Tales From the Front from Creators Syndicate

It Really Is the Thought That Counts for 02/17/2012

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Anybody can give chocolates and roses for Valentine's Day, but let's hear it for the guys with the nerve to give pliers, an oven mitt or a bottle of bubbles.

SALLY: For our first Valentine's Day, my husband gave me a "corn cob" toilet paper holder and an oven mitt that said, "Kiss the Cook." For the last 31 Valentine's Days, we've discussed that very "special&quo ...

Updated: Fri Feb 17, 2012

Single Mom Needs Security in New Relationship for 02/12/2012

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Cheryl,

I'm 37 and I have two kids. I've been dating this guy for two months. I really like him, and I think he likes me. When we're together, everything is great. We're so in sync, it's scary. We have the same opinions on food, music, movies, TV and sports teams. And we're both Ron Paul supporters! We laugh a lot together and have a fabulous sex life. He tells me I'm beautiful and ...

Updated: Sun Feb 12, 2012

Valentine's Day Redux, Redux for 02/11/2012

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Today's column features some lucky couples and one ungrateful woman.

SAMANTHA: My husband and I celebrate Valentine's Day, but nothing over the top. If I were to let him out of it, he'd stop in a heartbeat. If I had my way, we'd celebrate more. But we had an open, honest conversation about what each of us wanted and we compromised with exchanging cards, giving a small gift — nothi ...

Updated: Sat Feb 11, 2012

Valentine's Day Redux for 02/10/2012

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Valentine's Day — a time to eat chocolate, smell flowers and think about old movies such as "Forrest Gump" and old episodes of "The Office."

KEN: One of my best Valentine's Days happened in college. Talia floored me, and I was all about her. She was my "Jenny" and I was her "Gump." She agreed to go out with me, and I had one chance to make a ...

Updated: Fri Feb 10, 2012

Valentine's Day, Bah-Humbug! for 02/05/2012

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Does anybody over 16 really look forward to Valentine's Day?

Do overpriced roses really say, "I love you"?

Does a Hallmark card that costs more than a gallon of milk really make up for bad behavior?

If the Grinch stole Christmas, then I'm happy to be the Vrinch who stole Valentine's Day. And I'm not alone in my dislike for this made-up day. (Festivus, anyone?)
Updated: Sun Feb 05, 2012

When Band-Aids Aren't Enough for 02/04/2012

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"Torn" wrote in several years ago to ask for advice about her verbally abusive relationship.

I suggested several things that helped the situation — for a while. They turned out to be Band-Aids, not a cure. Torn is back with an update . . .

"This summer, my relationship worsened to the point where I was fearful for my life and sanity. With the support of a she ...

Updated: Sat Feb 04, 2012

When Band-Aids Aren't Enough for 02/04/2012

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"Torn" wrote in several years ago to ask for advice about her verbally abusive relationship.

I suggested several things that helped the situation — for a while. They turned out to be Band-Aids, not a cure. Torn is back with an update . . .

"This summer, my relationship worsened to the point where I was fearful for my life and sanity. With the support of a she ...

Updated: Sat Feb 04, 2012

A Band-Aid, Not a Cure for 02/03/2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"Torn" wrote in several years ago asking for advice. She'd been married for seven years and had a two-year-old and another on the way. She said her family had a very hard year. Both she and her husband changed jobs, and they also moved.

"The stress," she wrote, "has been enormous."

Torn said she'd "come to terms" with the fact that her hus ...

Updated: Fri Feb 03, 2012

Is She Making Everything up? for 01/29/2012

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Given Up was the mother of two handicapped children. Her husband didn't spend quality time with them, hounded her for sex, snooped through her things and wouldn't turn the thermostat above 65 degrees. He didn't even want to take her to the hospital after she fell and was covered in bruises and in pain.

I told her, "No one has to live this way."

I must say, readers were ...

Updated: Sun Jan 29, 2012

He Committed Not to Commit for 01/28/2012

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Cheryl,

My friend is suffering from a broken heart. She won't listen to anything I say, but she reads your column regularly and may listen to you.

She went back to her small town for her 25th high-school reunion and reconnected with a fellow she grew up with. They started dating almost immediately, making a long commute each way, but neither of them seemed to mind. She was tw ...

