Dear Margo® from Creators Syndicate

Dreams of "What If?" for 05/26/2012

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I'm a 20-something woman engaged to the best man I've ever known. I am beyond ecstatic to be getting married. My problem has nothing to do with him and everything to do with a guy who was one of my best friends in college. This guy and I were close all through school, and even though I had an instant attraction to him that never faded, we were always just friends. I sometimes, howev ...

Updated: Sat May 26, 2012

Afraid of Little Girls for 05/25/2012

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: Between the ages of 6 and 10, I was severely bullied, but I was given the impression by grownups that such behavior was perfectly normal for children and I shouldn't be so sensitive. (I now realize they probably did not pay attention to what was going on.) I was threatened with knives, bashed bloody with a broomstick and on at least two occasions suffered injuries that took months t ...

Updated: Fri May 25, 2012

Every Problem Does Not Have a Solution for 05/19/2012

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: Many years ago, I got a call informing me that my son was arrested and being held on $1 million bail. That was when I first learned that he is a pedophile.

He has just completed his 20-year prison sentence, and during that time I learned a great deal about this insidious disease. Everyone hates a pedophile, and they're unable to separate the person from the crime. As with an ...

Updated: Sat May 19, 2012

When You Live on a One-Way Street for 05/18/2012

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: My patience has run out with the three living members of my family. My father, his mother and my brother have gone through periods of not talking to each other or to me. My brother wants nothing to do with my father or our grandmother, both of whom dissed him throughout his life because of the wrongheaded idea that he came from our abusive, alcoholic mother's affair. My brother, now ...

Updated: Fri May 18, 2012

People Don't Have To "Get Over" Everything for 05/12/2012

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: Twenty years ago, I lost my job and couldn't find another one. My savings ran out, and bit by bit, I hocked everything until I was left with only the clothes on my back. My mother had a three-bedroom house, but she was dating for the first time since my father died, and when I asked if I could stay with her until I was on my feet, she said it wasn't "a good idea," as " ...

Updated: Sat May 12, 2012

This Fundamental Difference Bodes Ill for a Happy Marriage for 05/11/2012

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: After two years of research and soul-searching, I have rejected my faith and become an atheist/humanist. I grew up in a Christian household, and all of my family and most of my friends are Christians. I was once devout, and I married a Christian man. I have been honest with "Kurt" since I started doubting my faith — telling him of my doubts and updating him on my tho ...

Updated: Fri May 11, 2012

Trying To Rescue a Friend for 05/05/2012

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: A good friend began dating a man whom I will call Albert. Recently, she admitted he hits her and constantly checks up on her. Last month, some other concerned friends and I held an intervention and learned the true extent of his actions. He is verbally abusive, restricts her choices and movements, tracks her phone and car, calls constantly, and has hit her twice in the face while ar ...

Updated: Sat May 05, 2012

You Do Not Have To Answer Every Question That Is Asked for 05/04/2012

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: Like many women, I don't exactly see eye to eye with my husband's family. He is from a large family where everyone (except him) still lives in the same zip code. Each "branch" of the family has at least four kids, even when there isn't the financial wherewithal to support them. My husband left at 18 and vowed not to live there.

We will be returning to the "nes ...

Updated: Fri May 04, 2012

To Mention or Not To Mention Disturbing Behavior? for 04/28/2012

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I live in an affluent community where my 7-year-old son has many playmates. Directly across the street is one of his closest friends, "Sam," 8, who's the youngest of three boys. I know the parents, etc. Sam has recently started acting out. It's nothing serious, but he often does hip thrusts toward others. I initially thought it was the result of the "I'm sexy and I Kn ...

Updated: Sat Apr 28, 2012

The Power of Neurosis for 04/27/2012

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I am engaged to a wonderful guy who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. He can no longer work due to his condition and is home all day. He helps take care of the house, the pets, etc., and I work full time. This arrangement is fine with me.

The only problem is: I have absolutely no time to myself. He expects me to be home and with him every second that I'm not work ...

