Dear Abby: A stranger sneered at my T-shirt, and I didn’t know what to say

DEAR ABBY I have a huge T-shirt collection all different kinds sports teams schools concerts pop stars vacation destinations Multiple of them I bought while selected were gifts I wear one every day when exercising at my gym Related Articles Dear Abby My girlfriend went ballistic because I was helping my sad kids Dear Abby I have no memory of those three days but somehow I alienated my friends Dear Abby My son s DNA test says he s part Jewish and he doesn t know why Dear Abby The other grandmother was treated better than me and I fought back Dear Abby My -year-old wants to go live in another state Last month I wore my Princeton T-shirt a gift from a cousin who graduated from there I love it it s black with orange letters and an orange tiger Various guy I have never seen before looked at my shirt sneered and disclosed You didn t go there No I didn t but I thought it was rude of him to say I didn t respond and walked away But I thought about it later and wondered should I have mentioned something What would you have done TAKEN ABACK IN CALIFORNIA DEAR TAKEN ABACK The person who made the comment was looking for an argument You reacted wisely by not taking the bait I would have done the same thing you did And if I encountered him in the future I d keep my distance DEAR ABBY I have been with my wife for years including years of marriage I have done the best I could as a boyfriend a fiance a husband and a father to our two adult children and I continue to do so in the modern day Until years ago I thought we had the best marriage realizable Then my wife entered menopause and everything changed I realize how challenging that part of a woman s life can be and I helped her in whatever way I could I have been case but she s long past that intricate phase of her life and since then she has become the majority of miserable cold person I have ever known She has no physical interest in me and refuses to spend any time with me She complains about everything I do and contradicts everything I say Is this normal What can I do stuck in what is now a terrible marital situation I m too old to start a new life I am still interested in her as much as I inevitably have been but her abusive behavior is badly eroding my interest in staying in this relationship FRUSTRATED IN PENNSYLVANIA DEAR FRUSTRATED Because a woman goes through menopause does not mean she automatically becomes cold and abusive There is more wrong with your marriage than this hormonal shift I don t know what it is and clearly neither do you Related Articles Asking Eric My husband s family has this odd rule about naming sons How do I explain it to our kid Harriette Cole Why can t we have a nice anniversary like my friends did Miss Manners Another mother chided me for group-texting a cute photo Was I wrong Dear Abby My girlfriend went ballistic because I was helping my sad kids Asking Eric He says the stepchildren don t deserve anything I think that sounds mean Does your wife s medical practitioner know what may have caused her abrupt personality change A thorough physical examination would be a logical place to start After she has had one make clear to her that if your marriage is going to survive you both must consult a marriage and family therapist If she refuses book a few sessions without her During the subject of counseling you may discover that your wife thinks divorce would be as much of a relief to her as it would be for you The only thing you must not do is allow the status quo to continue 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 Los Angeles CA