DEAR ABBY: I've been married for a little more than 12 years. My wife and I have one child. Unfortunately, like a lot of relationships, we've been stuck in a rough patch for a while now. I learned that she was having an affair a few years ago, which rocked me to the core. I recognized there were cracks forming early on, but, admittedly, I didn't do enough to try to fix them. I ultimately decided to forgive her, and we have tried our best to put things back together.

Last year, I met someone through work with whom I connected on an incredibly deep level, and I found myself to be genuinely happy in a way I hadn't been for ages. It led to an affair that has been going on for a year. This woman desperately wants us to have a life together, as do I, but I'm afraid of what it will do to my child.

Walking away from my long marriage, even with everything that has happened, is difficult to fathom, as is the thought of destroying my child's sense of family and stability. I don't want to hurt either person, but I'm at a loss as to what to do. -- FAILED HUSBAND IN THE EAST

DEAR FAILED HUSBAND: Have you had a heart-to-heart talk with your wife about what you both want? If you haven't, you should. IF you would like to continue your marriage, start working with a licensed marriage and family therapist now. Your reason for not wanting to break up the family is rational because there is a third person involved, and I'm not talking about your girlfriend. However, if a couple is not happy, it isn't a healthy atmosphere for a child to grow up in.

DEAR ABBY: How do you tell a loved one that they have bad hygiene (such as body odor and bad breath)? For the most part, my ex-husband raised my now-adult son. My ex is very clean, so I'm not sure why my son is not. It isn't a medical issue, and it isn't sweat from exercise, it's just body odor.

My son and a couple of his friends seem to have lower standards in this area than is socially acceptable. The rest of his friends have what would be considered normal hygiene. I'm worried because this could affect his career and love life. Is there a way to approach it without hurting his feelings, or should I just let him stink and say nothing? -- WASHING UP IN WASHINGTON

DEAR WASHING UP: Tell your adult son that you have noticed his body odor, that it is unpleasant and that you are concerned about it. You didn't mention how old he is, or whether he has a doctor or a dentist, but everyone should get an annual physical and a semiannual dental wellness checkup.

Although you say your son's problem isn't a medical issue, there are any number of serious ailments that can cause body odor and bad breath. If he checks out medically and all he really needs is to shower and brush his teeth on a more regular basis, tell him point blank. And while you're at it, tell him his social and work lives could be negatively impacted if he doesn't clean up his act. This is what mothers do, so start now.

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 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: 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.