Updated: Sat Jan 28, 2012

She Was Fooling Herself for 01/27/2012

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Diane, you'll remember, is the woman who had an affair with Eddie while he was married. It ended. Then his wife died. Eddie wanted to continue the affair; Diane wanted a relationship. When it was clear she was never going to be any more than a booty call, she ended it.

She thought the problem was that Eddie wasn't over his wife.

I said the problem was that in Eddie's mind, Diane w ...

Updated: Fri Jan 27, 2012

Once a Booty Call, Always a Booty Call for 01/22/2012

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Once a Booty Call, Always a Booty Call

Diane's affair with Eddie began shortly after he got married. It was "on and off in the beginning."

"We were always attracted to each other and the relationship developed into an easy friendship."

As time went on, Diane became a born-again Christian and the relationship ended. Still, they remained friends an ...

Updated: Sun Jan 22, 2012

No One Should Have to Live Like This for 01/21/2012

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Cheryl,

I'm hounded by my husband to have "sex" with him, not to make love with him. When we go for a night out, something is always expected of me. And we never go out unless he has a coupon for a free meal or movie. What am I to him, really?

We have handicapped children. I'm exhausted and overburdened taking care of them. He doesn't spend quality time with them. ...

Updated: Sat Jan 21, 2012

You Think You're OK, Your Body Knows Better for 01/20/2012

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

We usually think of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as something that afflicts soldiers after combat. But they're not the only ones who suffer.

Christine was 12 years old and in a tree fort with three boys for what she thought would be innocent necking. "I didn't realize what could happen with three guys and one girl. They molested me. I was traumatized, but I told nobody."

...

Updated: Fri Jan 20, 2012

I Beg to Disagree for 01/15/2012

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Maria is 33-years-old. She says she's had her heart stomped on a couple of times, but she's always been strong and moved on. “I was content to remain single and focus on my daughter and myself.” And then she ran into Manny.

He was an old friend from high school. They exchanged phone numbers and started texting. They were both going to their high school reunion, so they decided to go toge ...

Updated: Sun Jan 15, 2012

Depression and Epilepsy Go Hand in Hand for 01/14/2012

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

We recently heard from Confused in Colorado who said his epilepsy controlled his life to the extent that he felt he could never marry.

I told him to stop listening to negative people, join a support group for people with epilepsy who want to exchange information, not to hold a pity party, and to find a supportive doctor who's committed to helping his patients live full, normal lives with ...

Updated: Sat Jan 14, 2012

No More Excuses! for 01/13/2012

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Cheryl,

My husband and I had an exciting, lust-filled courtship, but we've had an almost completely sexless marriage for over eight years, and it's killing me.

We went to a sex therapist early in our marriage, but he didn't even attempt any of the exercises she suggested. Every time I bring up the subject of sex — in the context of intimacy, romance and sharing — ...

Updated: Fri Jan 13, 2012

It's Not Just the Guys Who Aren't Getting Any for 01/08/2012

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

If you've been reading the column lately (and if you haven't, you better have a darn good excuse), you might think that every husband in America has been doing without. I've been getting letters from men who say their wives refuse to have sex. These guys say they've sat out the eight years of the Bush administration and things haven't gotten better under a Democratic president.

Today, we ...

Updated: Sun Jan 08, 2012

They Could Have Made Sweet Music . . . for 01/07/2012

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Grace is what you might call a culture vulture. Ever since she saw "Fantasia" for the first time when she was 8, she became a devotee of classical music. She started studying the violin then and continued for nine years. She also studied the piano and was "a serious lyric soprano."

Something else you need to know about Grace. She's had what she calls "an adventu ...

Updated: Sat Jan 07, 2012

You Have to Control It, It Can't Control You for 01/06/2012

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

We recently heard from Confused in Colorado. He has epilepsy, and he's allowed it to control his life so much that he believes he can never marry.

Today, we hear from people who also have epilepsy and are leading normal lives . . .

SARAH: I was diagnosed when I was in my teens. The first five years after the seizures started were difficult, but once I figured out what I needed to ...

Updated: Fri Jan 06, 2012