The Buffalo News : Life

Dear Abby: I am a 35-year-old married woman who has an overprotective mother. Mom was always clingy. When I was young I was rarely allowed to go anywhere without her, including visits to nearby homes of friends or family. She always had to come along, too. (Updated: 07/06/09 6:55 AM )

Dear Abby: I’m a 15-year-old girl and I have always had a fear of heights. But my mother and sister love thrill rides. As a result, we often go to theme parks. When we do, I’ll usually go on a couple of the “kiddie rides,” which is what Mom calls “mild” rides. Mom and my sister try to drag me on the roller coasters, but I always say no. (Updated: 07/05/09 7:21 AM )

Dear Abby: I often go to the movies with my friend “Valerie.” During the movie she puts her phone on mute, but I can still hear when it vibrates. Val acts embarrassed by it, but she never turns the phone off. (Updated: 07/04/09 6:50 AM )

Dear Abby: I have been involved with “Barbie” for about six months. She’s everything I ever wanted in a mate. We have a similar sense of humor, and our goals and ambitions are almost identical. Our values match, too—except for one: My sense of propriety seems to be a stumbling block. (Updated: 07/03/09 6:55 AM )

Dear Abby: Your response to “Frustrated Shopper in Idaho” (April 5) made me very upset. I am a cashier in a local grocery store. I understand a shopper’s frustration when she/he gets in the express lane only to find someone with a full cart up ahead. But we cashiers are between a rock and a hard place. If we ask a customer to please go to another lane, the customer will get upset, tell us we’re rude and complain to the manager. If we say nothing to avoid upsetting that one customer, then the others waiting in line get angry. (Updated: 07/02/09 7:00 AM )

Dear Abby: My boyfriend, “Beau,” and I moved in together and already we have trust issues. He doesn’t trust me around his computer. He said he has things on it that are part of his past, and it’s none of my business. (Updated: 07/01/09 7:05 AM )

Dear Abby: My boyfriend, “Paul,” and I have been dating for four years. He has recently started talking about purchasing an engagement ring for me. Paul is well-off, although very frugal, which is how he accumulated most of his wealth. Paul has been searching online sites for a used ring. He says he “doesn’t want to waste his money on a new engagement ring when he can buy a used one.” This from a man who didn’t think twice about spending thousands of dollars to buy his son a brand-new car or a brand-new boat for himself. Am I wrong to feel I’m only worth a used engagement ring? This is the most precious gift he could give me—a sign of our love and commitment— and I would cherish it forever. I am deeply hurt and would appreciate your thoughts on how to pursue this issue. (Updated: 06/30/09 6:55 AM )

Dear Abby: I was recently invited to a friend’s home for dinner. When I arrived just a few minutes past the time I was told the meal would be served, I found that everyone had finished eating. I was asked if I’d like something to eat and offered a plate, but refused because I would have felt uncomfortable eating alone while everyone else stood around visiting. I stayed about an hour and left. (Updated: 06/29/09 7:06 AM )

Dear Abby: I’m 15 and have a 6- month-old daughter who is my everything. Her father is 16, and he does drugs and drinks. He says he loves me and the baby, but given the choice, he’d rather be stoned or drunk at his friends’ houses than see his daughter. (Updated: 06/28/09 7:20 AM )

Dear Abby: I’m 10 years old and worried about my friend “Kelly.” Her father fought in two wars and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and when he loses it, he hits her. (Updated: 06/27/09 7:00 AM )

Dear Abby: My mother passed away last year, and my whole world has been rocked. To make it worse, my father has been acting like a little boy. Soon after Mom’s death, he met a woman. Since then, he has not included me and my siblings in any decisions regarding Mom’s belongings—including expensive and sentimental things that have been in our family for years. (Updated: 06/26/09 7:16 AM )

Dear Abby: I have started a promising career I thoroughly enjoy. But my husband, “Derrick,” has been laid off from his job due to the economy. (Updated: 06/25/09 7:01 AM )

Dear Abby: My husband and I recently watched a comedy that featured men cross-dressing. Ever since, I have had a burning desire to have my husband wear sexy lingerie and makeup. (Updated: 06/24/09 6:56 AM )

Dear Abby: Please print this for “Ashamed in California” (March 28), who feels tremendous guilt for “not loving” her hard-to-manage son. I’m a psychotherapist and the mother of two boys, one of whom is “difficult.” (Updated: 06/23/09 6:56 AM )

Dear Abby: I became an unwed mother many years ago, when there was a stigma attached to having an illegitimate child. Unable to care for my son, I placed him for adoption. He has now found me. (Updated: 06/22/09 7:05 AM )