DEAR ABBY: My boss wants my cell phone number for "work purposes." He has trouble with limits, and I am reluctant to give it to him. I don't want to receive text messages, unsolicited calls or contact outside of work. My private life is just that -- private.
DEAR ABBY: Please print this for me on behalf of myself and all the other well-intentioned folks out there who have lent money to others.
DEAR ABBY: My wife and I were visiting our children and grandson "Rhett," age 24. Rhett is a college student who lives at home. He had his girlfriend "Peggy," who lives in another town, at the house for the weekend.
DEAR ABBY: Thanks for your response to "Alarmed in Apple Valley" (Aug. 28), who was concerned because her teenage nephew shows so much affection toward his mother. I raised an affectionate son who, to this day at age 30, hugs and kisses me no matter where we meet. I raised him with the principle that because he is male does not mean he has to hide his feelings. My daughter-in-law tells me often that she could not ask for a better husband and father to her children.
DEAR ABBY: I have a 19-year-old daughter, "Caitlin," whom I love very much. Despite a few rocky periods, we have a great relationship.
DEAR ABBY: My daughter insists that she's a "multitasker" -- too busy to telephone or text except when she's driving. It scares me to be in the passenger seat while she's talking on the phone or picking up toys the baby has dropped from his car seat.
DEAR ABBY: On Aug. 10 you printed a letter from an aunt who was upset because her sister, the mother of a child with autism, doesn't have time to join in fund-raising with the rest of the family. While I commend the writer and her family for raising money for autism research, that woman needs to cut her sister some slack.
DEAR ABBY: I attended a business-related function with my boss and some co-workers. I had way too much to drink and ended up having sex with my boss. (He offered me a ride to my car and took advantage of me.) If I had been sober, it would never have happened.
DEAR ABBY: I'm engaged to the man of my dreams. Our wedding is two months away, and I couldn't be more excited about starting my life with "Jeff."
DEAR ABBY: My brother "Luke" died young due to drug addiction. When our son "Adam" misbehaves, my husband blames me. He says Adam is going to end up "just like Luke," and it will be my fault.
DEAR ABBY: My wife, "Laura," and I have been married 15 years. She recently had gastric bypass surgery and has lost 80 pounds so far.
DEAR ABBY: I work in a call center with 35 other workers. Recently our supervisor hired a woman who is mentally ill. We acknowledge that she has a right to work and, for the most part, she appears to be capable.
DEAR ABBY: My best friend, "Jenny's," husband died four years ago. They had been married 28 years, and she has grieved hard for him. She has been looking for a relationship because she wants a man in her life.
DEAR ABBY: I was thrilled to read "Sober in Scottsdale's" (July 28) letter about drinking. I'm a 21-year-old college student who has struggled with choosing to be sober amid the majority of my drunken peers. Most people my age drink only to get drunk and appear to be unable to have fun without the aid of alcohol. Every activity must be performed under the influence.
DEAR ABBY: When our first grandchild was born, my son "Vic" and his wife bought the first video camera in the family. I often asked them to bring it to family get-togethers, and to help out, I purchased dozens of long-running, high-quality tapes.
DEAR ABBY: Before my son deployed to Afghanistan two months ago, his grandma, aunts and cousins all promised to send cards, letters and care packages. So far, not one of them has stepped up to the plate. I am so frustrated I felt like crying, as I was preparing a care package with his favorite cookies.
DEAR ABBY: This is in response to "Where's the Fun in Upstate New York?" (July 26), whose husband, "Hugh," insisted they buy their grandson a $100 savings bond for his first birthday when she wanted to splurge on toys and clothes. I understand her frustration.
DEAR ABBY: I am a 15-year-old girl who is losing the will to live. I am bisexual, but my parents are very anti-gay/lesbian, so I can't tell them about my sexual orientation.
DEAR ABBY: I have been married nearly a year. My husband and I were together for five years before that. I am his fourth wife.
DEAR ABBY: The other day my kids asked me why I'm always so angry. I didn't know how to respond. I'm angry that they think their dad is "wonderful" because he plays with them all day (he's not working), takes them to get fast food (instead of cooking something healthy) and acts as their coach (he is having an emotional affair with one of the parents).
DEAR ABBY: I've become alarmed by my mother's habit of Googling people. She digs up things about my friends and calls to tell me. The list of those she has researched on the Internet ranges from friends I haven't talked to in years to an ex-boyfriend of hers against whom she filed a restraining order.
