Dear Wendy - Dear Wendy

“I Hate the Gift He Gave Me”

My husband is deployed in the middle east, and he really wanted to get his daughter (my step-daughter) and me something from that area for Christmas. He asked me what I would like from there, and I told him anything pretty, and that I would like enough saris to be able to make a canopy for our bed. He sent his daughter a beautiful camel bone jewelry box, but he sent me a rhinestone-encrusted scorpion pill box. Scorpions aren’t my thing. I don’t like them; I don’t like bugs in general, and this is just plain ugly. My concern is that if I tell him that I like it, he may continue…

“I’m A Grown Woman, But My Parents Still Give Me a Curfew!”

“I am (almost) in my mid-twenties, in grad school and support myself with a combination of loans, scholarships and part-time work.”

“My In-Laws Never Gave us a Wedding Gift”

Jane, my sister-in-law, whom I have a very good relationship with, got married several years ago, just before I started dating her brother, Jake.

“My Boyfriend STINKS!”

“I’ve been with the boyfriend for almost three years. We were engaged for a year, but called it off last summer because he couldn’t pick a date.”

“My Boyfriend Is Obsessed With Our Neighbor”

“My boyfriend of three and a half years is spending way too much time with “Jim,” a neighbor friend in our new building. Jim’s not a bad guy, but…”

“Should I Tell His New Girlfriend That He’s A Cheater?”

“I’ve been on and off with Rick for about eleven months. He travels a lot, and over the summer, I moved an hour away from where he lives.”

“When Does an Engagement Ring Become YOURS?”

It’s time again for Shortcuts. For every question, I’ll give my advice in three sentences or less, because sometimes the answer to a person’s question is so obvious and the need to hear it so great, being as clear and frank as possible is simply the best way to go. Today we discuss the etiquette of returning an engagement ring, dating someone you’re not attracted to, and when to end an LDR.

“I’m Jealous of my Fiancé’s Daughter!”

“My boyfriend of seven months, whom I’m engaged to, has recently reunited with his four year-old daughter from a previous relationship …”

“Should I Have Dinner With My Ex’s New Girlfriend?”

“I dated Mike for a brief period over a year ago. We’ve remained friends, and he is now dating a woman who, from what he tells me, is very controlling.”

Quickies: “People Keep Bugging Us To Have Kids”

My husband and I have been together since we were 15, and married since 20. Now, as 23 year-olds, we are finding ourselves under immense pressure from our parents, friends and co-workers (?!) to have children. Everyone seems to think that once you are married the next step is children. While we definitely want to have them, we still feel that we are very young and have many things we wish to experience together before we make such a life-changing decision. When I explain that to nosy people, including my mother-in-law, I am treated as though I am an selfish child who ought not to have married if she wasn’t ready for babies….