Dear Abby: I have been with my girlfriend, “Ivy,” for eight years. We see each other mainly on the weekends, as she lives and works out of town. She says she is tied down to her house and daughter and can’t move here, even though she works only three days a week.

A few years ago, Ivy’s ex-husband moved back in with her as he transferred jobs. She knows I’m not happy about it and that I want her to spend more time with me, but she says she needs to coddle her daughter and take care of the dog. She rarely initiates anything, and I’m tired of being the one to do the extra things for our relationship.

I want to break up and move on, but she has ingratiated herself with my family, and this would make it difficult. She knows all my issues with her, but she either can’t or won’t make the change

See Full Page