DEAR ABBY: I am an 83-year-old mother of four. I have been living with my second husband now for 21 years. Nineteen years ago, my husband loaned one of my daughters and her husband a large sum of money so they could buy a house and pay off bills and judgments. All the necessary paperwork for…

DEAR ABBY: After an abusive relationship ended 14 years ago, I stayed single and raised my small son to adulthood. I dated here and there, but never found anyone I had serious feelings for who also felt the same way about me until seven months ago.

DEAR ABBY: I have had a serious boyfriend for six months. He’s wonderful, a dream come true. But I find myself more depressed and suicidal than ever. Mom tells me I don’t have any reason to be depressed since I have a boyfriend. It’s like she thinks I have no right to still be despondent ove…

DEAR ABBY: I’m 16 and have had trouble with romance for as long as I can remember. I’ve had almost 80 crushes since kindergarten. I counted.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are not on the same page about helping with the grandkids. We moved here six years ago to be closer to my daughter, her husband and their two daughters. The older one is 9, and the younger is 6.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married 30 years. I recently retired, and we are planning a cruise to Europe and a two-month stay, returning on the same cruise line. The cruise line is rather posh, and travelers are asked to “dress appropriately” — which means, essentially, men should …

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have a 45-year-old nephew who married for the first time two years ago. Before that, he was engaged to a woman I’ll call Anita for two years. We assumed the reason for their breakup was she wanted children, and he did not. Last year, we attended Anita’s wedding, as w…

DEAR ABBY: My wife, “Cynthia,” and I are a middle-aged couple who have been married four years. Shortly after our wedding, she suffered a stroke during a heart transplant. After she returned home from the hospital, a “friend” told her I was having an affair (I wasn’t). Without telling me why…

DEAR ABBY: A short time ago, I experienced a terrible loss. I came home from work one evening and found “Martin,” my boyfriend of almost 17 years, dead at the bottom of the stairs. I later found out he had been drinking.

DEAR ABBY: I am a gay woman. My male best friend has had a crush on me for more than a year. It is so intense that he is almost delusional. We have talked extensively about it. He knows where I stand and that it will never happen, and he says he accepts that. But he can’t stand the thought o…

DEAR ABBY: Fifty years ago, at the age of 17, I was raped by a high school classmate. At the time, I was living in an apartment with a friend, “Becky.” She and three male classmates witnessed the attack, stood by and did nothing. (They were drunk.)

DEAR ABBY: I’m in my mid-30s and about a year ago I went from limited contact to no contact with two siblings and my mother. No single incident caused this, nor was there any history of childhood abuse, etc. I just find I am much happier without their presence in my life.

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been married to my husband for 21 years. We’ve had our ups and downs, but our relationship is solid.

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been dating for more than a decade. We’re nearly 30 now. We are happy not being married, and we both agreed early in our relationship that we would not have kids.

DEAR ABBY: Years ago, I was friendly with a man from work who was very close to his mom. She came along with us once for lunch and ended up really liking me. From that point on, whenever he and I would get together for lunch, she would tag along. At one point, without my permission, he gave …

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have a friend, “George,” who rents our upstairs. Our home is large, and the second floor has all the amenities of a 2,500-square-foot house. He has his separate entrance and never has to come through our living space.

DEAR ABBY: I have been friends with “Caroline” for more than 20 years. Her husband is present when they visit us because they live out of state, and when I visit her, he is there. I have been married for 28 years, and my husband doesn’t join me when I visit Caroline.

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been married for 45 years. When she moved out of our bedroom, I was shocked. I thought she didn’t love me anymore. Then I realized that both our sleeping habits have changed over the years.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have an elderly (90-plus) aunt who lives with her son in a town about four hours away. She corresponds by letter with us regularly, and we always write back. However, it has become apparent that she’s not receiving our letters because she doesn’t make any comments…

DEAR ABBY: I was adopted at birth. About 30 years ago, I found my birth mother, but our relationship is intermittent and distant. She only recently gave me a name of my biological father. Through DNA testing I have discovered that the name she gave me was incorrect and who he actually was. T…

DEAR ABBY: I have never been in love before, and I have just learned the man I’m seeing is a former felon. It was nothing having to do with sexual violence or killing anyone. I’m afraid if my family finds out, they will judge him. He works seven days a week and lives in a shelter because mos…

DEAR ABBY: My niece on my husband’s side was engaged to be married two years ago. There was a bridal shower, and everyone gave gifts or gift cards. Two weeks after the shower, the wedding was canceled because of the groom-to-be’s infidelities. The shower gifts and gift cards were never retur…

DEAR ABBY: I am trying hard to let go of my paralyzing fear of driving, which has prevented me from getting a license. I am not sure why I get so nervous and afraid when I get behind the wheel. I really need a car to get my family and myself around. I just wish I knew what was causing this. …

DEAR ABBY: I have a problem I haven’t seen in your column before. My husband comes from a large family with siblings spread far and wide. We live in the home state and are happy to accommodate his brothers and sisters (families, dogs) when they come home to visit and ask to stay with us.

DEAR ABBY: I’m unsure about how to proceed with my niece. She is struggling with child-rearing and debt.

