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1 month ago | 
chicago.suntimes.com | Abigail Van Buren |Robert Muller |Robert Müller
DEAR ABBY: While doing some house cleaning, I came across a column of yours that I had clipped and tucked away. On one of the pages I had dog-eared was the poem, “Decide to Forgive.” I was struck by how timely it is. The message is much needed at this time. I believe in “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Please reprint the poem because, to me, it’s a treasure. — JOANNE IN DELAWAREDEAR JOANNE: I agree the poem is a treasure.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | Abigail Van Buren |Amy Dickinson |R. Thomas |Annie Lane
DEAR ABBY: I am a single parent of two girls. My oldest, "Becca," is 17. She has been dating this guy and, as soon as she graduates, plans to move in with him and two of his friends (another couple). What worries me is that their relationship is pretty toxic. They are always fighting. I have begged her not to move in with him, but she won't budge. Becca has some abandonment issues. Her mom left us when Becca was a baby, and my second wife was emotionally abusive to everyone before we divorced.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | R. Thomas |Amy Dickinson |Abigail Van Buren |Annie Lane
Dear Eric: I have been in a relationship with a man going on six years now. I love and care about him deeply. However, we have one serious problem in our relationship. He is always going to his ex-wife’s house. He goes there about three nights a week, coming home drunk afterward. When I tell him that it really upsets me, he says he is visiting his son (age 27), who still lives with his mother. I understand that he loves his son and wants to spend time with him.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | Harriette Cole |Amy Dickinson |R. Eric Thomas |Abigail Van Buren
DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm feeling completely overwhelmed by my financial situation. With paying off student loans, covering my living expenses and trying to save for the future, I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. Rent alone takes up half of my paycheck, and despite budgeting carefully, I'm struggling to make any real progress. I don't want to move in with my parents, because I value my independence and feel like it would be a step backward, but it's starting to feel like my only option.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | R. Thomas |Amy Dickinson |Abigail Van Buren |Annie Lane
Dear Eric: I have known "Mary" for almost 10 years. We have a strictly business/professional relationship which requires us to meet several times a year. Although we don't socialize, we do joke around and have small talk about family, pets, travel, movies, etc., when we meet. We've always gotten along well. I know that Mary is gay (she has told me this). Based on our conversations, Mary has identified as female, although her physical appearance and clothing do not pin her to a specific gender.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | Abigail Van Buren |Amy Dickinson |R. Thomas |Annie Lane
DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been happily married for 15 years. My mother-in-law, "Pat," a widow since 1997, has lived with us for the last 14 years. She lived alone in her own apartment when my wife and I first were married but was going through bouts of depression. I initially extended the offer to her to live with us until she got through her depression, and I mentioned it would be for only a year or two.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | Annie Lane |Amy Dickinson |R. Eric Thomas |Abigail Van Buren
Dear Readers: Many of you wrote in about the "Tossed Kittens" column and told me where I missed some points. I appreciate the feedback and want to share a few of these letters:Dear Annie: I was horrified to read about the woman who abandoned three kittens in the wild, especially after they had been socialized. There were so many alternatives available to her, including bringing them to a no-kill shelter, rather than discarding them in the woods to face almost certain suffering.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | Cassie McClure |Amy Dickinson |R. Eric Thomas |Abigail Van Buren
The other day, I had a conversation that stuck with me, not because it was unique, but because it was disturbingly common. I was speaking with a gentleman about safe use sites, places where individuals struggling with addiction can use substances under medical supervision, reducing overdoses and offering pathways to treatment. He was adamantly against them, declaring that he would fight any effort to establish one.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | Abigail Van Buren |Amy Dickinson |R. Thomas |Annie Lane
DEAR ABBY: I am an adult child of an alcoholic. My mother is a mean drunk. While growing up, I had to act as her therapist and deal with her co-dependency. I have been lucky to have processed a lot of the trauma in therapy and to have a loving and healthy family of my own now. We actively avoid Mom after 3 p.m. because I don't want my kids subjected to her cruelty. I do not think it is healthy for them to be around abusive, inebriated people. I am pregnant.
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2 months ago | 
arcamax.com | R. Thomas |Amy Dickinson |Abigail Van Buren |Annie Lane
Dear Eric: My husband's parents are divorced. In the last year or so (after being married to their son for nine years) my in-laws have started communicating with me instead of my husband to make plans. Example: My husband called his dad to make New Year’s plans. A few days later, my father-in-law texted me with the details about times to arrive and eat. Neither my husband nor I like this.
