Dear Abby Advises on Relationships, Dogs, and Gifts

In a recent installment of the long-running advice column Dear Abby, syndicated writer Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, responded to readers grappling with personal dilemmas ranging from relationship boundaries to everyday neighborhood challenges and family gift-giving traditions. The column, which originated with Phillips's mother Pauline Phillips, continues to offer practical guidance to correspondents across the United States.

One letter came from a woman in Florida who described feeling sidelined in her long-term relationship. Her boyfriend, divorced for over 20 years, hosts his ex-wife and another female friend at his home each year for one to two weeks. He provides transportation, meals at restaurants, and other hospitality, but the writer has never been invited to join despite voicing her interest. She contrasts this with her own practice of including him when she entertains guests and questions whether her resentment and sense of disrespect are justified.

Van Buren validated the woman's feelings, stating that the boyfriend's behavior treats her "like a guilty secret rather than a lady friend." She raised the possibility that the ex-wife might not even...