Dear Abby: My mother-in-law recently moved close to us. She has a nice home and has lots of friends in the area, but her entire focus is on us! She walks right into our home, although she has been asked several times not to. She goes through my things and takes whatever she wants without asking. When my husband is here, she walks in, and if we have company, thinks she should join our guests. I feel like the bad guy, but I just want to feel content in my own home. What else can I do?

Wants to Run Away

Dear Wants to Run Away: You should not have to feel like a prisoner in your own home. Keep all the entrances securely locked, especially the front door. Tell her to stay out of your belongings because you don’t want any more items to “disappear.” Because your mother-in-law won’t listen to you, have your husband tell his mother not to drop in without calling first. If she does it anyway, rather than ask her not to do it, tell her and don’t let her in.

Dear Abby: I am one of your male readers. I took in a teenager on his 17th birthday because he wanted to leave an abusive, neglectful situation from his mother and her husband. I have known him since he was 4. During the time he has been here, we have bonded, and his appearance and attitude have improved. With his permission, I legally adopted him. Our problem is that people are making comments that this is a sexual thing, which is absolutely not true. How can I quash these statements?

Adult Adoption

Dear A.A.: The problem is that some people love to speculate, and truth has nothing to do with it. Unless you can pinpoint where the rumors are coming from, nothing you can do will prove they are untrue. If that should change, however, there may be legal steps you could consider — because accusations that someone is taking advantage of a minor could be considered slander.

Dear Abby: My husband, “Jerry Jr.,” was named after his father. He had two sons, “Jerry III” and “Bobby.” When Jerry III had a son, he decided not to carry on the tradition and named his son “Stephen.” Now Bobby is expecting a son and would like to name him Jerry to honor his father. Would this child be Jerry IV, since he’s part of the same immediate family? Or would he just be Jerry, since his father has a different name?

All in the Family

Dear All in the Family: That should be up to Bobby to decide. From where I sit, the baby would be just plain Jerry, unless your clan is planning on starting a dynasty.