Dear Abby

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I attended the wedding of the son of some old friends in another state. Rather than buy the young couple a gift, we instead gave them a check for $1,000. Imagine our astonishment when a month later the following arrived in our mailbox:

Gift-giver bitten by mouthy note

Readers rip Abby for smoking-bet 'bribery' 05/23/2013: DEAR ABBY: I was surprised to see you equate a concerned grandmother's creative solution to smoking with bribery in a previous column. The word "bribe" has a negative connotation. What the grandmother did was offer an incentive, not a bribe, that will benefit her grandchildren in the long run. I think the woman should be congratulated.
How to explain that Charlie is now Claire 05/21/2013: My husband and I recently learned that our sister-in-law's adult son from a prior marriage, "Charlie," is now "Claire."
He says he'll improve, but should she stay? 05/21/2013: DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been together a year and a half. I regret moving in with him when I did, which was after only three months of dating.
Now is the time to take your GED exam 05/19/2013: DEAR ABBY: I have worked the last 25 years serving in adult education, helping students complete their high-school equivalency diploma.
She thought he cared but he was after her cash 05/18/2013: DEAR ABBY: I am a 40-something divorced female. After my divorce I met a man I enjoyed being with. He led me to believe he cared for me and I bought into it. It was a vulnerable time for me and, unfortunately, I let my guard down. I did something stupid and co-signed for a student loan for him. He has stopped making payments, has blocked my calls, moved, etc., and now I'm stuck with the financial burden.
Widow's beau not a guest at affairs 05/18/2013: DEAR ABBY: I took care of my husband for 10 years before his death from early-onset Alzheimer's. I am in a relationship now, and I'm finding that a widow's status is far different than that of a wife.
Woman wanting dough gets rise from writer 05/16/2013: DEAR ABBY: A woman here at work constantly asks to borrow money. The first time she did it, she caught me off guard and I gave her $20. The second time she sent me an email asking for a loan, I replied that I only had a few dollars.
Dear Abby: She wants him to stop adoring her 05/16/2013: I am a divorcee with college-age children. Two years after my divorce, I started a relationship with a man; we have been dating for six years.
Health tips for friends and family 05/15/2013: DEAR ABBY: When friends and family get together, the conversation often turns to the subject of health. They look to each other for support and tips to get through the flu or a nasty case of food poisoning, and rely on each other's experience to tackle challenges like quitting smoking, managing heart disease, diabetes, menopause or conquering insomnia.
She's not into sex, but guys don't get it 05/14/2013: DEAR ABBY: I am a woman in my late 40s, and I hate sex. I'm disabled, and it has always been torture. I never got any positive benefits out of it.
Want wedding money? First, change your name 05/12/2013: DEAR ABBY: My wife's niece is marrying a wonderful man of Greek descent this summer. Her grandfather insists that his last name is too long and impossible to pronounce. He told the mother of the bride that if they don't change the name, then he's "just not into the wedding anymore," implying that he won't help them pay for the event.
OK to ask for partner's mom's ring? 05/11/2013: DEAR ABBY: My partner and I have been together 23 years and his parents have embraced me as one of their own. A few years ago, we bought his mother a beautiful diamond cocktail ring for Mother's Day. She's now 84, and when she passes on, I'd like that rin
How can grandma help 'princess boy'? 05/09/2013: DEAR ABBY: We have a grandson who is 4 and very much a "princess boy." He likes girl toys and dresses and doesn't like any of his boy toys. He's an adorable little boy and we love him to pieces. His parents don't accept this behavior, and I'm afraid it will affect him now and in the future.
Spring is in the air; so are maybe-affairs 05/09/2013: DEAR ABBY: I have a friend who I believe is having an affair. I have no concrete evidence, only a slew of circumstantial evidence such as odd work hours, blocks of mystery time set aside at night in his cellphone's day planner, and evading questions about texts from females.
Insulting co-worker never gets reprimanded 05/07/2013: I work in a skilled-care facility. One of my co-workers humiliated me by asking if I have been gaining weight.
What would you do if you won the lottery? 05/06/2013: Would divorce be the first course of action upon winning the lottery?
Should she tell 'fling' he's her babydaddy? 05/05/2013: DEAR ABBY: I got pregnant by a man I'll call "Ryan," who was just a fling. When I told him, he told me to have an abortion. He even had a friend of his call, offer to pay for it and drive me.
Soft husband is hard on her 05/04/2013: DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are in our 30s and have been married 15 years. Over the past year we have been intimate only about once every three months. I tried to spice things up to see if I could get him interested, but he reacted by becoming upset, defensive and insinuating that I have an unnatural fixation on sex.
Her dad's come back, but he touches too much 05/04/2013: DEAR ABBY: I'm a 13-year-old girl who was taken away from my parents when I was 8 because they were on drugs. I haven't seen my father for three years, but now that he's living with my grandparents and me, I decided to give him a second chance.
A forgotten kindness is a cherished memory 05/02/2013: DEAR ABBY: Today I saw a former classmate I hadn't seen in 22 years. He always seemed a little slow and different from the rest of us, and he was picked on at school because of it. When I said hello to him and reminded him of my name and that we went to school together, he said, "You danced with me at the prom, and I always thought that was so nice!" I had forgotten that I had danced with him, but obviously the fact that I did meant something to him.

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