Columns

I’m 22 and just graduated from college. Recently, I’ve been in touch with a teacher (in his early 30s) from my high school. We always had a good relationship and have gotten lunch a couple times in the past but we’ve definitely moved past that. We got dinner one Friday night, he picked me up and paid. I took him to a baseball game with a couple of my friends, and he in turn brought me to a baseball game with some of his. We’ve been texting regularly and last week I went to his house to watch the various sporting events that were happening and we ended up snuggling on the…

I recently moved in with my boyfriend of 8.5 years. We live in his home town and his mother lives just a few blocks away. We frequently stay for dinner at her house, along with his siblings. His mother is a stay-at-home mom who will literally do anything for her children, which I respect very much. Although I focus on my career, I can see the tremendous work she does around the house and the hours she puts in keeping the younger siblings of my boyfriend happy, fed and loved. However, my boyfriend and his brothers are indifferent to her hard work. They frequently make rude comments, stressing her out, and do…

I am 23 years old and a computer science major so naturally I spend a lot of time around men. This is great. I have a tight bond with the few women who also study in my year, but I am also excessively fond of crude jokes and beer and I get along well with a lot of the men here. I had some really awkward teenage years and I am finally learning to appreciate and love myself. I am very positive and outgoing and I know this is what attracts a lot of men. I dress “prettily”; I like dresses and since I recently lost some weight I’m just enjoying experimenting…

I have a 12-year-old daughter, Betsy, from my first marriage. My ex and I split custody 50-50 with no child support, etc. We divorced over five years ago after a 10-year marriage. We married young, never really got along and argued constantly. It ended up being a surprisingly amicable divorce. The problem is my ex’s girlfriend, “Brandy” (they have been dating about 1 1/2 years and live together). On the few occasions that I have talked to her, we had gotten along fine and had some nice conversations. So a few weeks ago I asked if she’d like to join me and Betsy to go shopping for a dress for her first…

” I want to get married and he says he still does too, but he avoids the issue if I bring it up!”

“Right before our one-year mark I asked him if he saw a future with me and he said he didn’t know.”