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…

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I recently celebrated our first anniversary and have decided we’re ready to start a family. Our first month of trying has not been successful. My newly engaged cousin has just announced her wedding date. If our second month of trying is successful, my due date will …

DEAR ABBY: I moved in with my boyfriend, “Greg,” three years ago into the tiny but very economical house he rents. It’s cheaper than all other rentals in our area and allows us to save for a home of our own one day. However, after many months, I have discovered to my dismay that our landlord…

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I very much wanted a child and used an egg donor to become parents. We are eternally grateful to the semi-anonymous donor (we have limited information on her) and love our 11-year-old son more than anything. We have told him that I needed help (for example, lots of …

DEAR ABBY: My niece, “Vicki,” will be 18 in a few days. She works part-time and has started college. Her mom, my sister, lost her husband last year.

DEAR ABBY: I have a close friend who is an extreme hoarder. She and her husband have a beautiful, large, custom-built home that is stacked floor to ceiling with clutter. There are only narrow paths to walk around. Clothes, papers, toys, etc. are piled everywhere. Normally, I would mind my ow…

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have a happy, adorable 18-month-old son. Early in my pregnancy, I decided to not post a pregnancy announcement or pictures of him on social media. I felt my son should have the autonomy to build his own social media presence as he saw fit. During the past year, I …

DEAR ABBY: I have some bad memories connected with my mother, who was physically abusive. It wasn’t consistent, but sometimes she would lose it, and I was beaten quite badly a few times. It weighs on my mind intermittently, and I want to have a conversation with her about it. Then I remind m…

DEAR ABBY: My mother-in-law is contemplating a move to the small Southern town my husband and I have called home for more than 10 years. She’s a vibrant, well-to-do Southern lady with many friends and family in the big city where she has lived her entire life. The problem is, I really don’t …

DEAR ABBY: I’m recently divorced. We have two wonderful children ages 6 and 11. I try to spend as much time with them as possible because it’s important to me, even if it means spending time with my ex-wife.

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating a great guy for two years. We each have two kids from a previous marriage. I am still legally married (separated almost three years) and am in the process of divorcing. My ex is stubborn and vindictive. He’s dragging this whole thing out for no good reason other…

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been dating for a year. He’s amazing, and I can see myself marrying him and having a family one day. There is only one problem. We are healthy in our arguments EXCEPT when his job is brought up. He’s applying to go into the police academy.

DEAR ABBY: I am a woman in my 50s who has been the family “screw-up” since I was a teenager. Eighteen months ago, I screwed up in the worst way possible. Without my husband’s knowledge, I started robbing Peter to pay Paul with the bills. The end result: I lost us everything (home, vehicle, etc.).

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have a 22-year-old daughter, “Cara,” who is having a relationship with a 65-year-old man, “Gary.” We do not approve of the relationship.

DEAR ABBY: This letter is for women who have stepchildren or are considering marriage to a man with children. My second marriage of 20 years is in limbo with no closure. My three adult stepchildren took my husband away from our home two years ago. He was having some cognitive dementia, but w…

DEAR ABBY: My husband has lost a significant amount of weight over a very short period of time. He isn’t on drugs and eats well. I have begged him to see a doctor. He has come up with a variety of excuses and reasons why he has lost the weight. First it was because he was stressed at work. T…

DEAR ABBY: I’m in a relationship with a man who lives eight hours away. We met last year through a dating site while he was in my area on a business trip but lost contact shortly after he returned home. We recently reconnected and have been talking and/or texting daily since. I’m looking for…

DEAR ABBY: I recently started a romantic relationship with “Doug,” a guy I have been chasing for a while. My friend “Cassie” helped to set us up, and I am grateful. Doug and I talk every night and are very close.

DEAR ABBY: My friend “Nan” is planning her wedding and asked if I, along with our friends, would be bridesmaids. Fast-forward a few months: The bride-to-be is now pregnant. We’re having our first get-together as a bridal party, and she wants us to serve only nonalcoholic “mocktails” for our …

DEAR ABBY: I am a 67-year-old divorced mother of five and grandmother of eight. My marriage to the father of my first four children ended 30 years ago because he was physically and emotionally abusive. After the divorce, I managed to put myself through college, and I am now a retired teacher…

DEAR ABBY: I have a smartphone, and I love its convenience. I check my email, texts and voicemail three or four times a day and always try to respond promptly. But I do not carry my phone with me every moment of the day.

DEAR ABBY: The other day I had to leave my house in the morning because my son’s school called. He wasn’t feeling well and wanted to come home. I just threw on what I had worn the day before as I headed out the door. On the way out to my car, my neighbor yelled out, “Isn’t that the same outf…

DEAR ABBY: I am a successful career woman in my 50s. My husband is in his 40s. We decided several years ago that he could stop working, as my income is enough for both of us. He runs our household and is invaluable to me, not only as manager of our household, but also because he looks after …

DEAR ABBY: My father died three years ago. My parents were both close to his younger brother and his wife. For the past two years, I have suspected that my mother and my uncle have been having an affair. They live in different states and text back and forth. She has left her phone open when …

DEAR ABBY: I am 30 years old, the only child of divorced parents in their late 60s. Neither of them has remarried.

