DEAR ABBY: I'm a millennial. I am successful in my career and lucky to have a loving husband and two amazing children. I am, however, trying to remind myself to be "better and not bitter" in another huge area of my life.

The world is changing so quickly, especially in the field of in vitro fertilization. I know I have much to be thankful for, but I'm finding it a hard pill to swallow that many of our older parents are choosing to have another set of kids in their later years. My father, who is in his mid-60s, has just had twins with his third wife. His children are younger than mine.

I feel entirely replaced by his new family. Rather than being a present father and grandfather, he has nearly disappeared. I thank God that my mother is a proud and devoted grandmother to my children. In addition to his disappearing act, Dad has decided to leave all of his assets to his third wife and the twins. They call my kids their twins' "cousins"!

A number of my friends also have a parent who has chosen to start their lives over in this way, including their mothers, who, in their later years, have had babies via surrogate. This is so painful. How do I, and the younger generations, overcome this feeling of abandonment? -- BIG SISTER IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR SISTER: I can't speak for the others, but you are blessed with a loving husband and two amazing children. A step in the right direction would be to concentrate on those blessings you have. You are lucky at your age to still have a living father.

Parents are free to live their own lives when their children reach adulthood. As you point out, what your father has done is not uncommon. Please, for your own sake, stop blaming him and embrace the life that you have.

DEAR ABBY: For 23 years, my sister was involved with a violent alcoholic and drug addict. It ultimately ended when he chose to take his own life a year and a half ago. Their union produced two children -- a boy (17) and a girl (13).

Recently, at our grandma's memorial service and family reunion, I overheard constant negative comments from my nephew about people drinking at the event, and how we shouldn't, because his dad was an alcoholic. No one was belligerent or ill-mannered. I only overheard these comments; I did not engage with them. My question is, should we be tempering our drinking around my nephew? -- SOCIAL DRINKER IN TENNESSEE

DEAR SOCIAL DRINKER: As long as the family can handle their alcohol consumption, there is no reason to change their behavior when your nephew is around. There is, however, a genetic predisposition to addiction in some families. This is why your niece and nephew should be warned (if they haven't been already) that this might place them in jeopardy if they choose to experiment with it.

TO MY READERS: For those who celebrate Easter, I wish you all a meaningful and memorable day. Happy Easter, everyone. -- LOVE, ABBY

DEAR ABBY: I am a 30-year-old woman who can't seem to forgive my mother. For many years I have felt that she doesn't like me. Every time I have tried to talk to her about it, she has done the old switcheroo and accused me of being ungrateful and uncaring. The day my horse died she excluded me, and then called an hour later to tell me she had put my mare down.

I am at the point that I no longer want to be around her because, in her eyes, I can't do anything right. I feel like any invitation from her is fake or last-minute, especially for family gatherings.

This leads me to the subject of my wedding: My fiance and I agree we don't want her there because of how she has treated not only me, but him as well. We sent out the invitations and invited my dad, who is my hero. So, guess who now has hurt feelings? Now she wants to talk to me.

Abby, I do not want to talk to her unless my fiance's mom, "Shelley," is there as a buffer. Mom won't talk like she usually does to me if Shelley is there. I'm not comfortable seeing or talking to Mom alone, which I have expressed. The problem is, this hurts my dad, which hurts me, too. How do I make nice without disrespecting myself in the process? -- IN A MESS IN MONTANA

DEAR MESS: How much "nice" do you want to make with your mother? Are you willing to invite her to the wedding when you see her (with Shelley)? If your parents are still together, do you expect your father to show up without her? I doubt that's likely to happen. You have some grown-up decisions to make regarding your special day. Bite the bullet. Invite your mother and, if necessary, seat your parents in "Siberia." After that day, you will not be obligated to see or speak to her again.

DEAR ABBY: After 30 years, I'm considering filing for divorce. My husband has always had anger problems, which I've put up with all this time. I'm not sure I want to go on dealing with this issue for the rest of my life. What stopped me before was our two children. I was afraid to be a single mother because my mom was a widow with four children, and I saw what she went through financially and emotionally without a husband.

Now that my children are grown and on their own, there's nothing stopping me but fear of not being able to support myself. My husband makes more than I do, and I have bills I need to pay. If I rent an apartment, I'm not sure I can swing it. I know the first step is to find a lawyer and discuss my options, but I'm afraid my husband will beg me to stay, which he has done in the past. Please help me decide what to do. -- MAYBE READY TO GO IN INDIANA

DEAR MAYBE READY: I'm glad to offer you a suggestion. Talk to an attorney now and find out what your options may be if you don't stay with an abusive, bad-tempered husband. Once you know where you stand, you can then decide whether your husband's begging is enough incentive to spend the rest of your life being treated the way he has treated you.

DEAR ABBY: I have a friend who talks nonstop. Honestly, I can put the phone down and go make a cup of tea, and she'll still be talking when I get back. I don't think she even takes a breath. I want to tell her she sometimes needs to ask questions or seek the opinions of others. How can I do this without hurting her feelings?

She has many good qualities. She's knowledgeable on many topics, she's artistic and she's a good cook. She is just exhausting to be around. I feel bad for her and her husband. Her children are good, productive citizens. But man, oh man, I dread getting a call from her. Advice? -- OVERWHELMED IN GEORGIA

DEAR OVERWHELMED: There's a reason why you are drained after those phone calls. Your friend is a compulsive talker and a "sapper." (A sapper is someone who gains energy by draining it from others.) The next time she calls, have a stopwatch handy and make a note of the length of time she rambles on and on. Then point out that although she may be unaware of it, she talked at you for (insert number) minutes.

Then suggest she dial it back and consider asking an occasional question and including you in the conversation, because what she has been doing is exhausting. She may not like what you are saying, but she really needs to hear it.

P.S. Consider screening your calls so that if you don't have the energy to talk with the woman, you can avoid listening to her.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are planning a cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary as well as his retirement next year. We invited my brother and his wife, "Rita," to join us. Because my brother has always wanted to visit our cruise destination, they accepted.

Rita then shared our cruise plans with her brother and his wife, "Jewel." Jewel expressed interest in the destination and said she wouldn't mind going. In response, Rita welcomed them to join us! When I was told this, Rita said her brother doesn't like cruises and probably wouldn't want to go, so I just let it go. Still, I am annoyed at her presumptuousness.

Am I wrong to feel the way I do about her inviting her family without first asking if it was OK with me and my husband? Rita did say she was sorry for inviting them, but I'm still annoyed. I love my brother and sister-in-law, and I'd hate to cause family drama. I'd welcome your thoughts. -- CRUISING IN HAWAII

DEAR CRUISING: I agree that what Rita did was presumptuous. It was also thoughtless. She did not have the right to invite anyone along on your holiday. If Jewel tells Rita that she and her husband have decided to come, it will then be Rita's responsibility to straighten the matter out by rescinding the invitation, and you should "sweetly" make that clear to her.