ArcaMax

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