Annie's Mailbox® by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar

Dear Annie: I am 28 years old and have lived with the same man for 10 years. We have two beautiful daughters, ages 8 and 4.

Last May, "Rob" and I decided to take an extended vacation. We bought an RV and spent the summer traveling and visiting family. While I really enjoyed the sights, some aspects of our trip were truly horrid. I frequently had to act as referee between Rob and the kids. Our older daughter had a bad attitude throughout the trip, and Rob took it personally. What's more, we rarely made love, and several times we fought.

We're back home now, but have yet to return to any semblance of normalcy. Rob took a temporary job in another state. At first, I was supportive, but he has begun to stay away longer and longer. At the moment, he's home for a day or two every two weeks. He says he wants to start a business with his brother and thinks we should move there in six months.

This puts me in a dreadful situation — away from professional contacts and a supportive family. I have no idea whether this venture with his brother will work out, and Rob hasn't bothered to look for a job closer to us. I don't need to tell you how challenging it is to be a single parent. I am exhausted, sad, resentful and angry. I miss Rob's help and companionship, but I'm not sure I miss him.

Should I endure the next several months and then move? My daughters miss their father, and it would be hard on them if we split up. It is important to keep my family together, but at what cost? — Between a Rock in Kansas

Dear Kansas: If you and Rob have been together for 10 years, you were both quite young when your relationship began. After the enforced togetherness of the road trip, Rob may be rethinking his domestic situation and enjoying his "freedom." If you believe he's going to stay in his new location whether or not his business venture succeeds, you might consider moving so the children can be closer to their father.

Dear Annie: My mom and dad were together for 30 years and raised four children. Dad died suddenly at age 60 from an undetected heart problem. Mom was 52 and grieved terribly.

Four years after Dad passed away, Mom met a widower. They wanted to travel, but he felt they should get married first. After some time, she agreed.

My problem is, I have always viewed the marriage as a betrayal of my father and, to this day, have a problem accepting it. All of these people have passed away, including my mom, who died in December. Are my feelings justified? — Still Miss Him

Dear Still: You can't help how you feel, justified or not. But it was unreasonable and unfair to have expected your mother to remain alone forever in deference to your father's memory. When children grow up and move away, the remaining parent is left with an empty house and no one to share her life. Please forgive your mother for wanting to recapture the happiness she once had.

Dear Annie: I am responding to "Upset in Santa Cruz" about the unexplained bruises on a young boy. A reader suggested he could have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. He could also have leukemia. My sister had bruises all over her body. We thought her small dog had caused them, but later, to our dismay, we discovered she had an aggressive form of leukemia. — Kathy in Omaha

Dear Kathy: How terribly sad. Please know your warning will help others.

Dear Readers: An Irish blessing for St. Patrick's Day: May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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