Dear Margo® from Creators Syndicate

Workplace Aggravation for 01/15/2010

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I'm in a perplexing situation. I'm a single mom with a full-time "protected" job where I make pretty decent money with exceptional health benefits. Because it is a "protected" job, there is no chance I can be laid off, no matter how bad the economy gets. I have savings put away for retirement. I also have two wonderful young sons who will be going to college in f ...

Updated: Fri Jan 15, 2010

TMI of the Heartbreaking Kind for 01/16/2010

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I am at a loss. My cousin and I are in our late 20s and quite close. This past year, her newborn son was diagnosed with a condition called SMA type-1. It is a form of muscular dystrophy and is terminal. Babies born this way are missing a gene needed to build and maintain muscle. There is no cure, and babies rarely survive their first year.

I am in awe of my cousin's strengt ...

Updated: Sat Jan 16, 2010

Another Reason God Made Google for 01/22/2010

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: My younger sister, "Megan," has always been unlucky with men. But two years ago, she met a man, "Bob," who was handsome and charming and treated her magnificently. As she fell in love with him, our family hoped they would marry. Even though the relationship was semi long-distance (he told her he lived out of state and traveled frequently to her city on business), ...

Updated: Fri Jan 22, 2010

Here Comes the Bride ... and Yammering Little Kids for 01/23/2010

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: My fiancee and I will be getting married in nine months, and we're starting to send out invitations. Over the past couple of years, many of our friends started having kids. (Two of the older ones will be flower girls.) Early on, we discussed the issue of kids at the wedding and agreed that we're totally fine if little Suzie or Johnny goes screaming down the aisle; it's more importan ...

Updated: Sat Jan 23, 2010

Get a Grip and Get Out for 01/29/2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: You're a bright woman. Maybe you can get through to me and other idiots like me who won't listen to others' warnings — or even to their own rational minds.

For seven years, I've tried to hold on to my boyfriend, even though he plays crazy mind games like interpreting events "differently," always in his favor and always my fault, and saying things like "I ...

Updated: Fri Jan 29, 2010

Putting the Lid on Favoritism for 01/30/2010

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: My grandmother has some deep-seated psychological issues when it comes to her children. Aunt No. 1 she is practically obsessed with. We're constantly hearing about her and her kids. With the other one, Aunt No. 2, it's basically complaints and really rude behavior toward her. My mother is somewhere in the middle in terms of how much my grandmother likes each of her children.

...

Updated: Sat Jan 30, 2010

When the Outside World Has Been Made "The Enemy" for 02/05/2010

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I have a dual problem concerning my mom and my two younger teenage sisters. Mom has always been strict and overprotective, but is more so with my little sisters. They are home-schooled (as was I), but they get no social interaction at all — no friends, never been on a date, never even a sleepover. Mom treats them as if they are much younger than they are, so they act according ...

Updated: Fri Feb 05, 2010

When the Light Bulb Goes On! for 02/06/2010

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I have been married for 21 years. We have two daughters, 17 and 9. After we married, my husband started getting really mad at me and yelling until I cried. He blamed me for everything — I was a bad housekeeper, I didn't discipline the kids properly, I was too sensitive, etc. He took a job out of state, and I discovered that, without him, our house was very calm and quiet, the ...

Updated: Sat Feb 06, 2010

No One Needs a 17-Year-Old Dictator for 02/12/2010

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I am in my 50s, have been divorced for 10 years and have a 17-year-old daughter. Her dad is remarried. I've been seeing someone for 13 months, and my daughter can't stand him. He is a nice guy, and there are no behaviors to dislike. In fact, he's rarely been around her. She has no reason; she says she just doesn't like him and doesn't want him around. How to handle this? I've told h ...

Updated: Fri Feb 12, 2010

He Wouldn't Be the First for 02/13/2010

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: Do you think a wife deserves to know that her husband, who portrays himself as an upstanding, churchgoing, faithful family man, is spending inordinate amounts of time trolling the Internet for women? She has suspected him of being unfaithful in the past, and he's convinced her otherwise. This, alas, was not true. He uses false names at times and stays up late at night "chatting ...

