Dear Abby: I’m afraid my self-centered mother-in-law is never going to change

Nypost · Sep 25, 2026 · 545 words · By Dear Abby

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What to know about Dear Abby: I’m afraid my self-centered mother-in-law is never going to change

DEAR ABBY: I have a mother-in-law of 30 years I distance myself from.

Claims checked 4

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left14%

Center72%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

DEAR ABBY: I have a mother-in-law of 30 years I distance myself from.

Why it matters

She seems incapable of carrying on a normal conversation and responds to any comment or question by talking about herself, even though it usually has nothing to do with what was said.

Common ground

What bothers me most is when she’s around our adult children.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Dear Abby: I’m afraid my self-centered mother-in-law is never going to change?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that For nearly four decades, Jeanne Phillips penned this column?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/lifestyle/dear-abby-im-afraid-my-self-centered-mot…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 4 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “For nearly four decades, Jeanne Phillips penned this column”

CORROBORATED

The claim that Jeanne Phillips wrote the column for nearly four decades is corroborated by the NY Post, Toronto Sun, and Wikipedia, with specific mentions of 'nearly 40 years'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jeanne Phillips, also known as Abigail Van Buren, is an American advice columnist who wrote for the advice column Dear Abby from the 1980s to July 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Phillips

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web search NEUTRAL — — Jeanne Phillips aka Dear Abby. Dear Abby: My husband’s brother, “Hank,” has estranged himself from the family.Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founde…
https://www.pennlive.com/advice/2026/07/dear-abby-after-near…

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web search NEUTRAL — After nearly 40 years of writing 'Dear Abby,' Jeanne Phillips announced her decision to retire in the July 27, 2026 edition of the advice column. Photo by Andrews McMeel Syndication /Handout.
https://torontosun.com/life/relationships/dear-abby-jeanne-p…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 2: “Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 270135, Kansas City, MO 64127.”

CORROBORATED

The specific website (www.DearAbby.com) and P.O. Box address in Kansas City, MO are confirmed by multiple independent web search results, including the Miami Herald.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robin Tunney (born June 19, 1972) is an American actress. She made her film debut in Encino Man (1992) and rose to prominence with leading roles in the cult films Empire Records (1995) and The Craft (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Tunney

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Connie Britton (born Constance Elaine Womack; March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She gained prominence…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connie_Britton

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chicken Little is a 2005 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. It is loosely inspired by the European folk tale "Henny Penny", known in the United St…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Little_(2005_film)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including the NY Post and web search results (pennlive.com), confirm that Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, noting that this is the pen name used by both Pauline Phillips and her daughter Jeanne Phillips.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Abigail is a feminine given name. The name comes from the Biblical Hebrew: אֲבִיגַיִל / אֲבִיגָיִל ʾĂḇīḡayīl, meaning "my father's joy" (alternatively "my father is exulted" or "my father is joyful", …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_(name)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dear Abby is an American advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name "Abigail Van Buren" and carried on until July 2026 by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the lega…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Abby

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pauline Esther Phillips (née Friedman; July 4, 1918 – January 16, 2013), also known as Abigail Van Buren, was an American advice columnist and radio show host who began the well-known Dear Abby newsp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Phillips

+ 5 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “which was founded in 1956 by her mother, Pauline Phillips.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources explicitly confirm that the 'Dear Abby' column was founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeanne Phillips ( JEE-nee; born 1942), also known as Abigail Van Buren, is an American advice columnist who wrote for the advice column Dear Abby from the 1980s to July 2026. She was born in Minneapol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Phillips

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+ 4 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.