Updated: Fri Apr 27, 2012

Time To Go for 04/21/2012

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I'm a 27-year-old woman trapped in a loveless marriage. My husband is younger than I am by a few years, and he's very co-dependent. Before he started dating me, he had never had a girlfriend or a sexual encounter. I, on the other hand, came to the relationship with a child from a failed relationship and a whole lot of trust and fear issues from an abusive ex. Since we've been marrie ...

Updated: Sat Apr 21, 2012

Pushy, To Say the Least for 04/20/2012

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I just started my dream job. (I literally used to dream about working at this particular establishment when I was a child.) Now I'm in a bit of a jam. There's a man I work with, indirectly. He is higher up the chain. I was chummy with him the first few weeks (purely platonic), and he had a big birthday bash. I was invited and wanted to come, but I fell ill and could not make it.

Updated: Fri Apr 20, 2012

Stuck in a Family Rut for 04/14/2012

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: My mother just passed away, and I am the eldest of three brothers. For some odd reason, we don't communicate often due to how our family was structured. I am not a perfect person, though I have tried to seek redemption for my past mistakes. I am the one, however, who is still perceived as having mental issues and no concept of the "real world." Everyone is entitled to perc ...

Updated: Sat Apr 14, 2012

Picking Up the Pieces for 04/13/2012

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I just found out that my wife of 32 years has been playing me for a fool all this time. It started when we were dating. On rare occasions, my girlfriend (now wife) would initiate sex and insisted we didn't need protection. I didn't complain, maybe because she had a very low sex drive. This began in college and continued after we married up until she had her tubes tied after the birt ...

Updated: Fri Apr 13, 2012

When Fudging the Facts Is Acceptable for 04/07/2012

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I have a friend, "Sally," who years ago went through infertility issues with her husband. After several years, they elected to use an egg donor and successfully had three beautiful children (who look mostly like daddy). Now, years later, when discussing the past, she discusses it like it was a miracle of prayer, not science. I don't want to ask her why she's changing the f ...

Updated: Sat Apr 07, 2012

Sick of Talking Shop at Parties for 04/06/2012

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I'm experiencing a problem I assume other medical professionals experience. I'm a graduate student in a medicinal chemistry and drug design program, but I'm considering telling people I've just met that I clean houses for a living. Don't get me wrong, I love and am proud of what I do. The problem arises when I explain that my work has ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Upo ...

Updated: Fri Apr 06, 2012

Fallout from Divorce for 03/31/2012

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: My adult daughters have many childhood issues. Their father was an alcoholic, and I was an enabler. My ex and I divorced when the girls were in their early 20s. Since then, my relationship with my daughters can go from quite loving to not being on speaking terms. They blame me for their unhappiness. The negativity toward me includes hurtful comments and ignoring me in public, and on ...

Updated: Sat Mar 31, 2012

Is This Geezer Creepy? Yes for 03/30/2012

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: I am dating a 57-year-old man who is quite wonderful in some ways, but he sometimes says disturbing things. Today, he reported that he walked down to the beach and studied "40 or 50 teenagers" to see what they were wearing. He wanted to tell me all about the current state of teen fashion at the beach. I told him I did not want to hear it. Conversation over dinner was awkwa ...

Updated: Fri Mar 30, 2012

Time for Psychological Warfare for 03/24/2012

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: My roommate's mother commented about my weight — to the roommate, who is now giving me an ultimatum about Weight Watchers, or she will never do anything for me again. (I tried WW once, and it's not an experience I wish to repeat.) That she is issuing an ultimatum really hurt, but to make it worse, she said she won't hear any "excuses." All I get is defense of Weight ...

Updated: Sat Mar 24, 2012

Demon Rum and Demon Mum for 03/23/2012

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: My husband has custody of his three sons from his first marriage. The boys' mother is an alcoholic, and at the time of the custody battle, she was also addicted to meth. Her current husband shares her addictions. Visitation with the mother was limited by court order to four hours a week, and she rarely shows up.

Last year on Mother's Day, after not seeing them for months, sh ...

Updated: Fri Mar 23, 2012