Dear Margo® from Creators Syndicate

Responding to Poor Judgment for 02/18/2012

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: This past year has been amazing for me. I successfully passed my first semester in college with a 4.0 while juggling friends and a job. I have a very goal-oriented boyfriend who is compassionate to boot! We have a lot in common and attend the same nerdy clubs at our university.

My problem is my mother. While I love and respect her for struggling to raise my siblings and me a ...

Updated: Sat Feb 18, 2012

If It's Something Dire, You Will Know About It for 02/17/2012

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

Dear Margo: My husband is an only child in his late 30s. My father-in-law is terribly selfish. We live several states away, and because he's the only blood relative left, my spouse does his best to keep in touch with his father. It is rarely reciprocated. Over the past several years, his father has had health issues, but we are never notified until a couple of days into a hospitalization or aft ...

Updated: Fri Feb 17, 2012

What's Up with That? for 02/11/2012

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

Dear Margo: I really don't know what to do about my mother. It's as though she's made a career out of not listening to what I say ... or she's dedicated herself to doing the opposite. Right after I told her I was going on a diet and staying away from sugary things, she sends me a five-pound box of chocolates. (We live far apart, and she sends packages from time to time.)

At the very lea ...

Updated: Sat Feb 11, 2012

Guess What: Not Everyone Is Kind for 02/10/2012

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

Dear Margo: My husband, our children and I recently moved to a new town. Through the children, really, I've met a group of women. They apparently are longtime friends, and one of them invited me to their Wednesday mothers group for lunch. I have to say, they were being kind of snippy to me, challenging things I said, and no one seemed welcoming or simpatico at all. I almost didn't trust my own ...

Updated: Fri Feb 10, 2012

Good To Go for 02/04/2012

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

Dear Margo: My father recently got a diagnosis of stage-four liver cancer. He is adamant that he wishes to die at home. In addition to needing information about how this can be arranged, I have now started thinking about my own health and wishes. I am considering an advance directive for if I become seriously ill. How can I talk to my family about this without upsetting them? — Wanting a ...

Updated: Sat Feb 04, 2012

To Be Drawn In or Not To Be for 02/03/2012

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

Dear Margo: I'm a ninth grader at a small private school. I recently found out that someone who used to go to my school and is now at another school is smoking and dealing pot. When I found this out, I wondered if anyone at my school was doing this, so I asked a friend. (I am slightly oblivious to what is going on in my grade, so even if I don't know about it, it could still be happening.)

...

Updated: Fri Feb 03, 2012

Our Family's Bad Seed for 01/28/2012

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

Dear Margo: For more than 20 years, my extended family has been putting up with my brother's wife. She's a negative, nasty, miserable person who blames everyone else for her problems. Lots of drama has been created time and time again because everything is about her. She's managed to alienate everyone in the family — some, including myself, permanently. And I used to be one of her staunch ...

Updated: Sat Jan 28, 2012

Best Buddies No More for 01/27/2012

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

Dear Margo: I had a best friend (of 20 years), and we used to gab on the phone every day during high school and college. We maintained a good degree of communication for a few years after graduation.

Two years ago, he was promoted and things suddenly stopped. He didn't answer messages and very rarely sent them himself. I asked him what was going on, and he said he was just busy. To my k ...

Updated: Fri Jan 27, 2012

Yours Would Be Some Farewell Note for 01/21/2012

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

Dear Margo: I'm dying. Should the family's secrets die with me? For three generations, I have been privy to the immoral, unethical and, yes, illegal behavior of some individuals in my family.

Before I die, should I tell my niece-in-law that her husband has had a 30-year sexual relationship with her brother? Does my own brother need to know that his youngest son is not his, but the resul ...

Updated: Sat Jan 21, 2012

Of Pucks and Drunks for 01/20/2012

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

Dear Margo: I'm a huge hockey fan, probably because I adored Peter Forsberg. I used to attend games with my father, but when he died, it hurt to think of being there without him. Recently, an aunt invited me to go with her. I was pleased and offered to pay for good seats, but she insisted we sit in the nosebleed section and she would pay. Margo, I hate those seats, and not because you can't see ...

