DEAR ABBY: After 26 years of marriage, my parents seem headed for divorce. My father is the one who wants it, and it sent my manic-depressive mother into the hospital with thoughts of suicide.
Now I am in the middle. My mother doesn't want to talk to my father, so the only information he can get is from me. He has mentioned several times the idea of my moving back home and taking care of her. (He is planning to move out in a month.)
Abby, I only recently got out on my own, and I am enjoying my independence. I love my mother and don't want to lose her, but I am resistant to moving back into a house where I have experienced so much pain. Am I being selfish? What should I do? -- FEELING GUILTY IN THE MIDWEST
DEAR FEELING GUILTY: The person who's being selfish is your father. He's trying to talk you into assuming the responsibility he assumed when he promised to "love, honor and cherish" your mother at the time of their marriage. If your mother were in her right mind, she would not want you to sacrifice your independence. Do not allow your father to guilt you into moving back. This is his problem. Please do not allow him to make it yours.