DEAR ABBY: I have been dating a great guy for a few months. He treats me well and seems to care about me and my family. He offers to help with the bills and cleaning my place. He's also kind and honest, and he's actually the first guy I have ever dated I feel I can fully trust.

I was single for years before we started dating, and during all that time, all I wanted was to be with someone like him. However, being single as long as I have been has made me very independent, which I really like. We have certain days that we don't see each other so I can have my "alone time," but -- more and more -- I feel like those few days aren't enough.

I'm starting to realize that, for the most part, I really enjoy being alone. I don't get why I feel this way. He's everything I have always wanted in a partner, so why do I still always want to be by myself? Do other people have the same kind of feelings I do? Or is this not normal behavior? -- WANT TO BE ALONE

DEAR WANT: I think most people need a degree of alone time to concentrate on their interests or to be creative. That's normal. However, you state that you don't feel you have enough of it, and even though you are seeing someone you think is "Mr. Wonderful," you still always want more. Your next step should be to talk with Mr. Wonderful about the fact that you need more time alone. It may be something the two of you can work out. However, if it isn't, you will have to face the fact that you may not be ready to couple up.

DEAR ABBY: My parents have been divorced for years, so I go to my mum's for a week and to my dad and stepmum's the next. Recently I have been going to my dad's less often because he is giving me major anxiety. He keeps asking questions I don't want to answer because they either might be about my mum or are just not "appropriate."

Dad and his wife are "sticky beaks." They don't mind their own business. I just started high school, so I'm very stressed and have been crying a lot. Can you help me to get my life together? -- MAJORLY ANXIOUS IN AUSTRALIA

DEAR ANXIOUS: A new school can be intimidating for first-year students until they become used to the routine and more at ease with classmates. However, with time, you will settle in and it will no longer be stressful for you. In fact, it may offer opportunities to explore interests you were never exposed to in the lower grades.

As to your father and his wife, you do not have to report to them what your mother is doing or whom she is seeing (if anyone), or answer any questions that embarrass you. When they ask, ask them to please stop because the questions make you uncomfortable. If they persist, tell your mum and let her deal with them. She may be able to explain that what they're doing is driving you away, and if they don't stop, they will be seeing less and less of you.

DEAR ABBY: For the first time in my life, I am in love. We met about a month ago. I know he's the man I have waited my entire life to meet. I am 33, so I know what I feel isn't just lust. We have one huge hurdle, though: religion. He's actively religious, while I am not, and he doesn't believe our relationship can survive this difference.

On every other level, we are wonderful. We want the same things in life and share similar values. Our difference isn't that I don't believe in God. I do. But that isn't enough for him.

I told him I would go to church with him, and raise our children (his and mine) in a Christian home, but when they are old enough we should allow them to make their own decisions. He says that would be "just going through the motions" and I'd eventually resent him for it.

Must I let him walk away? Or should I fight for what could be (next to my kids) the best thing that's ever happened to me? -- HEARTBROKEN IN TEXAS

DEAR HEARTBROKEN: In what way do you plan to "fight"? Do you plan to convert to his religion and devote the kind of time to it that he does? Think carefully about what that would mean.

While his fervent religiosity is laudable, what this man doesn't realize is that regardless of the example he wants to set for his children, eventually they are going to make up their own minds and live their lives the way they wish.

This "one difference" is a deal-breaker. He is looking for a spiritual clone. You're not it, so let him go.

DEAR ABBY: The company I work for recently switched to digital phones that show the caller's name and location on a screen no matter where they are in the building. Years ago, I formed the habit of introducing myself when placing a call: "Hi, this is Sally from marketing. How are you, Trent? Great! I'm calling because ..." I have been informed that what I'm doing is old-fashioned, unnecessary and a waste of everyone's time.

The preferred method would be to launch into the heart of the conversation with no introduction, just "Hi. I need instructions for the new projectors," because the person already knows who is calling. To me, this feels rude, especially when talking with someone I see rarely.

I can't help but wonder what the long-term office climate will be like if everyone is so terse. On the other hand, many of my younger co-workers would prefer not to talk at all and conduct business by email or text. Any conversation feels excessive to them, and they are humoring me by answering the phone.

Where is the middle ground here? How can I maintain what feels like basic good manners and human interaction without annoying my colleagues? -- POLITE IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR POLITE: There are certain niceties that make interactions with others more pleasant. While you may no longer have to announce that you are "Sally from marketing," it is polite to inquire how the person is doing or how the day is going. It's a pleasant conversation-starter and a transition into the business you will conduct. Because you are getting flak for it, go to your employer or H.R. for guidance in navigating the new system.

DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 15 years and love my wife very much, but we drifted apart. Then I went and did something really stupid and had an affair. It lasted only a few weeks, and I regret it. My now-ex-wife and I are still working on our relationship. Yes, it was the wrong thing to do, but because of the affair, we have grown closer than we have ever been.

My problem is her parents. She's worried how they will react. They dislike me intensely now and would run me over with their car if they got the chance. They have also trash-talked me to our children. (My parents have never said anything bad about her and never would.)

It has been a year, and her parents don't know we are working on staying together. They keep trying to set her up on dates. I feel like I'm a secret. Help! -- WORKING IT OUT IN IOWA

DEAR WORKING IT OUT: I'm sorry you didn't explain more about how you and your ex are trying to work things out. From where I sit, her parents are not the problem. The problem is her reluctance to talk to them like the adult she is and tell them your -- and her -- intention to reconcile. It's natural that they are angry with you for cheating on their daughter and are trying to introduce her to eligible men now she's divorced. The two of you should enlist the help of a licensed marriage and family counselor, not only to help you reconcile, but also to repair the breach with her family.

DEAR ABBY: I am 26 and have been struggling with jealousy and envy for the past few years. My friends and family members my age are moving forward with their lives. I'm having trouble landing a full-time job, so I still live at home with my parents. I feel like I'm still in high school, where I must answer questions about where I'm going and whom I'm going out with.

I love my parents and I'm thankful for them, but at times I feel that because I'm living under their roof, I am no longer growing as a person. I tell my friends and family my issues when they ask me what's wrong, and they always respond that I do have a purpose in life and that God has a path for me. Can you help me find new ways to cope? -- HOW DO I COPE?

DEAR HOW: One way to cope would be to start asking friends and family members why they think you are having such a hard time finding full-time employment. They may be able to offer some helpful suggestions.

Another would be to contact employment agencies and ask what may be missing from your resume and whether they can help you. (It may be time to start looking into fields other than the ones in which you have been working.)

I agree that at 26, it may be time to establish some independence by either finding a roommate to share expenses or renting a room in a home other than your parents'.