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Dear Abby   

Dear Abby: Online dater fibbed about her name and age
DEAR ABBY: I do online dating. For safety, I use an alias. I look much younger than my 43 years, so I went out with a 29-year-old who thinks I’m 33. I have horrible luck with relationships and didn’t think this one would be any different. Boy, was I wrong! We have been dating three weeks now.How do I tell him I’m 43, have two kids he doesn’t know about and a different name? Or should I just break it off now?
Dear Abby: What to do when bullying crosses the line - 05/28/2012
DEAR ABBY: I am a retired New York City police officer and a resource officer at two high schools in Brooklyn. I must comment on the letter you printed from "Worried About My Boy in Tulsa," whose 7-year-old is bullied. If a child hits another child so hard that medical attention is required, it is an assault. The police should have been notified and appropriate law enforcement action taken.The school then has cause to remove the violent child and have him/her placed in an education program better suited for violent children. The statute of limitations is not out, so the police can still be contacted as soon as possible by this parent.
Dear Abby: At 3 p.m. Memorial Day, pause in tribute - 05/24/2012
DEAR ABBY: Would you please remind your many readers that the greatest gift we can give to America’s fallen is the gift of remembrance? The legacy of those who have died for our freedom — from the Revolutionary War to the present — is something that strengthens and unites Americans.Since 1997, Major League Baseball has stopped all games in progress at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day to observe the National Moment of Remembrance. Along with MLB, the Ironworkers, Sheet Metal Workers and firefighters unions, American Veterans Center, the National Cartoonists Society and Bugles Across America observe the Moment, too.
Dear Abby: Time to decline niece’s holiday invitations - 05/23/2012
DEAR ABBY:My sister “Ruth” and I spent most holidays dining out together after our families grew up and left home. Ruth died last year and her daughter “Lara” began inviting me for holidays “so I wouldn’t be alone.” I have tried to decline, but she persists. She insists that I should be with her instead of with friends, although her plans are always tentative and often change at the last minute. Last Christmas she invited me to a community holiday dinner at 2 p.m. with her friends. At the last minute she called to say we’d be dining at her house in the evening instead, which meant I spent the day alone doing nothing.
Dear Abby: Reader reflects on Peeping Tom - 05/22/2012
DEAR ABBY: From time to time I have read letters in your column about Peeping Toms. You might find our experience interesting. Many years ago, my husband Klaus and I rented a small bungalow in L.A. Not long after we moved in, the woman next door began looking into our bedroom window, pressing her nose against the glass. My husband placed a large mirror in the window frame. Sure enough, the weekend came and she peered into our window. Seeing her face reflected back, she dashed into her house and never looked again.
Dear Abby: Reader reflects on Peeping Tom - 05/21/2012
DEAR ABBY: From time to time I have read letters in your column about Peeping Toms. You might find our experience interesting. Many years ago, my husband, Klaus, and I rented a small bungalow in L.A. Not long after we moved in, the woman next door began looking into our bedroom window, pressing her nose against the glass. My husband placed a large mirror in the window frame. Sure enough, the weekend came and she peered into our window. Seeing her face reflected back, she dashed into her house and never looked again.
Dear Abby: Proposal from married man is little cause for celebration - 05/21/2012
DEAR ABBY: I’m a 42-year-old woman who has been living with my boyfriend, “Matt.” He has asked me to marry him, and I said yes. The problem is, Matt is still married. Matt and his wife have been separated for eight years. I keep telling him to see if she filed for divorce, but he keeps putting it off.
Put a leash on that bridal shower - 05/20/2012
DEAR ABBY: I agreed to be maid of honor at my best friend’s wedding. I am now planning her bridal shower and just received the guest list from her mother and the groom’s mother, “Alicia.”
Dear Abby: Dad not eager to celebrate at rival graduation parties - 05/17/2012
DEAR ABBY: I am a divorced man with a live-in girlfriend I’ll call Donna. Her two boys also live with us. Donna’s older son will graduate from high school this year, and she has planned a party that her mother and other family members will attend. My daughter, “Sara,” is graduating from the same high school. Sara has shared her concerns with me that Donna’s family won’t care about celebrating her graduation. I tried to assure her that it’s my day to celebrate her accomplishment with her.
Mom of bride wants to help pick out wedding dress - 05/16/2012
DEAR ABBY: My daughter, “Gina,” is engaged but hasn’t started making plans yet. We have had some rough mother/daughter years but are now in a good place. When it’s time, I would like my daughter to ask me to help her pick out her wedding gown. I know that if I talk with her about my wishes, she’ll say, “Sure” or ask me to join her friends, but I want her to want just me to go. What do you think is the best way to handle this? — Mother of the Bride
There’s plenty to keep retired boomers busy - 05/16/2012
DEAR ABBY: “Searching for ‘Me’ in Texas” is not alone! A wave of 78 million baby boomers will soon leave 30-plus-year careers and are looking forward to an estimated 20 more years of life. A vast majority of them are looking for meaningful opportunities for the second half of their lives. “Searching” should seek out a nonprofit organization for a cause she’s passionate about and offer her skilled services. If “Searching” doesn’t need an income, she can volunteer.
