DEAR ABBY: My local area TV meteorologists and reporters have a terrible habit of calling rainy weather "miserable," cloudy weather "gloomy," and any other non-sunny day "dreary." With so many horrible events in the news on a daily basis, reporting the weather this way seems irresponsible and reckless.

For some emotionally vulnerable members of our community, these negative words could be dangerous. Weather is weather. When we were kids, my friends and I would play outside in the rain and none of us ever thought of it as gloomy, dreary or miserable. Using such a powerful medium as television in this way could have a negative impact on people who are already in a dark place. -- IT'S RAINING BUT NOT DREARY IN DELAWARE

DEAR IT'S RAINING: Thank you for speaking up, but you are addressing your comments to the wrong person -- they should be directed to the manager of your local television station. While some weather forecasters may speak off the cuff, others usually read from scripts. So whoever is preparing the weather forecaster's monologue may need to be advised to use different adjectives.

DEAR ABBY: I recently got engaged to a man I've been seeing long distance for about a year. Then, out of the blue, an old military friend/crush called me and told me he has been thinking a lot about me and is working on himself. He apologized for the times he ghosted me because he couldn't handle relationships.

We talked for two and a half hours, and it was like we were back to our deployment and inseparable. It brought feelings I have never had before, but it also brought confusion and conflict. I love my fiance. He's a great man, and a single parent. I don't know what to say to the old flame. Can you help? -- CONFUSED IN THE WEST

DEAR CONFUSED: Tell the old flame you accept his apology for the multiple times he ghosted you and wish him luck in his self-improvement project, but explain that you are now engaged to a wonderful man. That said, you should not rush into marriage with anyone until you have doused this old flame and are confident in your decision.

DEAR ABBY: I am approaching 70 and I have been living a lie. I have two children who were born via artificial insemination by an unknown donor. Should I tell them, or take it to my grave? I have been divorced for 25 years and have no contact with their "father." It was a choice we made because of his infertility, but we never discussed telling the children. Now I'm torn about what to do because they still have contact with him despite his being verbally abusive. I need peace of mind. Help, please. -- SLEEPLESS NIGHTS IN ARIZONA

DEAR SLEEPLESS: Your "children" are adults. You and your former husband solved his infertility problem, and you were able to raise two (I assume, since you didn't mention otherwise) healthy, contributing members of society. Because of the popularity of DNA testing, it would be better if your children heard this news from you rather than from who knows how many half-siblings they may have. Infertility isn't shameful. Tell them what they need to know.

DEAR ABBY: My daughter, "Maddie," 34, just left what I thought was a great marriage. After only five years, she cheated on her husband, "Glenn." Their 6-year-old son is crushed. I know there are two sides to every story, but our entire family loves Glenn. He's a hard worker, but quiet and kind of a homebody.

I think poor communication and lack of excitement were her issues with him. (She refuses to talk with me about the situation, so I'm surmising based on what I know of them both.) This was their first marriage, but ever since high school, Maddie had a long string of boyfriends. Most of them seemed to be nice guys (she's had a few duds), but when Maddie's dad and I got to know them and became fond of them, she'd dump them.

I think Maddie is upset with me because I can't warm up to her newest guy. When she started cheating with him, he was also married. (He's now divorced.) He's a good bit older than she is, and I don't picture this relationship lasting. I have met him a couple of times and been friendly enough, but I haven't friended him on social media. She posts photos of them together, and I rarely "like" the photos because I DON'T like them.

I hate what she's done. It really hurts me. How can I get past this, and how should I handle what I feel is pressure from her to accept this new guy? -- STANDING BY IN GEORGIA

DEAR STANDING BY: Your first priority should be to create as stable an environment for your grandchild as possible. There may have been problems in Maddie and Glenn's marriage that you weren't privy to. Be cordial to the new man in your daughter's life, and in the future stop allowing yourself to become as emotionally invested with the men she dates as you have in the past. From your description of Maddie's pattern, there may be more on the horizon.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 58-year-old man. I have a 33-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old granddaughter. My relationship with my granddaughter is nonexistent. My only relevance to her is in the role of benefactor. She promises to spend time, visit, call or write, but never follows through. On the other hand, she has no problem reaching out via cash app or any other platform for money.

Every year, in the months before Christmas, I start receiving calls or texts from her. Once the holidays are over, it's business as usual. Going forward I plan to ignore her inquiries. Conversations with her and my daughter aren't working. What do you suggest? -- MORE THAN MONEY IN MICHIGAN

DEAR MORE: Because conversations with your daughter haven't worked, have another one with your granddaughter. Keep in mind that at 14, she may be somewhat self-centered, but she should be told how being ignored for long periods makes you feel. Explain that you are no longer willing to give gifts of money to a person you aren't interacting with. Then see if she follows through.

DEAR ABBY: I lost my husband of 20 years a little over two years ago. Last year, I moved to another state to be close to family. I rented an apartment, and my best friend moved with me. Shortly after, I met a much younger man. He was immediately interested in me. He's sweet, kind and very handsome. It took me months to realize that I'm also interested in him.

We began spending time together, including bedroom fun. He has told me at least twice he loves me, and I told him the same. His demeanor and expressions match his words, and we agreed for the time being to be friends with benefits.

Three months ago, he met someone much closer to his age. But even in front of her he holds me close and tells me he loves me. She has now slapped a ring on his finger and is pushing him for marriage. He keeps saying he's not ready. We feel that until the day he says "I do," it's OK for us to continue our bedroom fun. I'm new to the dating world, and he's my first since my husband passed. Am I doing the right thing? -- LOVING THE FUN IN WASHINGTON

DEAR LOVING: It is extremely difficult to hit a moving target. No one "slaps a ring" on another person's finger unless that person holds still for it. You are NOT doing the right thing by continuing to sleep with this man. In fact, you may be heading for a painful fall. When he marries his fiancee, you will be history once she realizes you are more than a good friend he "loves" but also a former bed partner.

DEAR ABBY: Our family has a thrilling story in its history about our grandfather and his brothers rescuing the family's player piano from their burning house. The house burned to the ground, and they lost nearly everything but the piano, which is now shuffled among family members' homes.

It's not particularly attractive, and it's certainly not playable even as a regular piano. It's one of the cheap, mass-produced, no-name models that were popular in the 1920s. There are relatives who are desperate to keep it in the family, but who don't have the space to store it or the money to refurbish it.

I'm not sentimental. If it were dumped on me, I'd throw it out. I told them they should take lots of photos of it and get rid of it. If some family members rescued a giant TV set from a fire, it wouldn't make sense to keep it around for 100 years.

I'm sure they enjoyed the player piano as a source of entertainment in its time, but that time has passed. My question is, how do you get people to let go of material possessions that have become a huge burden? -- UNFINISHED SONG IN NEW JERSEY

DEAR UNFINISHED: You stated that if someone gave you that old piano, you would junk it. If someone wants to give it a home, that is where it should go. I'm having trouble understanding why the fate of that instrument is your problem. Make it clear to your relatives that you want nothing to do with that piece of furniture and let it go.