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been together for nearly a year. He has several female friends I have met and like very much. However, one of them texts him every day, even while we are together. She also sends Facebook messages and sometimes calls him at work. Sometimes she “drops in” at…

DEAR ABBY: I have been employed at a fine dining restaurant for 30 years. I love my job.

DEAR ABBY: I am getting married soon. I grew up without a biological father. When I was younger, a man (I’ll call him Tom) stepped into my life and has been like a father to me for almost two decades. I have gone on several family vacations with him and his family.

DEAR ABBY: My husband’s best friend remarried a couple of years ago, and the new wife, “Jane,” is a handful. When we get together, she’s as free-spirited and open as you can get, sexually. She hangs on her husband like a magnet, grabbing at him provocatively and letting everyone know anythin…

DEAR ABBY: I live in Atlanta, and my family lives four hours south. My brother travels here often to visit his girlfriend and their son. I never know he’s in town unless another family member mentions it or he posts a photo of himself at a local landmark.

DEAR ABBY: I am a female in my mid-20s. My whole life I have been in a constant state of exhaustion. When I was in school, I’d try so hard not to fall asleep in class. (I actually enjoyed school and got good grades.) But when I got home, I’d have to take a nap before doing my homework or cho…

DEAR ABBY: Our son is married to a beautiful girl, “Debra.” Several years ago, while we were away on vacation, she entered our home without our consent. (Our son has a key to our house.) She took several expensive, very personal and sentimental items, and we have no idea what she did with th…

DEAR ABBY: My 40-year-old daughter, “Marta,” and I are widows. I’m retired, and my daughter has a small home-based business. She and her three children live with me. Because the cost of living is high in our city, living together has allowed us to pool our resources and co-parent my grandkids.

DEAR ABBY: I’m having trouble with a friend, “Julie.” We have been close friends for about five years. Julie is 29, still a virgin and lives at home. I never thought much about her living at home but, as the years go by, her living arrangements have become more front and center.

DEAR ABBY: My dad had a heart attack and nearly died a year ago. Since then, he has totally revamped his diet and put forth the effort to eat a plant-based diet to become healthier. It has been a family affair, and my sister jumped on the bandwagon as well.

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 10 years and have two children. One of them is a toddler.

DEAR ABBY: A couple of years ago, I was working as a certified nursing assistant in a nursing home. One day, I decided to stay beyond my usual evening shift into the night shift, as I had a few times before. While working the night shift, I was violently sexually assaulted by a fellow CNA. T…

DEAR ABBY: My mother, who is in her late 60s, is obsessed with family history and preserving attachments to relatives. In addition to being the family genealogist, she collects objects that belonged to relatives or people who “might” have been relatives, those who share our last name or live…

DEAR ABBY: My husband died in 2001. There is a man I have been seeing for 17 years I’ll call Jack. He has a home in Georgia. I live in Pennsylvania, where I share a home with my grown son and my daughter, her husband and my 6-year-old grandson.

DEAR ABBY: I have known this man, “Finn,” for years. We grew up together. He was the annoying boy on the playground who turned into my first love when we were in college. We live in different states now, so we have grown distant, although we still talk on holidays and birthdays.

DEAR ABBY: I have two beautiful daughters, ages 3 and 4. My concern is that my younger daughter is very friendly. No matter where we go, she says “hi” to everyone she sees, strangers included. With all her positive energy, she has the type of personality that attracts attention when she walk…

DEAR ABBY: I’m a single woman who has always wanted children. As much as I would’ve liked, marriage isn’t in the cards for me yet and maybe not ever, which I’ve accepted.

DEAR ABBY: My husband lost his job. He had worked there since we were married 10 years ago, and earned top wages because he had been with them for so long. Two years into our marriage, when we found out we were expecting our first child, we decided that I would be a stay-at-home mom. My husb…

FROM ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

DEAR ABBY: My husband, “Doug,” and I have had a long and happy marriage. We’ve raised two children, both of whom are doing well in life. I have much to be thankful for, but I keep having to remind myself of that because I’m having trouble adjusting to my changing relationship with my husband.

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been dating my boyfriend for a year and a half. We’re both 30, and we have pretty much decided to tie the knot. The only thing holding me back is his hygiene.

DEAR ABBY: My brother, “Kevin,” came out at the age of 30. Now, 20 years later, I have a son who would like to stay with my brother for a few months while working a job nearby. We have never discussed that Kevin is gay. I had no idea when he came out to me. No one ever asked me about it othe…

DEAR ABBY: Sometimes when my husband has been drinking, he does things I consider inappropriate with his cousin and childhood friend “Jasper.” The most recent incident involved my husband pulling down his pants and showing Jasper his private parts. Later that night he tried to grab Jasper’s crotch.

DEAR ABBY: I’m a mother of two girls, ages 3 and 5. Their father and I are together, but I’m not in love with him anymore. I have felt this way for two years now.