DEAR ABBY: I am one of your male readers. I took in a teenager on his 17th birthday because he wanted to leave an abusive, neglectful situation from his mother and her husband. I have known him since he was 4. During the time he has been here, we have bonded, and his appearance and attitude have improved. With his permission, I recently legally adopted him.
Our problem is that people are making comments that this is a sexual thing, which is absolutely not true. How can I quash these statements? He is very grateful to have a loving dad now, but is afraid of backlashes. -- ADULT ADOPTION
DEAR A.A.: The problem with rumors of this kind is that some people love to speculate, and truth has nothing to do with it. Unless you can pinpoint where the rumors are coming from, nothing you or your son can do will prove they are untrue. If that should change, however, there may be legal steps you could consider -- because accusations that someone is taking advantage of a minor could be considered slander.