{"id":5822,"date":"2026-07-30T08:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T08:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5822"},"modified":"2026-07-30T08:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T08:06:09","slug":"dear-abby-my-neighbor-came-over-six-times-yesterday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5822","title":{"rendered":"Dear Abby: My neighbor came over six times yesterday"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>DEAR ABBY:<\/strong> I moved into my apartment four months ago. While my sister, her son and I were moving things in, my new next-door neighbor introduced herself. She has since become intrusive.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5821\">Sharks make Macklin Celebrini NHL\u2019s top-paid player with massive extension<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I am an introvert, and she knocks on my door wanting everything from plastic bags to cigarettes and alcohol. Every day since I moved here, she has been asking for something. She came six times yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d like to be her friend, but she takes and I give. I\u2019m tired. Help, please.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 OVERWHELMED IN OHIO<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR OVERWHELMED<\/strong>: A way to fix this would be to tell your neighbor the truth.<\/p>\n<p>Tell her you would like to be a considerate neighbor, but you are not a convenience store and do not wish to be disturbed on a daily basis. Then, when she comes around asking for cigarettes, liquor or plastic bags (which are choking our landfills and our waterways), tell her you are fresh out \u2014 and repeat it as necessary.<\/p>\n<p>If she persists, discuss it with the management of your apartment building.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR ABBY<\/strong>: I\u2019m a 17-year-old guy, and I still suck my thumb, though I do it mostly when I\u2019m in bed.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I am going to college next year and I\u2019m worried I might get outed by a roommate if I\u2019m caught.<\/p>\n<p>Is my habit that unusual, and do you have any advice on how to stop it? It\u2019s like an addiction.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 EMBARRASSED IN THE WEST<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR EMBARRASSED<\/strong>: You are not alone in having this problem. In the past, I have heard from other adults who suck their thumbs. Comfort yourself with the thought that it\u2019s not an addiction and not all that unusual.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Stress has been known to cause people to suck their thumbs. One way to discourage the habit would be to keep yourself from becoming overly tired. Another would be to coat your thumbs with a bad-tasting substance. (Search online or ask your pharmacist to recommend something.) That, coupled with the fear of being ridiculed, may do the trick.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5819\">ACLU: Immigration agents used racial slurs to target Latinos during California raids<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR ABBY<\/strong>: My brother-in-law is currently in a relationship with a woman who was intimate with my husband many years before we married.<\/p>\n<p>It was a one-night thing, but now she is with my BIL and is going to be at family functions. I\u2019m afraid it\u2019s going to be awkward, and I\u2019m not comfortable.<\/p>\n<p>My husband is supportive of whatever I choose to do. The rest of the family has no issue with it because, of course, it\u2019s not their issue. I need advice.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 IN A DILEMMA IN PENNSYLVANIA<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>DEAR DILEMMA:<\/strong> This is not a dilemma unless you choose to make it one. A one-night stand is not a relationship, and the woman is not a cause for concern. What happened between them once, many years ago before your marriage, shouldn\u2019t be a threat to you or your relationship with your husband\u2019s family.<\/p>\n<p>If anyone is tasteless enough to bring it up, treat it with humor or say you don\u2019t wish to discuss it. Then act like the lady you are and be cordial.<\/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=5817\">Mother, boyfriend sentenced to prison for killing 1-year-old California boy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plus: What if my college roommate sees me sucking my thumb?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5822","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: My neighbor came over six times yesterday - 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=5822\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dear Abby: My neighbor came over six times yesterday - 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