Today, readers respond to some of the people and issues that have been in the column recently ...

Officer John: Your column on the man who wants his woman to crush an occasional insect has been discussed at the station, and we think it's a little sick. Not big-time sick, but still within the realm of sick.

None of the women (gay or straight) said they would agree to such a thing. None of the men stated a desire to see nature destroyed in an effort to have good sex. Our conclusion is, if the couple obtains good sex afterward, and nobody knows about it but them, then it's borderline OK. But under no circumstances should they take any pictures or videos!

Nel: Craig, the almost-virgin, believes no woman wants to teach a man how to make love to her. I say any woman who feels that way is lazy. No man knows what a woman wants if she doesn't tell him or show him. Every woman is different.

A woman who expects a man to read her mind is setting herself up for frustration and failed relations. Sex is best put off until a couple can communicate clearly and honestly about their likes and dislikes.

Belinda: Aiden wondered why women wear sexy sandals, paint their toenails, and wear toe rings and ankle bracelets. "Do you think women do that to make their feet appealing to men?"

Dude, get over yourself. Most women primp and pamper themselves because we like to do it. We dress to please ourselves as well, except those few of us insecure within our own skin and trying to please others with our every action and thought.

Usually a few bad relationships will teach us the impossibility of that goal and we decide to please ourselves anyway, since that is the only satisfaction we can guarantee.

Women love shoes, jewelry, clothes, purses, etc. Even little girls love to play dress up. Surely Aiden doesn't think they're doing it to entice or please some man?

Ginger: Some women are a magnet for male abuse. They're repeatedly a victim. And because they're victimized so often, they begin to believe they deserve it.

What a woman in an abusive relationship needs most is not a therapist but an experienced divorce attorney who can see her through the maze of divorce, and protect her assets and her rights.

The saddest thing of all, and the greatest injustice, is her husband teaching her children to disrespect and abuse her. She might as well be living in the Middle East and wearing a burqa.

My heart goes out to her.

Belinda: Most of your readers seem to have little regard for moral standards. To wit — Josh, who gave advice to other men. It only takes him nine paragraphs to get to intercourse. I guess that may be five or six more than most guys nowadays, but nowhere does he mention loving or even liking the woman he wants to have sex with. It's just a series of steps to arrive at the be-all, end-all of the dating experience.

At best, any advice I have seen in the "Front" amounts to amoral observations. Doesn't anybody believe in abstinence anymore? Or, is that just boring?

How do you celebrate your anniversary? Send your tale, along with your questions and problems to [email protected]. And check out my blog www.talesfromthefront.com. To find out more about Cheryl Lavin, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.