Federal Food and Drug Administration offers free Healthy Women’s Action Kit - 05/15/2012
DEAR ABBY: Between juggling the joys and challenges of home life and staying productive at work, it’s easy for women to make quick decisions now that could affect their health later on, or to miss early signs of medical problems altogether. To help women take control of their health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Women’s Health and the General Services Administration’s Federal Citizen Information Center have created the free Healthy Women’s Action Kit. It contains tips that can help women of every age. The topics include: buying contact lenses online, mammograms, hypertension, cholesterol, Pap tests, menopause and hormones, and more.
Golfer who improves his lie must learn to tell the truth - 05/14/2012
DEAR ABBY: One of my friends, “Max,” cheats at golf. He moves his ball closer to the hole on the green and “improves” his lie when he thinks no one is looking. I have tried to overlook Max’s transgressions, but others in our golf group talk and joke behind his back. How should I go about stopping the problem without stressing our friendship? — Florida Golfer
Teen with traffic violations may get ticket only to ride - 05/13/2012
DEAR ABBY: My niece, “Amy,” got her driver’s license last November. Since then she has been stopped six times for violations. Unfortunately, she wasn’t ticketed for any of them — just given warnings. Who knows how many other times she should have been ticketed? When Amy told me about it, she acted like it was a joke and something she was proud of. Her parents are divorced and her father spoils her beyond reason. He gives her whatever she wants, including buying her a new car. Her mother has little control over her.
Son deserves dressing-down for opening bedroom drawers - 05/09/2012
DEAR ABBY: My husband’s son — I’ll call him Duncan — came to visit with his family. He lived with us for about six months on and off when he was younger. During that time, he twice went through my dresser drawers without my permission. The first time, we discovered a photo of me in a negligee he had found and hidden. The second time, he said he had been looking for a key. I was furious and felt violated. During his recent visit, it happened a third time. When I told my husband, he asked me not to let it ruin the rest of their visit.
Woman wants no contact with sexually abusive brother - 05/10/2012
DEAR ABBY: When I was in sixth grade, my 19-year-old brother, “Ray,” came into my room and fondled me late at night. I told my mom afterward. She told me not to tell my father and bought a lock for my door. Years later, when my sister found out what happened to me, she told me Ray had also done it to her. She told Dad and confronted Mom. Neither one ever said anything to Ray. They told us it was “in the past” and to leave it alone.
Abby shares her favorite dessert recipe: Regency Brownies with Chocolate Frosting - 05/08/2012
DEAR ABBY: I heard that your dessert recipes are fabulous. Would you print your favorite? — Anita B. in New Jersey
Boyfriend’s cheating heart leaves an electronic trail - 05/07/2012
DEAR ABBY: I have been with my boyfriend “Paul” for four years. We have a child together, and we each have a child of our own. We have lived together for three years. When I was pregnant with our son, Paul contacted an ex on a social network. One day he left his computer open, and I saw that their conversations were less than innocent. I said something immediately. We have stayed together, but I’m having a hard time trusting Paul. I now check our phone records. Yesterday I found a text of his to a former boss’ daughter. Paul was telling her how “hot” she is. Am I overreacting when I think Paul is going to cheat?
Bride wants guests united, not divided - 05/06/2012
DEAR ABBY: I’m getting married soon. My mom says we should have one side of the church reserved for my fiancé’s friends and family, and one side for ours. I disagree. Not only does it make me feel like we would be separating people when the occasion should be about unity, but he doesn’t have a whole lot of people coming. My fiancé says he doesn’t care, but I do! I want our guests blended in celebration of our union. What do you think? — Uniting, Not Dividing
Bird man excluded from town festival tries not to squawk - 05/03/2012
DEAR ABBY: I am a professional ornithologist (bird expert) with a substantial record of accomplishments — books, scientific papers, blog, website, consultant work, etc. My hometown has held a bird festival for more than a decade and each year it features a main speaker at the dinner.
Like his dad, artist can’t seem to keep a job - 05/02/2012
DEAR ABBY: I’m an artist and budding filmmaker with a B.A. degree. My problems are my job situation and where I live. My dad has told me that — like him and his father — my brother and I share a similar problem. We all have trouble getting and keeping jobs. On my mother’s side, however, she, her father, her brother and my cousin all have held steady jobs. Why is that?
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