Yahoo! News: Dear Abby Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:58:23 GMT

MIDDLE-SCHOOLER OBJECTS TO BEING JUDGED ON LOOKS (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I am a 12-year-old, and I'm not pretty. I just started seventh grade, and I have noticed that people date each other based completely on looks. I think that's superficial, and I wouldn't want to date someone just because of it. The sad thing is, everybody does it. People are passed over because of their looks who may actually be nice people inside. WOMAN RESISTS HALF-SISTER'S EFFORT TO MAKE A CONNECTION (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My father left my mother for a woman I'll call "Sheila" he met at work. I was only 7. My brother was 9 at the time; he committed suicide at the age of 20. FIANCE SAYS COLD FEET MAY WARM UP A YEAR FROM NOW (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I was engaged for 18 months to "Jerry," a man I wanted to marry. We become engaged after dating for six months, but we had known each other three years before becoming romantically involved. VOTERS URGED TO DO HOMEWORK BEFORE THEY GO TO THE POLLS (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I have been a poll worker for years. I would appreciate it if you would print this important advice to voters: TOURETTE SYNDROME COULD BE CAUSE OF MAN'S NERVOUS HABITS (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I am writing regarding the letter from "Sniffled Out in Indiana" (July 18), who complained about the noises her co-worker made throughout the day. HARD-WORKING FRESHMAN IS ADRIFT IN A SEA OF PARTYERS (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My daughter, "Christie," just started her freshman year in college. She's a little overwhelmed and trying to adjust. She is smart, focused and mature. SIMPLE PRECAUTIONS PREVENT DEADLY, COSTLY HOUSE FIRES (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: The number of fires in the United States has declined over the years, and while that's encouraging, there is still a real cause for concern today. In 2007, eight in 10 people who died in a fire were killed in a home fire. HUSBAND IS RACKED BY GUILT DESPITE AVOIDING TEMPTATION (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I have been happily married for a number of years. I'm not what you would call "hot" -- far from it, actually. But for some reason, women have always been attracted to me. STUBBORN TOT PLAYS HARD TO GET WITH FRUSTRATED GRANDMOTHER (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: After 12 years on the West Coast, my husband and I moved back East last year with our 3-year-old son, "Adam." My parents, my husband's mom and our siblings live here, and we wanted Adam to know his family. BABY SITTER GETS SCARE OF HER LIFE IN LATE-NIGHT DRIVE HOME (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: Please print this as a warning to other teenagers. BROTHER-IN-LAW QUICK TO MOVE IN AFTER COUPLE'S SEPARATION (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My wife, "Jill," and I are going through a divorce. I lied to her about money, spent money we didn't have and generally put her and my kids in danger of losing everything. I am doing everything I can to be accountable, but since we separated six weeks ago, Jill has slept with at least one person and is developing a "friendship" with my sister's husband. (I'll call him "Jack.") WOMAN DROWNS IN SORROW OF MAN'S DRINKING BINGES (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My ex and I have been dating since our divorce in 2000, trying to put things back together. But every six months or so, he comes to my house drunk and raises Cain in front of the kids. COUPLE SPLITS COST OF LIVING, BUT NOT COST OF BIRTH CONTROL (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been living together for a year. We split all the bills -- rent, utilities, etc. -- in half. EVEN EXPERIENCED MOMS CAN BE SURPRISED BY PREGNANCY (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I am a nurse, writing in response to the letter from "Flabbergasted Parents in New Mexico" (July 19). I have worked in small community hospitals and in the emergency rooms of trauma centers in larger cities. GOOD READING HABITS LEARNED EARLY PAY LIFELONG DIVIDENDS (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I wrote your mother back in 1985, asking her to encourage my eighth-grade students to establish the wonderful habit of reading. My letter was published in The Portland Oregonian. HUSBAND CONSUMED BY REGRET AFTER DEATH OF BELOVED WIFE (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I recently lost my wife to a long illness. When she could no longer work, I tried to give her the best quality of life I could. It took a toll. I worked long hours to give her everything she needed. The medical bills were astronomical. All she ever wanted was me. IN-LAWS' RACIST JOKES CAUSE NEW BRIDE CONCERN FOR FUTURE (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I recently married "Matt," the man of my dreams. We want to have children someday. Although I love Matt, I do not love the other men in his family -- specifically his father and his brothers. I'm worried about the negative influence they may have on our children. PRACTICE THAT ISN'T PERFECT TRIGGERS FAMILY DISCORD (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My wife and I disagree about how to handle a problem with our 6-year-old daughter, "Emily," who has not been practicing her piano lessons as diligently as we would like. After her last lesson, I told my wife that I didn't think Emily did very well. NEW DAD FACING CHALLENGES CAN FIND HELP ALL AROUND (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My heart goes out to "New Father in North Carolina" (July 10), who was asked to baby-sit a 14-year-old boy and now has legal custody of him. ONE WOMAN'S REJECT TURNS OUT TO BE ANOTHER WOMAN'S PRIZE (Dear Abby)   - Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: My friend dated someone I'll call "Joel" a few times. She said he was nice, but she couldn't get past the fact that he's 27 and still lives at home with his mom. He is also rather shy.