DEAR ABBY: My husband died recently. I have been approached by a much younger man for a sexual relationship. I want to, but I feel he is too young. I'm 61, and he's 37, the same age as my son. We have been friends for years, and I am unsure if I should change the relationship. I see no future in it except occasional sex. Should I drop it or consider the possibilities? -- THINKING ABOUT IT IN OHIO

DEAR THINKING: Before dropping it, carefully consider the "possibilities." At 37, this person is not a kid, he's an adult. Something like this happened in my family years ago. A close friend of a relative's son announced he had fallen in love with her. It took her a little while to adjust her thinking, but the result was a very happy marriage.

DEAR ABBY: My sister "Rebecca" is in her early 40s and has been blind for more than 20 years. She has low self-esteem and gets depressed when she can't do things. Right now she wants to babysit a 1-year-old boy in our family by herself. Rebecca's husband is legally blind, closets himself in his home office all day and ignores everything around him.

Although my sister is confident she could take care of the baby, the boy's parents and I are not comfortable with the idea. Rebecca often runs into things in her own house, can't find something she has dropped -- and sometimes even has difficulty understanding what is going on around her.

When we mention these problems or the fact that the baby is fast and rambunctious, she gets angry and teary-eyed and won't listen to reason. How can we help her to understand we can't leave the baby alone with her? -- OUT OF THE QUESTION

DEAR OUT: You have already tried to get through to someone who refuses to accept reality. There is no reason why Rebecca can't "assist" in babysitting the child, but she should not attempt to do it alone. It's important that you and the child's parents stick to your guns. Do what is best for the little one. And if that means making other arrangements for a babysitter, so be it.

DEAR ABBY: I recently received a text from my nephew asking that I cosign on a loan for a car. Abby, I am estranged from this person. I have met him only a handful of times, and I haven't seen him in years. I was, as you can imagine, put off by his request.

I responded that I couldn't cosign because it would make me legally responsible for the debt. My entitled nephew's response was dead silence, not an "I understand," not an "OK, sorry." Nothing! I never heard from him again. Am I wrong for feeling offended that he asked? -- TOO SMART FOR THAT

DEAR TOO SMART: Stop wasting your time preoccupying yourself with thoughts of this relative. He likely asked you to cosign because no one else in the family would. His attitude was, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." You did the right thing to refuse to be used. There is no need to dwell on it further.

DEAR ABBY: I was an alcoholic. I have been sober since 1994. I live with my elderly aunt and assist her while working in ministry. Her son lives with us and is, basically, a hopeless alcoholic. He drinks all day and lies on the couch. I know that if this continues, it will be fatal.

We have tried to get him into two or three rehabs, and I can't count how many times he's been to the hospital for detox. After his last stint in rehab, he came back and was drinking again three days later. Because I don't know what else to do, I have committed myself to saying, "Well, if he wants to drink himself to death, there's nothing I can do."

Am I doing the right thing or is there something else I can try? I mean, it's not my house, so I can't throw him out. I don't even broach the subject with my aunt anymore. -- CONFLICTED IN ILLINOIS

DEAR CONFLICTED: Congratulations for hanging onto your sobriety. I can only imagine the stress you are experiencing watching your cousin drink himself to death. If at all possible, it might be beneficial to you if you found other living arrangements while assisting your aunt.

Your aunt -- not you -- as well-meaning as she may be, is her son's enabler. Her passivity is partly responsible for what's happening to her son, not you. You have done everything you can, and you cannot save him from himself. Your aunt may need counseling to help her break the unhealthy pattern that has been set with her son. Please suggest this to her. I hope she is receptive.

DEAR ABBY: My friend has this habit of phoning me while she is walking her dog or driving somewhere. To put it bluntly, she calls when she is otherwise engaged and biding her time until she finishes the walk or reaches her destination.

When she walks "Gonzo," I have to contend with his barking, her admonishing Gonzo for pulling on the leash, or the wind, which makes it difficult to hear her. When she's driving, the connection is often iffy. She has done this for years, but recently it has started to seriously annoy me. I wish she would call when she's sitting in a quiet room and not preoccupied with something else. Is that too much to ask? How can I politely tell her this? -- TICKED OFF IN TEXAS

DEAR TICKED OFF: It shouldn't be too hard. "Politely" tell her you would prefer she NOT call you while she's walking Gonzo or driving -- particularly the latter because it's dangerous and you would hate to have her miss her exit or get into an accident because she was distracted. THEN tell her you prefer talking with her when she's in a place that's safe to talk and she's not distracted. If she persists after that, ask when she'll be home, suggest you talk "later" and hang up.

DEAR ABBY: I was married for 16 years and am finalizing the divorce. I decided to start dating again and found a really nice guy with a wonderful personality. I'm attracted to him, although I never thought I would love again. He's my age and has a kid. We talked for six months -- after which he moved in. We have been living together for more than a year now.

Things were perfect until I found out he has been talking sexually to other women online and met two women during our relationship. He insists they are just friends and nothing more. Now he's saying I'm not his girlfriend and never have been. What am I then? I asked one of his friends, and they told me he is sexual with all women. "He is just a playful guy."

When I told him I knew he had kissed one of them, he said it was because he just wanted to know if anything was there. I have never done that to anyone. He lied about meeting the girls and about being on a dating site, and he's still sexting. I fell in love with him, but he doesn't say it back to me.

Should we separate and just be friends or try to work on the relationship? He told me that his whole life women ghost him or go back to their exes. He has been hurt by a lot of them. I need advice. -- LET DOWN IN ARKANSAS

DEAR LET DOWN: Your roommate is not a "nice guy." He's a player who hasn't been honest with you. Be glad his friend clued you in to what has really been going on while he has been living with you.

Because you know he's a player, make an appointment with your doctor to be tested for STDs. Then tell him the games are over and you want him out of your place immediately. You are too emotional right now to remain friends with him, and once you get your head on straight and recognize him for who he really is, you will no longer want to be.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for two years. He was married for 27 years to a woman who died six months before we met. He has an adult stepdaughter he raised and considers his daughter. He has biological children with whom I have a good relationship, and they like me. However, the stepdaughter doesn't like me at all and she's very rude to me.

His family invites her to family functions all the time. My husband keeps saying to give her a break because her mother died. I have never been anything but nice to her. My husband and I argue constantly about her. I have asked not to be around her. Is it rude of me not to go to his family function if she's going to be there? She makes it very uncomfortable for me. -- BOTHERED IN GEORGIA

DEAR BOTHERED: Do not cut off your nose to spite your face. Go to the family functions. Say hello to her but, after that, avoid her as much as possible. If she is overtly rude, call her on it. You do not have to tolerate being abused, and you should not be expected to.