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My husband and I have a problem with communication – specifically his memory – and it’s really starting to affect our relationship. I will ask him a favor or request something of him (example: I asked him recently if we could have a “family day” with the kids soon). I give him all the details he may need, like the day, the time…whatever needs to be said, and he’ll think it over and will agree to help. But then when the time comes, he backs out of whatever it is I asked for his help with, claiming I never asked him to help or claiming I did ask but wasn’t specific enough…

I’m a woman in my early thirties, married and gainfully employed with no kids. From the outside, I mostly seem to have it together — I’m a valued employee at my 9-5 job, was an excellent student in college/grad school, and manage to hold down a rigorous work-out schedule while working on a novel in my free time — but I actually feel like I’m a hot mess. For example, I’m not very punctual (okay, I admit I’m always running 5-10 minutes late for everything). I have dented two cars, have lost my car keys, and, as of last year, have broken my cell phone. I feel like I’m always losing or forgetting…

A week before Easter I met this woman at a bar and asked for her number. She preferred I give her mine, which I did. She didn’t say goodbye when she left the bar with her girlfriend. I think she glanced back at me and that was it. To my surprise, she texted me 19 days later. Her reason for waiting so long was that she was busy because of Easter, which seems like a lame excuse to me. How busy was she? She’s not working at the moment and she’s too busy to contact someone for 19 days? And how busy can Easter be? Too busy to send a text to…

My mom and I have always had a strained relationship throughout my life. I spent the majority of my childhood away from my parents because of their busy work schedule. I lived with my grandparents until I was 13, and my parents would visit me once a week at most and spend a few hours with me. They brought me home after eighth grade to live with them, but I never seemed to feel close enough to them. My mom is a strict disciplinarian. She was nice to me and never intentionally abused me in any form, but, to be honest, I don’t think I ever felt loved or loved my parents…

I always thought my boyfriend of seven months was perfect, but I recently have found out that he has been lying to me about a lot of things. He lied about contact with his ex during our entire relationship, about his past relationship history, never about other little things. He will deny these lies and try to make me feel like I’m remembering things all wrong. I’ve felt betrayed when he chooses his ex’s feelings over mine in these situations, and he doesn’t seem to have proper boundaries. On our first Christmas together his family handed out gifts from his ex to everyone but me. I felt humiliated! I feel he is…

I’ve been dating my boyfriend Carl for four months. He has been nothing but amazing to me, very attentive, loving, etc. He has two little girls, both from different moms with whom he was in serious relationships at different times. He was completely honest with me about that and about almost everything else, so I respected it. However, last week I was talking to his grandma and she mentioned that he had a SON. BOMBSHELL. She could tell I didn’t have any idea what she was talking about and she was apologetic, but she suggested that I bring it up to him. So I did, through tears, and he explained to me…

I’m a 35-year-old female and was with a 37-year-old male for two and a half years. He ended things about a year ago, saying that he still loved me but needed to figure out his life and how to be ready for a relationship. In the time that we have been broken up, he has gone to therapy and gone back to school to try to get his life in order. Now he is coming back wanting to get back together and it is something I really truly want, but there is a small twist. He is in a professional-level band with another woman who, throughout our relationship, caused a lot of…

I’m 42 and expecting my first child. The baby is due at the end of December, and my boyfriend’s teammate at work (a girl with lots of single friends) and close friend of many years is getting married (in another country) the third week of January. I am upset that he wants to go to the wedding, so far away from where we live, so soon after our baby is due. Not only am I nervous about being alone to take care of the baby at only three weeks old (he thinks that if I have help from my mom or nanny I should be fine), I’m very insecure about the fact…

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. I am a much older lady, divorced but attractive. I’ve been told not to sleep with men right away, but there was a guy on holiday I fancied who was a similar age and also divorced and whom I regret not sleeping with. I’m sure he wanted to sleep with me, but the holiday was only five days and I don’t…

I lost my son, “Henry,” in March of this year; he was just 18 years old. He was married and has a 16-month-old daughter and a son due this month. His wife, “Cecelia” and I never saw eye to eye. Henry had run away with her at 16 years old. He was struggling with an addiction, which was what finally took his life. I fought through the courts and CPS to try to get him help for a year and a half, and when Henry was 17-1/2 his father signed a marriage allowance to allow them be married. Game over at that point for me to try to help my son any…