DEAR ABBY: I need help deciding what to do about my last name. I am going through a divorce and am not sure if I should return to my maiden name.
I was married more than 35 years and my children are grown with families of their own. Many women have told me they wouldn't keep their married name -- that a divorce is a new start, and I'm not "that person" anymore.
It's just that I'm so used to my married name -- but then again, I only took the name because I got married. Please help me decide. -- IN NAME ONLY, PHOENIX
DEAR IN NAME ONLY: The women who are urging you to take back your maiden name are doing so because they wanted to close an unhappy chapter in their lives and have as few reminders as possible. There are no hard-and-fast rules about this subject. If you are comfortable using your married name, then continue to do so. If you wouldn't mind correcting people who have known you for the last 35 years and telling them, "My name is now ..." then go ahead and change it.