Updated: Fri Jan 20, 2012

More than a 13-Year-Old Can Handle for 01/14/2012

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

Dear Margo: I'm very worried about my friend. I'm 12, and she will be turning 13. She has casual sex, and unfortunately, she binge drinks and does drugs a lot. She makes very bad choices regarding boys, and I worry for her health and safety. I doubt she uses protection, and I wouldn't be surprised if she got pregnant or an STD sooner or later. I've tried to suggest nicely that she be more caref ...

Updated: Sat Jan 14, 2012

Keep Reminding Yourself: You're the Boss for 01/13/2012

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

Dear Margo: I'm in a big mess. Last year I started a new job that was a huge step up for me. It has provided enough stability to allow my husband to go back to school. But now, almost a year in, the job has become very stressful. (I am a student adviser at a college.)

The administrative staff (the politically correct term for "secretaries") decided they don't like me, and they ...

Updated: Fri Jan 13, 2012

Nutty, Insecure Wedding-Goer for 01/07/2012

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

Dear Margo: This past March I was married in a destination wedding. My husband's parents divorced four years ago, and his dad remarried last year. Anyway, during our reception this past June, while taking wedding pictures with the family and bridal party, my father-in-law's new wife, "Nancy," became incredibly upset and started yelling "this is bulls**t" (mind you, there are ...

Updated: Sat Jan 07, 2012

Expectations for 01/06/2012

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

Dear Margo: How can you tell whether someone is bipolar or just plain angry? I've been with my husband for nine years, married for five. I currently work full time, go to school part time and am away from home 13 to 15 hours a day Monday through Thursday. On weekends, I spend time with our kids, do homework and light housework. The issue is my husband.

During the week, he is the housecl ...

Updated: Fri Jan 06, 2012

Closing Down a Demanding Granny for 12/31/2011

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I am a single mother to a special needs child. Not so unusual, right? However, I am also a soldier in the U.S. Army. My ex-husband is also in the military, and we are both currently deployed overseas. He and I maintain an amicable relationship. It seems that when it comes to our daughter, we are on the same page (thankfully). While we are both deployed, my family has taken on the re ...

Updated: Sat Dec 31, 2011

Multiple Choices for 12/30/2011

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I'm a 25-year-old male, and sometimes I cannot get an erection with my longtime significant other. What is the cause? Also, I have a hairy chest. I've tried waxing, but that's too painful. Should I get laser hair removal? Shave? Live like a bear? I also use marijuana every day. Are there any side effects that I should be aware of? — Man with Questions

Dear Man: You're k ...

Updated: Fri Dec 30, 2011

A Modern Cinderella for 12/24/2011

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I was raised in a "unique" family. My mother passed away when I was young, and I was raised by my stepfather and his new wife. These "parents" raised me — as in, they allowed me to live with them and provided me with the necessities and emotional support if I pleaded for it. Ours was a large and varied family, and I was lost in the shuffle. Now I'm in my mi ...

Updated: Sat Dec 24, 2011

When Things Are Way Beyond Messy for 12/23/2011

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I've been with "Joe" for 18 mostly happy years. He has wonderful, loving qualities, but he also has some learning disabilities, little self-confidence and difficulty connecting with people. He was physically and emotionally abused throughout childhood. He's also had several losses. I have compassion for his emptiness and loneliness, but I'm frustrated because rather than f ...

Updated: Fri Dec 23, 2011

Joyous Empty Nesters! for 12/17/2011

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: We are empty-nest parents. We're having a great time while our two daughters are in college. Finally, we have the freedom to do some adult activities without worrying about boring or embarrassing the kids. For example, the art museum instead of a soccer game every Saturday. Sleeping in vs. getting up and getting them off to school. No more PTA meetings. No waiting up for them to com ...

Updated: Sat Dec 17, 2011

When Turning the Other Cheek Is Not the Thing To Do for 12/16/2011

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I wrote to you four years ago when my wife was openly chatting on the Internet. Predictably, it led to an affair, but we worked through it and had a good couple of years. At 45, she is now having another affair. Rather than issuing an ultimatum, I am working on persuading her that our relationship is worth persevering. There is, on my part, lots of TLC and as few judgmental statemen ...

Updated: Fri Dec 16, 2011