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Jealousy Creates A Barrier Between Biological Siblings

DEAR ABBY: I’m an American man who was adopted as an infant. Several years ago, I found my birth parents. They are not from America. My mother came here to give birth and left. Sometime later she married my father and had more children. I’m in touch with the entire family, but mainly my birth parents. My biological siblings are jealous of my success in life and make it plain they don’t approve of much that I do. They also make sure I know I’m not REALLY part of the family because we didn’t grow up together (although we are, by blood, 100% siblings). I deal with this the best ...

Handling Stress in 2021

Q: I know it may be wishful thinking, but I am SO ready for the calendar to change and put this year in the past. At the same time, I'm worried about how the stress of 2020 has affected me. Do you have any advice for handling whatever comes in 2021? Jim: We're all running as fast as we can, and it's not easy to slow down. Pandemic aside, society rewards us for being on the go all day, every day. Working a job, building a strong marriage and raising a family are hard work. Some days keeping up with all that life demands of us is the best we can do. A season of busyness is one thing. But ...

Microwave Dishes

Dear Heloise: I have some plastic and melamine bowls I use in the microwave. They always have a hard substance around where the food is and I can’t get it off. Could you tell me what to use on it? — Ila V., Grant, Mich. Ila, you no doubt have a residential brand of melamine instead of a commercial brand, which is expensive and not easy to find. That means you should never microwave anything in your melamine. The substance that you refer to as being stuck on the bowls has more than likely etched itself into the bowls. It’s not recommended for microwaving foods. In the future, ...

Attention From Married Man Plays With Woman’s Emotions

DEAR ABBY: I’m someone who doesn’t get noticed often by the opposite sex. So when I do receive attention, it’s a very nice feeling. The problem is, I am getting that attention from a man who is married. In the beginning, I didn’t know he was married. He doesn’t wear a ring, and he never mentioned a wife until one day while we were chatting, he let it slip. I don’t think he meant for it to happen. When someone is married, I back off. But for some reason, I’m not backing away from this. I’m starting to have feelings for him. I’m leaving it up to him, though. If he ...

St. Jude’s Ranch For Children

Dear Readers: Everybody wants to feel safe, encouraged and loved. Sadly, some kids aren’t blessed with an ideal living arrangement; the teenage years especially can be a time of trial and disadvantage. St. Jude’s Ranch for Children is working to make kids’ lives better. Programs include teaching life skills for the 15- to 18-year-old crowd, pregnancy help and new mommy training, help with homelessness (including keeping siblings together) and healing from exploitation, among many others. Education completion assistance, job training and housing support are all available. ...

Discussing Sex Life With Ex Is The Final Straw For Wife

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 19 years now. A few years back, I came to know about my husband’s platonic relationship with his old girlfriend. She lives in a different state and is married. My husband has long chats with her every day about everything, including our sex life. I confronted him and asked him to end their relationship because knowing that he wants me to do something in bed because his friend does it bothers me a lot. He promised at the time that he wouldn’t talk or chat with her anymore, and I trusted him. A few weeks ago, I discovered that he still chats ...