Columns

“I am 39-year-old single female who has never given birth to a child. I got divorced when I was 37 and, although I am childless, I have always wanted a child of my own.”

For years I have pleaded with my sister (I’ll call her Sally) to get help, to be assessed by a psychiatrist and get on meds for bipolar disorder. Several years ago my brother (I’ll call him George) went and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I went a couple of years later and was diagnosed as well. Looking back at the behavior of my now deceased father, I believe he was bipolar as well, since it’s genetic. Like many people suffering from bipolar [who aren’t medicated], Sally is very irrational. She doesn’t speak with our other sister (I’ll call her Nancy) because Nancy “took” Sally’s mother’s attention away from her when she…

Last summer I was asked to be in my one best friend’s wedding (Friend #1) on Sept 20th (a Saturday). Today my other good friend (Friend #2) just asked me if I could be in her wedding on Sept 19th (a Friday) that is 4 hours aways. I understand that etiquette sides with friend #1 because she asked first; however, both of these friends mean so much to me. So my question is if it would be offensive to friend #1 if I miss her rehearsal dinner on the 19th so I can attend friend #2’s wedding? I plan to leave after dinner of friend’s #2 wedding, drive back and stay the…

I used to be friends with a girl who was also my housemate, but I decided to just shut her out of my life without even telling her because I thought she was a bad influence on me. Before I started seriously dating my current boyfriend, I slept with someone else and I think my housemate played an important role in that. She would talk trash about him, saying he was sleeping around while he was not with me during summer, that he was weird, and that I should find another boyfriend. It was the first time I was seeing someone more seriously, and I was insecure and had a weak mind….

I have an amazing 10-year-old son, “John.” He’s smart, creative and a really empathetic child. My ex-husband Mike and I have been divorced for three years. Although we share custody, my ex has not been very present in my son’s life. However, since he has moved in with his girlfriend “Sam,” he seems to be showing more interest in our son. I work seven days a week to keep us afloat, so John now spends most weekends with John and Sam. I’m happy that John finally has a healthy relationship with his father, and it’s good to see them spending quality time together. However, I’m beginning to grow concerned about Sam’s influence…

I am a manager and I have huge crush on one of my subordinates. She is a beautiful, intelligent single woman and I am a married man with two kids. We often go on lunches and spend a lot of time talking at work. We also text each other till late where I try to flirt with her and she doesn’t mind flirting and texting. She is very flirty not just with me but with other male colleagues as well. About two months ago I told her how I feel and she told me nothing could happen as I am married. Even after that we carried on texting. As a result, I…

I’m 32, a single mother (shared custody), and finishing my last semester of grad school. Two months ago I started talking to a man on the other side of the country who has ties to my current hometown. He visits here, and I recently visited him where he lives. Our perspectives on both trivial and major issues are so similar that he often verbalizes my exact thoughts. It’s uncanny. I have been reading your LDR posts, and they inspired me to think deeply not only about this relationship but also about being in ANY relationship right now. I have started the job search and I have to complete a major project before…

“I was married for three years and have been divorced for five years now. My ex and I do not have any children which made this, in my mind, a clean split.”