DEAR ABBY: During my late teens and most of my 20s, I kept journals that filled two full spiral-bound notebooks. I kept them my entire life before reading them for the first time on my recent 70th birthday. I found it to be an enlightening journey through my past on a very personal level, dealing with the highs and lows of those tumultuous years.

I told my youngest son, who is now in the middle of that stage of life and dealing with some of the same things I did, about my journals, and he asked if he could read them. My wife says I should let him, but I'm conflicted about it.

On the one hand, they would show him he's not the only one who faces these life challenges, which may help him deal with them and in some ways get to know me better.

On the other hand, these are things (some quite intimate) that weren't intended to be read by someone else, much less my kid. If I do this, then what about my other two adult sons, who have no idea the notebooks exist? Your thoughts? -- CONFLICTED ON THE COAST

DEAR CONFLICTED: Because you feel conflicted about sharing the entire contents of your journals with your son(s), why not simply impart the important lessons you were reminded of as you read them? That way, you can skip the embarrassing parts and simply pass along the hard-earned wisdom from which your sons could benefit.

DEAR ABBY: I have often seen letters in your column from men and women concerned about how divorce affects their children, and rightfully so. As the child of parents who stayed together too long, I can state, from my perspective, it is not always for the best.

Children are aware of tension in the household and it is often damaging -- at least it was for my sister and me. We are still trying to break the pattern of the submissive behavior my mom exhibited to keep peace in the household.

My father had a temper, and no one ever wanted to cross him. I can state honestly that my brother, sister and I were relieved when Dad finally moved out. Our lives became much more peaceful and stable. My dad was never physically abusive, but he definitely controlled everything.

Once he moved out and we didn't have to live with him anymore, we all had a better relationship with him. Kids know and feel more than adults believe they do. People need to give their children more credit than they do. Do you agree? -- LEAVING'S BETTER IN MICHIGAN

DEAR LEAVING'S BETTER: Yes, I do agree. Children sense the tension between their parents, grow up believing it is normal and sometimes model the same scenario as adults when choosing mates, which is not healthy.

DEAR READERS: This is my timely reminder for all of you who live where daylight saving time is observed: Don't forget to turn your clocks forward one hour tonight at bedtime. Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday. I look forward to it each year because it signals longer, brighter days and warmer weather. I find the extra light to be a mood elevator and an energizer. Spring is almost sprung! -- LOVE, ABBY

DEAR ABBY: I have known my husband for 10 years. We have been married for four. We love each other very much, but I did something that has caused him to no longer trust me, and he won't forgive me. I went to a pub while my husband was at a class. I told him I was going to the pub and he was fine with it. We know everybody who works there very well.

The problem is, a nice man sat down a seat away from me and we started talking about all kinds of stuff. At the end of the evening, we exchanged phone numbers. He texted me a week later wanting to know if I could meet him for lunch. I said yes -- big mistake -- but we didn't meet because I realized it would be wrong.

My husband saw his text on my phone, and he is upset and angry. He hasn't spoken to me since. It's been almost a week. He said he can no longer trust me, and he won't accept my apologies or forgive me. What can I do? -- LOSING LOVE IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR LOSING: Although your intentions may have been innocent, for your husband to have found out about the planned lunch the way he did couldn't have been worse. Had you told him you met someone "nice" and had been invited to lunch, it might not have made him angry. I don't blame him for feeling he may not be able to trust you.

Remind him that you did not go to that lunch. Tell him you love him and ask what you need to do to earn back that trust. Ask if he would go to counseling with you. However, if you are unable to do that, accept that your marriage is toast. What a shame.

DEAR ABBY: My sister "Claudia" recently asked me on a Saturday to take her to the eye doctor the following Tuesday. Well, I forgot. She didn't call me the night before (like normal people do) to remind me, nor did she call me the next day to confirm. She did call our cousin to take her. (She should have called me that day instead of calling our cousin.)

Now Claudia is mad at me. I think it was both our faults -- mine because I forgot. (There is a lot going on here. My mother-in-law, who has dementia, lives here and it has grown worse.) It was also Claudia's fault for not calling me.

She told me it was an important follow-up appointment and she was really upset. Is she being childish? By the way, Claudia is 13 years older than I am and has always been jealous of me. Please give me your opinion. -- JUST PLAIN FORGOT IN OHIO

DEAR "FORGOT": Oh, my goodness. You are human and you forgot! I don't think it was a hanging offense. However, Claudia managed to come up with a Plan B and the cousin saved the day. See how resourceful she can be in a pinch?

In the future, when your hands are full -- and from what you have described about your mother-in-law, it is safe to assume they will be -- when Sissy asks you to take her to a medical appointment, perhaps Plan B should become Plan A.

DEAR ABBY: My daughter and her husband have been together for 10 years, married for three of them. They have a 1-year-old daughter. I have just learned they may be getting a divorce. My son-in-law is very controlling as well as verbally and emotionally abusive. He yells, swears and slams doors over the littlest things. It has been going on for the past couple of years.

My daughter deserves to be happy, and she doesn't want to raise my granddaughter in that environment. However, she just confided to me that they have been in an open marriage for the last three months. Both have other people in their lives.

I'm having a hard time processing this. I come from the generation where that kind of thing is morally wrong, and I'm heartbroken about the whole thing. I love my daughter and want to support her, but if I don't, I risk losing her and my granddaughter forever. How can I cope? -- COMPLETELY THROWN IN OHIO

DEAR THROWN: Your daughter and son-in-law's open marriage will soon be over. (Hallelujah!) While you may not approve of your daughter's sexual activity, she's an adult and has a right to live her life as she sees fit. (She may have been pressured into trying it.)

The Bible says, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." I strongly recommend you try to remember and follow that dictate if you want to continue to have a relationship with your daughter and grandchild. She may need all of the emotional support she can get.

DEAR ABBY: I have four sisters. I have felt like the "odd one out" my entire life, and they know it. They gossip about me and my children at every opportunity. They are all financially well off. I am not. They take trips and get together frequently, but don't include me because they think I can't afford it. When I have made my feelings known, they say I'm "too sensitive" and a "drama queen."

I told them they don't have the right to look down on me and judge. How can I get them to stop being so superior and accept me and my children? I have been a widow for five years after a long and abusive marriage. They accuse me of exaggerating the mental and emotional abuse I experienced. How can I make them understand? -- EXCLUDED SIS IN NEBRASKA

DEAR SIS: You wrote that you have felt like the odd one out your entire life, and your sisters know it. You also stated that they travel together without including you because they think you can't afford it. If that's true, do you think they should have paid your fare? If you do, it's presumptuous.

After a long and abusive marriage you must feel like you have been let out of jail. For your sisters to dismiss what you experienced as exaggeration is insensitive and cruel. Because you aren't going to change them, eliminate them from your life. They may be unwilling or unable to give you the inclusion and acceptance you seek from them.