DEAR ABBY: Recently I have found myself in a difficult spot. My whole life I dreamed about marrying a college football player and, for the past eight months, I have been in a serious relationship with one. Last week he called me and told me we should take a break.

Immediately afterward, I have met up with a close friend from high school, and I think I may be developing feelings for him. He doesn't have the great looks my boyfriend has, but he is much kinder to me and he treats me right.

I'm stuck because my boyfriend called me last night saying he wants to talk over dinner, and I think he wants to get back together. Should I stick with my longtime, super-good-looking boyfriend, or leave him for the guy I know will treat me right? -- HARD CHOICE IN THE WEST

DEAR HARD CHOICE: You do not marry an occupation; you marry a person. A handsome partner who distances himself from you one week and wants to reconcile the next would make a terrible husband. Take it slow and stick with someone who will treat you right and you will have a far happier life. Trust me.

DEAR ABBY: I'm 24, married and have no children. I don't consider myself to be nervous when I'm around children, but when they're in my home or car, shouldn't I be allowed to ask them to stop whatever they're doing wrong without the mother getting upset?

My neighbor and I carpool twice a week to our dance workout classes. Her child was topsy-turvy all over the back seat with her shoes leaving marks on my back window. When I asked the child to please take her feet off the window, her mother, to my surprise, announced that next time she would drive her own car, that she was uncomfortable and "hoped my future children would be perfect"! She also remarked that I'm the same way in my home.

Abby, was I wrong not to let it go when I was uncomfortable in my car? -- SOILED IN SANTA FE

DEAR SOILED: No, you were not wrong. In case you have forgotten, children are required by law to wear seat belts (or sit in a car seat) when in a moving vehicle. In your car and your home, your rules should prevail. No one should create a mess, and if an accident does happen, the parent should clean it up. The woman overreacted. "Mother of the Year" she is not.

DEAR ABBY: My 10-year-old daughter is a beautiful girl inside and out. She's caring, loving and sweet to everyone. My only concern is that she still sleeps in the bed with her mom. While I don't object to this and am willing to sacrifice and sleep elsewhere, should I be concerned about her psychological development? -- HER DADDY IN NORTH CAROLINA

DEAR DADDY: Most children in our culture have learned to sleep independently by the age of 2. Your daughter should not have displaced you from your marriage bed for the last 10 years, but that is a separate issue. Because you are concerned about whether the sleeping arrangement is damaging to her psychological development, the resource to consult is a licensed child psychologist.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have a son, daughter-in-law and grandson. We moved from another city to be closer to them and be part of their lives. The problem is, my husband dislikes our daughter-in-law's parents. He refuses to spend holidays or attend other activities where both sets of parents will be.

I don't think the other parents or my daughter-in-law are aware of his dislike. This leaves me feeling extremely sad and not knowing what to do. I feel this is his problem and not mine. I have no issues with the other parents. I feel I should be able to attend my grandson's activities without him. There are times when we visit our son and his family alone, so that works out well.

Neither our son nor our daughter-in-law knows how he feels, and I can't say anything for fear that it will cause hurt feelings, especially for my daughter-in-law, whom I love very much. Please advise. -- MOM IN THE MIDDLE

DEAR MOM: Relationships can be complicated. Not all families meld easily. It's regrettable, but it's also a fact. While it would be nice if your husband would be willing to make an effort to control his distaste so he could be included in more get-togethers, he has made it clear that he isn't. Continue visiting with your son, DIL and in-laws when the opportunity arises. Let your husband "have other plans, be busy," etc. If your son or DIL asks why your husband is absent so often, tell them to ask him.

DEAR ABBY: I am a male reader who was in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship for a number of years. I believed, as I was told repeatedly, that there was no hope of freeing myself and that I was stuck in that situation for the rest of my life.

I am here today to say THIS IS NOT TRUE. It was just another manipulative lie from my abuser. I broke free, made a new life for myself and I am happy! I'm back in touch with old friends and family I hadn't been allowed to contact. I now have a healthy, nurturing relationship.

Please, Abby, tell your readers if they are experiencing abuse and feel stuck, to believe in themselves. They can have their lives back. They should reach out and not feel embarrassed. They can make this happen. Please pass along my message. -- FREE AT LAST

DEAR FREE: Congratulations on reclaiming your life. As your letter illustrates, partner abuse can happen regardless of gender. Although the focus is usually on women, abuse also happens to men, straight and gay. The abuse can be physical, emotional or both.

An organization I have mentioned in this column before is Stop Abuse For Everyone (SAFE). It's a support resource for abused individuals, regardless of age, race, gender or sexual orientation. Readers, to learn more about SAFE, visit stopabuseforeveryone.org.

DEAR ABBY: My best friend, who is 54, has had Type 1 diabetes since she was 9. She takes two insulin shots a day -- one in the morning and one in the evening. We live together, and at night her blood sugar drops pretty low. I can tell when it's happening because she becomes unresponsive. Twice she has had seizures that resulted in 911 calls.

I have begged her to please try adjusting her insulin dosage so it doesn't happen again, and she says she will, but it's still happening. I don't want to act like I know more about her condition than she does because I don't. When it happens, it's really scary, and I am worried she will die. I've told her this, but she keeps doing the same thing. What can I do? -- CARING FRIEND IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR FRIEND: You are a wonderful friend, and your concerns about your best friend's health are understandable. I ran your letter by Dr. Robert Gabbay, the chief science and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association, who had a lot to say. I found it educational, and I hope you and other readers will agree:

"Abby, people who have had diabetes for many years sometimes lose their ability to tell when their blood sugars are low. There are a number of ways to deal with the situation, but the most important for her friend is to talk to her health-care provider.

"Things can be done to help her. One of them would be to equip her with a glucose monitor, which measures blood sugar continuously and warns when blood sugar is starting to get low so that she (or you, if you are there) can administer fast-acting carbohydrates.

"Another is a medication called glucagon. It is administered by injection and quickly raises someone's blood sugar when it drops and the person is unable to respond. This is something the friend or a family member can be taught to use. It is commonly used by someone other than the person with diabetes because it is supposed to be administered when the individual is unconscious.

"Finally, it is extremely important for the person with diabetes to understand why her blood sugars are dropping and what changes in insulin dosage are necessary! The key is that she speak about this with her health-care provider."

DEAR ABBY: I recently moved away from my home state and across the country. In a text to my mother, I suggested she come to visit me and stay in my place. A few days later, in a family group text, my father mentioned he is looking forward to visiting.

While I am polite to my father for my mother's sake, I do not want him visiting me or staying in my house. The invitation was strictly for her. How can I tell my mother this without upsetting them? I would really like for her to visit, but I am simply not comfortable seeing my father. -- UNCOMFORTABLE IN THE EAST

DEAR UNCOMFORTABLE: Is your mother aware of your feelings about your father? If she isn't, tell her how you feel and why. If she's aware, then she was wrong not to let him know the invitation was for her only. Pick up a phone, call her and make clear to her you do not want him to accompany her.