Husband, son desert woman to comfort her mother-in-law

DEAR ABBY: My brother-in-law passed away six months ago, and my mother-in-law, “Grace,” is understandably grief-stricken. My husband and son have been very supportive of her. My father-in-law passed away nine years ago.

Student embarrassed when friends see real hair

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been wearing my hair straight for many years, even though it is naturally curly. I’m now a student at a relatively conservative, mostly white school, and it may not seem like a big deal, but one way I fit in is by wearing my hair like my classmates.

Subject of uncle being gay never came up with nephew

DEAR ABBY: My brother, “Kevin,” came out at the age of 30. Now, 20 years later, I have a son who would like to stay with my brother for a few months while working a job nearby. We have never discussed that Kevin is gay. I had no idea when he came out to me.

How to write a will and why you need one

We all want to do nice things for our loved ones. We go on family trips and celebrate life’s wins together. It’s sometimes difficult for us to consider the bad things that can happen in life, but we still have to be prepared. That’s why having a will is so important!

Girlfriend loses self-esteem when addict betrays her trust

DEAR ABBY: I’ve been with my boyfriend, “Rocko,” for two years, but in the late months of last year, he became distant. He would disappear for days at a time, block my phone number and ignore me. I was sure he was seeing another woman or taking drugs because he is an ex-addict.

As temperatures rise readers should head inside

Hello again, dear readers, and welcome to the ohyes-it’s-summer edition of our monthly letters column. To date, it seems no part of the nation has escaped the unique misery of a heat wave. Please be careful when temperatures spike, and take all local heat advisories seriously.

Woman doesn’t get back to mentor quickly

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a young woman in my life who is important to me. I consider myself her mentor. She calls whenever she needs anything, and I do my best to be available at a moment’s notice. I am beginning to see, though, that when I need her, she is often MIA.

Change in man’s personality when drinking threatens wife

DEAR ABBY: Sometimes when my husband has been drinking, he does things I consider inappropriate with his cousin and childhood friend “Jasper.” The most recent incident involved my husband pulling down his pants and showing Jasper his private parts. Later that night he tried to grab Jasper’s crotch.

Lifestyle changes could help prevent kidney stones

Dear Doctor: My husband was in agony recently, and it turned out he was passing a kidney stone. Why does that hurt so much, and what can he do to keep it from happening again?

Reader mortified about having bad breath

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have never been someone to have bad breath -- at least as far as I know --but the other day I was participating in a meeting with a small group of people, and I noticed that whenever I was speaking, they would hold their hands up to their noses.