Dear Abby

By NewsPress Now DEAR READERS, Welcome to 2025. A New Year has arrived; the last one is safely behind us. As always, this New Year brings with it our hopes for a new beginning. Today presents an opportunity to discard destructive old habits for healthy new ones, and with that in mind, I will share

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I am a widow of two decades who has raised a family in an old historic home in a small island town. In the course of renovating and maintaining the home, a father-and-son electrician team have been like family. During the past year or so, the dad, who is in

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I was recently informed that my teenage granddaughter is identifying as a boy. She has a male name she prefers and wants people to refer to her using he/him pronouns. Her parents are supportive, to a point. Her mother uses her preferred name and pronouns. Her father supports her using

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, My husband took me on a trip for my birthday this year, only he didn’t prepare for anything other than some sightseeing events. He didn’t help plan for camping, didn’t financially plan well for souvenirs or if we wanted to eat out, and had a crappy attitude the entire time.

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I think the world of “Celia,” my best friend of 25 years. She has been there for me through many major ups and downs in my life. She is beautiful inside and out, well-educated and works hard. Celia has been in a five-year relationship with an old friend I’ll call

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, My spouse and I (both women) have been together for 25 years. For half of them, we lived in the Middle East. We met while working as health care expatriates. My spouse is from South Africa and was raised very differently than I was. When we finally returned to the

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, Six months ago, I began seeing a man I like very much but don’t want to be intimate with. We are in our “young” 70s, and both of us were widowed two years ago after 50-year marriages. We agreed early on that neither of us will remarry. We are affectionate,

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, My best friend of 60 years lost her husband 13 years ago. She has one son, who is successful and busy with his young family. They try to include her in various family gatherings, but she always has an excuse as to why she can’t attend — she doesn’t drive

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, When my son got married in 2003, we had many good times with him and his wife. Things have changed now that we have cellphones. It’s nearly impossible to have a relationship with her because when they come to our home, she’s always on her phone! My son talks to

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, For the third time in my life, I am being shunned by long-term friends. Over the years, I have expended a great deal of time and effort to stay in touch with them. Back when we lived in the same places, we were very close. Ultimately, I moved away but

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I was with my ex-fiance for 13 years. Not long after he broke up with me, I found myself going to meet him at a hotel. We have been seeing each other regularly, once a week at least. We go out and enjoy our time together like we are dating.

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, “Looking Out for Mom in Chicago” (Aug. 16) was concerned that 69-year-old Mom wasn’t getting out and socializing now that she has moved closer to them, and worried they’ll be her only support as she ages. They also said she’s always been shy. As a nearly 70-year-old introvert, I understand

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, Several members of my husband’s family let us down badly by not attending our daughter’s wedding. They had various work and other family obligations near the date of our event. “Save the Date” cards had been sent out six months prior, but we were apparently lower on their priority list.

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, My husband is miserable. Five years ago, he was fired from his job of more than 25 years, and the small issues he had with depression, alcohol and smoking have multiplied exponentially. He sleeps until 10 or 11 a.m., showers only two or three times a week, rarely eats and

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, As a 22-year-old gay man, I have tried dating apps to no avail. One guy was 10 years older than me, ex-military (Air Force) and extremely clingy in the first few hours of texting. He said he was “deeply in love with me,” “wanted a future with me,” etc. The

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I have been with my partner for three years. We met on a dating site but were not able to get together often because of prior plans and vacations we both had scheduled. I have now found out that his prior obligations were with another woman he was seeing. Before

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I am a 43-year-old woman who has struggled with self-esteem and personal relationships my entire life. My fiance and I have talked in depth about past trauma, but it wasn’t until within the past year that I’ve realized how much of an impact my mother had on those aspects of

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, My husband and I have been married 10 years and in a relationship for 20. I just found out that for more than a year he has been lying about working. He pretended he had a part-time contracting job and has been using our savings to pass as income from

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I need advice about a new relationship. I am a 60-year-old man. I divorced last year and met a nice woman named “Eileen” shortly afterward, and things seemed to be going well. When my ex found out I was seeing Eileen (they didn’t know each other) she decided to call

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, My friend is married to a penny-pincher. He hates spending money. They are retired and have sizable assets. He never buys her anything for her birthday or takes her out to dinner. He doesn’t buy her a card on Valentine’s Day, either. They each own their own homes and commute

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I have been with the same man for three years, and we have been engaged for a year. I love him with all my heart, but I just learned through a phone call that he has been fooling around with men from the internet. I have also seen some messages

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I’ve recently discovered that my mother-in-law has two life insurance policies on me, neither of which I knew about, and one of which is close to 20 years old. I never asked nor authorized her to take out these policies, and I am very concerned. We do not have a

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, My husband and I have a beautiful soon-to-be 2- year-old daughter. Before her birth, my parents and his all were eagerly awaiting her arrival and discussing their plans for what life as new grandparents would be. We just “knew” they would be involved so much it would drive us crazy.

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I was recently invited for a long weekend at my friend’s new home in South Carolina. She has wanted me to come there to visit ever since she purchased it. I offered to come down, but then I sprained my ankle, and it still has not healed. My friend then

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, My son’s father, “Tony,” and I dated for two years before our son was born. We split up seven years ago, and it’s been on and off most of the time since then. This past year we have been growing closer again, and I asked him what he wants. Tony

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, How do I handle an elderly aunt who has a gambling problem? I live in a town with casinos. She lives in another state four hours away. She calls me often to ask to stay with me, and if I am traveling, she asks to use my house, etc. A

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I’ve been with my husband for 10 years. For a long time, I didn’t decorate our house because I didn’t want to spend the money. But for the last few years, I’ve spent many hours poring over Pinterest. I LOVE interior decorating and know exactly how I want each room

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I have had a falling out with my sister over her 13-year-old son, my nephew. He is generally a happy child, with everything a boy could want in moderation. My sister is separated from his father. She has primary custody, but they do have a co-parenting relationship. My nephew respects

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, A month ago, my 7-year-old son was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike in a crosswalk. He’s fine now. His injuries were minor, although it was frightening. Police and paramedics responded quickly, and I took my son to the hospital to have him fully checked. Later that day,

By NewsPress Now DEAR ABBY, I’m a 64-year-old guy. I am single and have two daughters and four grandkids. A young woman (“Sarah”), who is my daughter’s age, and I have been hiking buddies for the past five years. I treat her like my third daughter and a family member. Sarah is married, and her