Dear Abby advice for life Daughter cringes when mom does happy dance in public
Dear Abby: I am an 11-year-old girl who loves going shopping and doing various stuff with my mom. But when we go to the mall or stop for lunch and she hears a song she likes, she'll start singing to it. And if we're standing up, she even dances to it a little.

Dear Abby advice for life Size doesn't matter in love
Dear Abby: I'm 32 and a "large girl." I am also intelligent, witty and fun to be around. I make friends wherever I go. The problem is my mother -- who also is big -- keeps telling me that heavy women are not desirable and we must "settle" when it comes to choosing a mate.

Dear Abby advice for life Support and sex are OK
Dear Abby: Is there anything wrong with having a lover solely for the purpose of sex? He is grieving for his late wife (my best friend), and I am separated from my husband. We're both lonely and have supported each other through our pain. A few weeks ago, we decided to become lovers.

Dear Abby advice for life Letter-writing is a lost art
Dear Abby: Please don't think I'm stupid for asking this, but I need some help. The practice of letter-writing appears to be a dying form because of e-mail and texting -- which I'm good at. But when I receive a nice gift, I know the proper way to acknowledge it is to write a thank-you letter.

Dear Abby advice for life Men applaud the pleasure of being with older women
Dear Abby: In your response to the letter from "'Cougar' in New York" (Sept. 3), you invited your male readers to share their thoughts. Abby, cougars are nothing new. They're simply out of the closet.

Dear Abby advice for life Wife draws line in bedroom in battle over man's smoking
Dear Abby: My wife of 25 years, in an effort to get me to stop smoking, refuses to have sex until I quit. It's been more than a year since we made love.

Dear Abby advice for life Grateful out-of-towner gets personal escort to the airport
Dear Abby: On a Sunday afternoon in late September, I got hopelessly lost trying to find O'Hare airport in Chicago. I pulled off the interstate at a neighborhood exit and asked a man parked at the curb for directions. He was Hispanic, and there was a bit of a language barrier, but he and his sister offered to lead me there.

Dear Abby advice for life Teen looks for ammunition in battle with peer pressure
Dear Abby: I'm a 14-year-old boy. I went to a party last weekend and some people pressured me to do some uncomfortable stuff. Can you advise me -- and other teens -- how to handle peer pressure? -- Ashamed in Illinois

Dear Abby advice for life After-dark visitor next door raises suspicions
Dear Abby: My neighbors, "John" and "Marcia," are such a nice couple, I'm not sure what to do. I don't know them all that well, but what's going on is extremely upsetting.

Dear Abby advice for life Art of medicine can require long hours and long waits
Dear Abby: May I respond to your column regarding excessive waits in doctors' offices (Sept. 1)?

Dear Abby advice for life Husband demands more than worn-out wife can provide
Dear Abby: I am a 38-year-old business woman. I was single for many years until I met and fell in love with "Rory," who had been a long-time client. We were married a year ago.

Dear Abby advice for life Wife's male friend is too close for husband's comfort
Dear Abby: My wife, "Paula," and I have a friend I'll call "Mark." I recently learned that before our wedding, Mark made a pass at Paula. (He was separated from his wife at the time.) Paula told him she wasn't interested.

Dear Abby advice for life Time has come to end girl's bathroom bonding with dad
Dear Abby: I need an unbiased opinion. I am the father of a 12-year-old daughter, "Lia." She catches an early-morning bus for school, and I leave for work at the same time her bus picks her up, so I'm in charge of getting her ready in the morning.

Dear Abby advice for life Taxi service solves dilemma for aging driver
Dear Abby: Several years ago, I realized that my mother's eyesight and reflexes weren't what they once were, but she insisted on remaining behind the wheel. She was afraid of losing her independence if she gave up driving. Then she had a traffic accident that shook her enough to make her finally relinquish her keys -- but she wasn't happy about it.

Dear Abby advice for life Woman objects to giving boss her cell phone number
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 advice for life Friend in need repaid with bitter disappointment
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 advice for life Man wrapped up in girlfriend ignores visiting grandpa
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 advice for life Displays of affection between parents and children praised

Dear Abby: Thank you for your response to "Alarmed in Apple Valley," who was concerned because her teenage nephew shows so much affection toward his mother. I raised a very 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, as generations before him did. My daughter-in-law tells me often that she could not ask for a better husband and father to her children.

Dear Abby advice for life Mom longs to have empty nest all to herself again
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.

Mom longs to have empty nest all to herself again
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. Caitlin moved in with her fiance shortly after she turned 18, and they were married a few months ago.

Dear Abby advice for life Wife wants 'I love you' to be reserved for those she loves
Dear Abby: I have strong feelings about the word "love." I use it only when I truly mean it. My husband's family, however, bandies it about as a common word.

Dear Abby advice for life Wife wants 'I love you' to be reserved for those she loves
Dear Abby: I have strong feelings about the word "love." I use it only when I truly mean it. My husband's family, however, bandies it about as a common word.

Dear Abby advice for life Don't forget those batteries when 'falling back' Sunday
Dear Abby: As a fire officer, I have seen far too many families fall victim to accidental home fires. It is devastating to find out that a life could have been saved if someone had only taken that simple step of replacing a dead battery in a smoke alarm. Nearly 96 percent of American homes have at least one smoke alarm. But did you know that 19 percent of American homes lack a working smoke alarm because the batteries are missing or dead?

Dear Abby advice for life Multitasking daughter is driving toward disaster
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 dropped from his car seat.

Special-needs kids need special parents
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 fundraising with her and 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 advice for life Special-needs children require special parents
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 fundraising with her and 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 advice for life Woman's predatory boss is eager to score again
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.

Woman's predatory boss is eager to score again
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 advice for life Man of her dreams needs wake-up call on manners
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 advice for life Wife who slimmed down is pumping up her social life
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.