“My Fiancé Pays Too Much Child Support to Have a Baby With Me”

I am 49 years old and and my fiancé is 36. I have three grown children, all from the same father, but I’m having a problem dealing with the existence of my fiancé’s 14-year-old daughter. My fiancé was 21 when she was born and signed the birth certificate for a child who wasn’t his, and now he has been ordered by the court to pay $650 a month in child support until she is 19. I don’t feel we can move on with our life because of this added responsibility. I am in love with him but resent this girl; I don’t want to see her or spend time with her. My…

“My Mother-in-Law Won’t Stop Criticizing My Parenting”

I am a first-time mom, living in Spain with my Spanish husband in the neighborhood where he grew up. My MIL has been pressuring me to leave my 5-week-old with her so I can go out and do errands or have some alone time. I am exclusively breast-feeding at the moment and, frankly, am not ready to leave the baby with anyone other than his father. She has already said that she will give the baby a pacifier when I am not around and I worry that she might give him a bottle if I am not there, too. It doesn’t give me much confidence in leaving him with her, EVER, but…

Shortcuts: “My Girlfriend Won’t Bring Me To Her Pap Smear Appointments”

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 girlfriend is completely blinded by her mother. She’s so far up her mom’s ass and she’s the only one who doesn’t know. All of our friends and family see it. Except her. She’s 22 and, instead of taking me, her girlfriend, to her pap smear appointment, she’s taking her mom. Her mom is a very malicious and vindictive person. She…

“I Hate that My Husband Takes Care of His Mother”

In the beginning, I absolutely adored my MIL and had no worries about the promise my husband had made (long before I knew him) to always take care of her because she had a stroke several years earlier. Now, my husband has medically retired from the Army and I am a full-time student and mom. When he retired, we found out I was pregnant so we talked about moving in with one of his parents until his VA pay kicked in. I chose for us to move in with his mother not realizing how bad off she was. The very day we got to her house she began accusing us of taking…

“Whom Should I Ask to Be My Bridesmaid?”

I am a young woman (24) who has been engaged for a few months and starting to plan my wedding. I’ve been friends with two girls, let’s call them Monica and Phoebe, since middle school. Over the years I always assumed these girls would both be bridesmaids in my wedding. However, lately, for about the last six months or so, Phoebe has become rather hard to contact. She rarely answers phone calls or texts, and she backs out of nearly every event at the last minute. I know she is busy with a serious boyfriend and a new job that is great for her future career, and I’m happy for her, but…

“My Boyfriend is a Liar”

After around 10-12 years of two shitty relationships, I have bad trust issues. I went to many dark places and fought so hard to find out who I was again and what I wanted in life and to be able to try to trust someone again. On the verge of nearly giving up, I met my current boyfriend and things started really well, but now we have problems. A few months ago, during a conversation about the past, I asked him if his ex had any children from a previous relationship, to which he replied quite quickly with: “No, why would I get with someone who has a kid?” I told him…

“Should I Keep My Surprise Baby Even Though I’m Having a Great Time Dating?”

I’m a 43-year-old independent woman with a good job. My husband of seven years just left me two months ago. I was sad for a bit but really bounced back and am having the time of my life! I’ve been dating, too. My ex and I never had kids — I was told I could not have a baby because I have fibroids. Hubby and I were okay with this, and it was likely good because he turned out to be physically abusive to me. But a year ago I really did want a baby. I prayed for one all the time and really tried hard. I had to grieve that I…

“Should I Tell My Ex From Over 30 Years Ago About My Abortion?”

I was engaged to a guy 34 years ago. I ended our engagement because I realized that I was too young at age 18 to get married, and another guy came into my life who promised me the world and made me feel like a princess. Shortly after, I found out that I was pregnant with the ex-fiancé’s baby, but I told the new guy that it was his. He talked me into having an abortion even though I was totally against abortion; I always wanted to be a mother and already loved this baby (and even had a name picked out). Fast forward 34 years and I have been married to…

Afternoon Quickie: “Should I Place My Sister’s Photo in the Newspaper?”

My sister was nine years older than I and suffered from schizophrenia. I’m 78, so she became sick in the 1950s when the disease was not understood. She died in 2010. A cousin recently sent me a picture of her when she was a young child and I was so surprised to see this picture. She was truly such a beautiful child! Who would have known, as she became sick at about 18 years. I have been thinking of sending this photo of her to be placed in our local newspaper as a remembrance to her this June, as she died in June, and saying: “In remembrance of a beautiful mind. From…

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