{"id":169,"date":"2026-05-22T08:09:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=169"},"modified":"2026-05-22T08:09:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:09:37","slug":"dear-abby-i-have-a-feeling-her-parents-will-object-to-the-age-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=169","title":{"rendered":"Dear Abby: I have a feeling her parents will object to the age difference"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>DEAR ABBY:<\/strong> I\u2019m a 72-year-old who has lost two wives to cancer. My last wife died two years ago, so I moved back to my birthplace to be closer to family.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=168\">Crews battle grass fire near Black Diamond Mines preserve<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I met a wonderful 27-year-old woman on a dating site, and I have become smitten. I can see in her eyes that she feels the same way about me. Neither of us seems to care what other people think about the age difference.<\/p>\n<p>I guess my question is, am I a stupid old man for thinking about taking the next step and asking her to marry me? My family knows I\u2019m dating a 27-year-old, and no one has said anything about it, but I have a feeling her parents might object to the age difference. I\u2019m older than they are.<\/p>\n<p>I need an outside opinion so I know if I\u2019m doing the right thing.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 OVER THE MOON IN OHIO<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR OVER:<\/strong> Have you actually spent time with this young woman in person, or has most of your interaction with her been online? Because you are serious about this relationship, take more time before rushing back to the altar.<\/p>\n<p>Get to know her. Give her parents the opportunity to meet and get to know you as well. Then get engaged. If you slow down, you may avoid problems in the future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR ABBY<\/strong>: My husband, \u201cEvan,\u201d and I have been together five years and were married 2\u00bd years ago. We\u2019re both in our early 40s and have children from previous relationships.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>What I\u2019ve noticed is that anytime there is something going on in his family, I constantly have to ask him for updates. He sometimes treats me like an outsider instead of a part of his family.<\/p>\n<p>An example: His 19-year-old son (my stepson) has alcohol and depression issues. If Evan gets updates, he\u2019ll share a snippet or not even tell me at all \u2014 or he\u2019ll comment that he\u2019s worried about \u201chis son\u201d and then just shut down. He doesn\u2019t want to discuss it, even though I\u2019m worried, too.<\/p>\n<p>There have been other instances where I\u2019m treated like an outsider when it comes to his family. I\u2019ve talked to him before about how it makes me feel, but it continues.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=166\">Oakland parking enforcement vehicle stolen in Chinatown<\/a><\/p>\n<p>How can I help him see I\u2019m a part of his family now, just as he is a part of mine?<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>\u2014 MERGED IN MINNESOTA<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR MERGED<\/strong>: Not all partners are good communicators. Your mistake may be in trying to pump Evan for information.<\/p>\n<p>You are the boy\u2019s stepmother and a full-fledged member of that family now. You might be more successful at getting sensitive information if you approach the young man yourself instead of waiting for a report from your husband.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR ABBY:<\/strong> My wife of nearly 28 years and I have a long-running disagreement concerning the English language and how I answer her \u201cnegative\u201d questions.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if we are going out and I am ready, she will usually ask, \u201cAre we not leaving yet?\u201d My response will be \u201cNo\u201d because I am ready and waiting for her. My negative reply to her negative question results, in my mind, to a positive response.<\/p>\n<p>Please tell us who is correct.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 FRUSTRATED IN NEW JERSEY<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR FRUSTRATED:<\/strong> The logic of your response is not the problem. Deliberately irritating your wife is wrong.<\/p>\n<p><em>Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=164\">Valkyries instant analysis: Golden State dominates star-studded Liberty on road<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Abby: I&#8217;m older than they are. Plus: As I see it, a no to my wife&#8217;s negative question is a yes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":88,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dear Abby: I have a feeling her parents will object to the age difference - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=169\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dear Abby: I have a feeling her parents will object to the age difference - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dear Abby: I&#039;m older than they are. 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