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It’s time again for Shortcuts. For every question, I’ll give my advice in just a few sentences because sometimes the answer to a person’s question is so obvious and the need to hear it so great that being as clear and frank as possible is simply the best way to go. My boyfriend and I have three years of being together. His sister is getting married and she doesn’t want me to go to her wedding because she says I’m going to ruin it. We didn’t like each other in the past because of many conflicts she caused between my boyfriend and me. Now my boyfriend says he’s going without me to…

It’s time again for “Dear Wendy Updates,” a feature where people I’ve given advice to in the past let us know whether they followed the advice and how they’re doing now. Today we hear from “A Very Frustrated College Student” who wrote in last week about her roommate who essentially let her slob of a boyfriend move in despite his contributing nothing to rent and bills. Her update below:

I’ve been married for six years and I’m currently expecting our first baby, something that we’ve been looking forward to for the last few years. Recently my husband was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 2 and in the months following the diagnosis he become verbally and emotionally abusive towards me. He even randomly called a real estate agent behind my back to get my house assessed. (I bought the house before I met him and I have no intention of selling as the mortgage is only $450 and will be paid off within another year.) Once he realized I would not be selling, he moved back in with his mother, four hours away…

My boyfriend is 30 and I’m 25 years old. I come from a Middle Eastern background, but he is white. My problem is that I don’t know how the rules of proposal and marriage work here. We’ve been dating for over a year and my parents are asking for an update every month. You see, by our standards the guy should propose by six months and I don’t know how long people date here before a proposal, so I don’t know what to tell my parents. (He is 30, after all, and by my culture’s standards, I am like a 30-year-old too). He knows I expect a wedding and he has even…

My husband asked his brother to send a picture of his new girlfriend of five days, “Jezebel,” and Jezebel decided it would be better to send a video instead where she was holding the camera and staring at it the whole time and sticking her tongue in his mouth. It was only four seconds but it’s just like, really, bitch? WTF. I don’t like the girl already as I find it disrespectful to send G-rated porn to my husband. I’m offended. It’s not a big huge deal but I’m mainly mad because my husband responded, “I like her.” He says it’s because she’s being nice to his brother, but she’s not being…

It’s time again for “Dear Wendy Updates,” a feature where people I’ve given advice to in the past let us know whether they followed the advice and how they’re doing now. Today we hear from “Preferred Being a Third Wheel” (LW2) the 17-year-old whose sister’s ex-boyfriend pressured her into hanging out and who made her uncomfortable by telling her she was his only friend. “I know he really needs a friend,” she wrote, “but I am not sure what to do that would be best for both of us, and I could really use some advice.” Her update below.

On a Reddit thread the other day, a 40-year-old woman complained that despite having a conversation with her 44-year-old boyfriend about what kind of engagement ring she would like, he proposed to her with a ring she hates and that she would be prohibited from wearing at work (she works in the medical field, directly with patients).