Updated: Sat Feb 13, 2010

Same Song, Second Verse for 02/19/2010

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: For a few years now, my marriage has been very lonely, and my spouse is difficult in the best of times. I admit: I was looking for a thrill and had an affair with a married man who had similar marriage woes. To my utter shock and dismay, I've found that this man is completely perfect for me and we connect on all levels. We've fallen deeply in love and have developed an incredible fr ...

Updated: Fri Feb 19, 2010

Touchy Subject for 02/20/2010

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I'm a 34-year-old wife and mother, with no problem having friends or family casually touch me during conversation. I am normally open to friendly hugs. However, my husband has two friends who insist on touching me, and for some reason they trip my creepy-alarm.

These guys are single, never-married brothers (50 and 52) who live together. They visit at least weekly. If I am coo ...

Updated: Sat Feb 20, 2010

Viperous "Do-Gooders" for 02/26/2010

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: My relationship with my husband has changed over something stupid that never should have happened. We've been married for six years. He's been friends with "Josh" for many years longer than he has known me. Josh is married to "Marcie." The men's relationship revolves around exercise and fitness and watching boxing and martial arts matches, mostly without wives (f ...

Updated: Fri Feb 26, 2010

A New Kind of Dysfunction: The Glued-Together Sisters for 02/27/2010

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: The Hydra belongs to Greek mythology, but surprise — there's one in my family, as well!

My mom and aunt are the best of sisters, and they share everything. And every thought. They almost never disagree with each other. While they are both amazing and wonderful, it's becoming increasingly difficult for anyone in the family to get support for anything should the sisters s ...

Updated: Sat Feb 27, 2010

You Will Not Be the First for 03/05/2010

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I've been married to my husband for two years. We've been together for six, but have had problems throughout. However, I have always loved him and thought we would have babies and grow old together. A few months ago, I began to develop feelings for a very close girlfriend of mine who is gay. The feelings turned out to be mutual, and after a drunken threesome with my husband, she and ...

Updated: Fri Mar 05, 2010

Trouble With a Hairy, Scary "Pet" for 03/06/2010

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: Here's a new one for you — I'm assuming, as it's a pretty ridiculous situation. Two years ago, my husband begged for a tarantula, and after too many cocktails, I bought him one for his birthday. I am scared to death of spiders and have had buyer's remorse ever since. I have nightmares about it getting loose, and even had a panic attack when I saw it molting. My husband won't g ...

Updated: Sat Mar 06, 2010

When Lopping it Off is the Best Thing To Do for 03/12/2010

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I am an adult woman with three older brothers with whom I do not speak. My oldest brother has always treated me like an idiot child with nothing to say. He stopped even acknowledging my birthday nine years ago. My youngest brother only contacts me when he wants me to do him big favors. The middle brother told me three years ago that I am "dead" to him. He eavesdropped on a ...

Updated: Fri Mar 12, 2010

When Invitations Are Seen as Invoices for 03/13/2010

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Dear Margo: I recently accepted a position in a large office. I think it's very nice that people want to express their good wishes for events in co-workers' lives, but why do these people not understand the rules of good taste that accompany these situations? I have been invited to (and expected to attend and provide a gift for) "baby showers" for a co-worker's second or third child. ...

Updated: Sat Mar 13, 2010

Running Around Need Not Be an Inherited Trait for 03/19/2010

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: This is not exactly a problem — yet. I am engaged to a great guy who only has eyes for me. My mother, though, is worried about my future, because for generations, the men in my fiance's (quite prominent) family have been well known for cheating in their marriages. She says she is certain it is genetic. I say it's a choice. What do you say? — Looking to the Future

...

Updated: Fri Mar 19, 2010

Some People Will Try Anything Once for 03/20/2010

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Dear Margo: My stupid sister is a struggling single mother of three daughters, ages 10 to 14. She has been twice married and divorced. She just lost her business, and her home is in foreclosure.

Recently, she met a guy decorated with tattoos from top to bottom. After only one month of dating, she wants to marry him. I investigated and found out this man sent his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend ...

Updated: Sat Mar 20, 2010