm retired, and my husband still works. We have always split the expenses 50-50, even though I make less than 40% of his income. Once I retired, my share of ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A man I know has been married for 40 years. His wife gets mad at him for small things and stops talking to him for three to four months at a time. Also, he will make her supper, and she'll make something else. Or she will make supper and quickly put it in the refrigerator. They leave very brief notes about where they are going. During...Read more

DEAR ABBY: We have an annual weekend family reunion that includes family and significant others along with their children. Most of the children are adults now. One of them (my niece) was recently married and is asking if her new husband's sister (and possibly her boyfriend) can come to the reunion.

We don't have anyone other than immediate ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am recently divorced after a 37-year marriage. My boyfriend, "Grant," has been divorced for a long time. He is a lovely man -- honest, intelligent, healthy, helpful, neat and a great communicator. Our physical relationship is wonderful, too.

My problem? Grant has two small dogs that sleep in bed with him. They have since they were ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My best friend "Carla" and I haven't spoken for several years, which breaks my heart. Her son was getting married. The dress was evening cocktail attire. The venue was an hour and a half from where I live. I don't drive. At the time, I was having financial difficulties and was worried about the attire and transportation to the venue. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: What do you say when going to visit a not-so-close relative who is dying? I have an aunt who has been diagnosed with late-stage cancer and has recently gone on hospice. She may have one to four months to live. I used to spend time around her during family functions when I was younger, but I haven't seen her in at least a decade now, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I've been divorced for 10 years and have since remarried. I began dating my current wife nine years ago. I have four daughters, ages 24 through 37. Since the divorce, our relationships have been strained because my ex continues to hold them emotionally hostage by feeding her narrative that I'm the bad guy for initiating the divorce. ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My in-laws have repeatedly attempted to destroy my marriage. My husband knows they trash-talk us to family, thinking we don't know it, but he won't put up any meaningful boundaries or check them whatsoever. I have lost all respect for him because he lies to me, telling me he has confronted them, when I know for a fact he hasn't.

We ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have known "Sheila" for 30 years. We were once dear friends. She was always a social drinker. Twelve years ago, she lost her husband to cancer and began drinking increasingly heavily. Sheila's now an alcoholic. Friends and family have tried many times to help her. She went to rehab twice to appease her daughter. She tried AA but ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I see a psychiatrist and psychologist for generalized anxiety disorder, major depression disorder and borderline personality disorder. According to my doctors, my psychiatric disorders are a result of the 44 years of abuse I received from my mother, as well as the abuse she allowed others to inflict on me.

Her physical abuse stopped ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My late husband and I were married 38 years when we finally went to marriage counseling. I found out then that he had slept with my sister early in our marriage. I had suspected he'd also had an affair with his uncle's wife. (They were very close in age.) This, too, was confirmed in counseling.

My sister was recently home because of ...Read more