Amy Dickinson

Ask Amy: Kids, like chickens, should be free range

Dear Amy: My wife and I think it might be a good idea to let our 10-year-old son explore the city in which we live. What do you think of this? Is it even legal? If it is, how far can he stray?

Ask Amy: Champagne habits on a dorm-room budget

Dear Amy: My 18-year-old daughter "Emily" was hanging out and drinking in her friend "Laura's" dorm room before heading out downtown. (I've already given the underage drinking speech many times.)

Ask Amy: Staying single is a valid choice for woman

Dear Amy: My daughter, 40, was married to a man who was mentally abusive. He estranged her from her brother and friends and tried to end her relationship with her father and me.

Ask Amy: Sister worries about danger of girl's tanning

Dear Amy: I am really scared for my younger sister. My mom has let her start tanning in tanning beds.

Gay husband wants 'out' of marriage

Dear Amy: I have been married for more than 15 years and have two great kids (14 and 9) with my wife. My life is seemingly perfect from the outside. No one would suspect there was a problem, but I've been living with the knowledge that I am gay for m

Ask Amy: Nurse's question upsets mom

Dear Amy: My daughter, who is almost 12 years old, visited a hospital a couple of months ago, and during an exam a nurse asked her if she uses birth control.

Ask Amy: Dad's in the hospital, Mom checks out

Dear Amy: My father has cancer, along with other health issues. Although his prognosis is fine, my mother seems to be showing a complete lack of concern or involvement with his health care.

Ask Amy: Relationship may have morphed into marriage

Dear Amy: My boyfriend and I have been living together for 10 years. Both of us had previously been married.

Ask Amy: In 10 years, relationship may still be flawed

Dear Amy: I am a divorced woman about to turn 50 in a loving relationship with a man the same age. We live two hours away from each other but see each other every week.

Ask Amy: House's filth creates dilemma for new mom

Dear Amy: Last year I became friends with a woman at work who, like me, was pregnant. We hung out a few times, and when I visited her house, I was shocked. Amy, I am not a neat freak, but I have never been anywhere so filthy.

Ask Amy: Keep distance from relationship killer

Dear Amy: I started dating a woman in July of last year. After a month of seeing each other, she was still having trouble detaching from her former romantic partners.

Ask Amy: Alcholic sister creates family drama

Dear Amy: I have a much older sister who has been a heavy drinker for probably 50 years. The entire family knows this, but because of her intimidating personality, no one has ever dared to address it -- including her grown children or husband (he also dri

Ask Amy: Couple faces surname squabble

Dear Amy: I am engaged to a wonderful man, whom I've been dating for more than three years. Very early in our relationship, I brought up the fact that I don't want to change my last name when I get married. He was upset by it and told me he

Ask Amy: Former flame seems different at a distance

Dear Amy: I just got out of a serious relationship. Ever since we broke up, I've realized how much I compromised to please this woman, and how I practically changed myself during the course of our relationship. You can say that I overcompromised beca

Ask Amy: Mother may not need an attitude adjustment

Dear Amy: I am a cancer survivor. My mother, who is symptomatic for cancer but has yet to have it confirmed (tests are inconclusive), seems certain that she is going to be issued a death sentence.

Ask Amy: Younger friend worries about pot smoker

Dear Amy: I'm 13 years old and have a 15-year-old friend, "Katie," who recently started smoking weed.

Ask Amy: Life can make you ask: 'Is that all there is?'

Dear Amy: I got married (for the first time) three years ago. My husband and I are both in our 40s and are well matched, happily childless and happily married. We bought a house, and both of us have good jobs.

Dear Amy: Almost the whole truth

Dear Amy: I was in an unhappy marriage for many years. Despite living a life of high morality, I stumbled and succumbed to another woman.

Ask Amy: Family fights after private decision

Dear Amy: My husband and I recently went through the heartbreaking experience of having to terminate our first pregnancy for medical reasons.

Ask Amy: Generous parents don't want to fund wedding

Dear Amy: My daughter had a child out of wedlock four years ago. My wife and I have supported them both emotionally and financially and by baby-sitting the child. Now my daughter is engaged to a very good guy. She wants to have a wedding that will cost ap

Ask Amy: Mother wrestles with illness disclosure

Dear Amy: My son, who is in his early 30s, has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is a terminal illness. Many people know about his illness, but my parents do not know. They can see that he is not well since his body is losing many f

Ask Amy: Brother's impending move worries 'big sis'

Dear Amy: My mother is planning to move to a state far from the one in which we have lived since I was a preteen. She is moving with my younger brother, "Barney." He is 12, and I am 21.

Ask Amy: Boyfriend's texts have woman vexed

Dear Amy: I just discovered that my boyfriend of two years has been texting another woman. We have been living together for a year and are in our 50s.

Ask Amy: Daughter refuses to be with bipolar brother

Dear Amy: My husband and I have a son and a daughter in their 30s. Some years ago these two had a falling out in which my son became violent. My husband and I did not learn of this until two years after it happened.

Ask Amy: Pair can't bridge spiritual gap

Dear Amy: I am an atheist. My family is nonreligious. I have never felt an empty void due to lack of believing in a higher being, nor have I ever felt the need to seek something greater in which to believe.

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