DEAR ABBY: My mother is in a locked ward of a nursing home because she has Alzheimer’s and is a flight risk. My stepfather has begun dating her best friend. He doesn’t consider it dating because, at 85, he’s no longer capable of having a physical relationship. However, taking someone to dinn…

DEAR ABBY: I recently landed a new job and was excited about doing work that would be directly in line with my education and background. I left a job of more than a decade to pursue this field. My problem is, I’m being asked to carry luggage, make coffee, run errands, etc. This was not in my…

DEAR ABBY: I’m a busy woman. My friend “Adele” was calling me excessively on my cellphone. She would call up to three times every day, even when I was at work. When I would take her call, she’d start questioning me, asking me what I was so busy with. At times she would lecture me about thing…

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating a great guy for a year and a half. He’s funny, smart, and when he comes to my house, he washes my dishes and plays with my son. He is attentive, and he cooks for me. He is always buying me little things like a desk coffee heater because he knows I love hot coffe…

DEAR ABBY: Is there a delicate way for me to tell my boyfriend not to use the same online floral delivery service again? The birthday bouquet he had delivered to me arrived with limp, wilted, torn petals and leaves and broken stems. It was one of those box-of-flowers deliveries.

DEAR ABBY: When I was a junior in high school, I sustained a neck injury (at school) that damaged my spinal cord. I recovered mostly from that, but I have residual weakness in my right side and severe neck pain. I was able to work until, at 57, I had to go on disability. Because of that, my …

DEAR ABBY: I have had a friend, “Kimberly,” for 52 years, ever since first grade. We went all through school together. Teachers described her as a “social butterfly.” My dad described her as a “phony.” She’s an extrovert with a nice personality and many friends. I am more of an introvert, bu…

DEAR ABBY: We need advice about how to respond to friends and family who poke fun or show disdain because of our healthy lifestyle. We are in our 60s. We rarely eat out, and when we do, we avoid fast food. We cook most of our meals with an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, fish and chicken. We…

DEAR ABBY: I have been married to a wonderful man for 33 years. He doesn’t drink or smoke and has never used pot or drugs. We have the best time together, love each other and enjoy our life together.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 37-year-old man who is getting married for the first time. My fiancee, “Holly,” and I went to middle school and high school together but never really got to know each other until a few years ago. I love her more than words can describe, and I’m happy to be getting ready to …

DEAR ABBY: My heart is breaking for my friend who was married just a month and a half ago. She and her husband went on a two-week Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon. They have not lived together since then. Her husband says he loves her, and I know she loves him, but he has no immediat…

DEAR ABBY: I have an awkward wedding conundrum I hope you can help me with. I am getting married in April and want to invite two co-workers with whom I am very close. One of them is married; the other, “Sara,” is in the process of divorcing her husband. Sara was unhappy for years with her al…

DEAR ABBY: My sister was married recently. At the reception, her new mother-in-law was seen by multiple guests gesturing with her two middle fingers while the father of the bride was giving his toast. It was a very formal event, and it was shocking to see an adult act like this. Our family f…

DEAR ABBY: We are expecting our first child after many years of struggling with infertility. We are overjoyed, to say the least.

DEAR ABBY: I have a 4-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl and I’m worried. My husband bullies our son, “Jake.” We often go to a park with swingsets near our home. Jake runs to the swings, gets on, and then my husband pushes it so hard, Jake screams in fear. People sitting on the benches stop …

DEAR ABBY: My 47-year-old daughter is an alcoholic. A year ago, she took several benzodiazepine pills along with the booze and overdosed. My son-in-law found her in time and called 911. She spent five days in a psych hospital to detox, but never went to any follow-up rehab. I had been led to…

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I were recently matched with a child in an adoption. I’m not experienced with children, but my neighbor “Kara” has two kids around the same age as our future son. I like Kara and really want our child and me to spend time with her family. The problem is, my husband …

DEAR ABBY: My brother- and sister-in-law were trying to have a baby using artificial insemination. A few months into the very difficult pregnancy, they were told the baby had many life-threatening defects and asked if they wanted to terminate because the baby had little, if any, chance of su…

DEAR ABBY: I have been in a relationship for more than five years. My girlfriend and I will soon graduate from college. I have accepted a full-time job offer, and she will be going to grad school.

DEAR ABBY: I have shared a friendship for 40 years with a woman who is known for having a quick temper. Although I have been on the receiving end of her anger many times, we manage to maintain our relationship.

DEAR ABBY: One of our daughters (18) has been rebelling for the last couple of years. She’s not doing well in community college. She is dating a drug user and has been caught in lie after lie, including about spending the night at friends’ homes.

DEAR ABBY: I have a very toxic relationship with my older sister. I still live at home, although I’ll be leaving for college in a few years.

DEAR ABBY: One of my sons is dating a young woman who seems to care deeply for him but is very cool and distant to our family. He goes to nearly all of her family’s events, but she seldom comes to any of ours.

DEAR ABBY: My widowed mother-in-law, “Minnie,” works full time as a trucker, traveling around the U.S. She doesn’t have a home of her own since she lives on the road. My husband and I live in a small one-bedroom apartment. When she’s here for holidays or family functions, she always sleeps o…