DEAR ABBY: I have a 14-year-old daughter I have raised alone. Her father has never been in her life, nor has he been in the lives of his other children with other women. He has a long history of criminal behavior and mental illness. Although he hasn’t been part of her life, I have done everything in my power to keep her in touch with her siblings.

I just learned via the news and social media that her brother who is also 14 (and lives nearby with his grandparents), is being charged with two counts of capital murder. He reportedly shot both his grandparents. He had no other previous issues, and there were no warning signs.

I am torn inside trying to figure out how to break the news to my daughter. She’s going through her own teenage issues, and I’m afraid the news will crush her. I need to figure this out ASAP, before she hears about it at school or from social media. My other major concern as a parent is, could their father have passed along to her his mental illness?

— SCARED IN

THE SOUTH

DEAR SCARED: This kind of awful news travels via television, social media and word of mouth faster than lightning. By the time this letter is published, your daughter will have already learned about this family tragedy.

Rarely, if ever, does this kind of acting out happen in a vacuum. Healthy children and young adults rarely — if ever — “snap” out of nowhere. Because you are concerned about the level of stress your daughter is experiencing, please waste no time in scheduling some sessions for BOTH of you with a licensed mental health professional. If this will create financial hardship, contact the department of mental health in your community because through it you may be able to find a therapist who charges on a sliding financial scale.

DEAR ABBY: My beloved husband died in 1993 from an AIDS-related cancer. He contracted the disease from a blood transfusion during surgery. I elected to tell only close family members about his HIV. I was still quite young when he died.

Now when people ask me why I didn’t remarry, I don’t know how to reply. I didn’t contract the disease from him, but people are still fearful of the word AIDS. I have never dated or sought a relationship with a man since my husband’s passing. I still love him and have no regrets, but I don’t know what to say. Please help.

— LONGTIME

WIDOW

DEAR LONGTIME WIDOW: You are under no obligation to tell your life story to someone who asks that question casually. To someone like that, all you should say is what you wrote to me, “I still love him, and I have no regrets.” The rest is nobody’s business.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I were together for eight years before we married a year ago. He has a kid from a previous marriage who just turned 11. The boy has been a part of my life since he was 3. But it wasn’t until his father and I were married that my parents began sending him Christmas presents. They don’t usually send him birthday gifts.

My husband and I had our own child seven months ago. Now they’re sending a ton of Christmas presents for my biological son, but only a few token gifts for my stepson. My sister didn’t bother buying anything for my stepson or my husband. When I pointed it out to her, she ignored me.

I don’t think it’s fair that they exclude my stepson. My sister has two girls and I bought gifts for everyone — including her husband — although money was tight. Now I wish I could take everything back. How can I get them to not shortchange my stepson? Or should I just tell them not to bother sending anyone gifts?

— OUTCAST IN

MONTANA

DEAR OUTCAST: It appears your husband may have a less-thanideal relationship with your mother and your sister. Before taking any action, discuss this with your husband. If he agrees, then you are within your rights to tell them the way they are treating your husband and stepson is hurtful. Say that if it can’t be corrected, you prefer gifts no longer be exchanged because the discrimination is blatant and not what these holidays are supposed to be about.

Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com