DEAR ELLIE: My husband and I are renovating our kitchen. I'd like an open concept for more space, but he can't picture it finished and feels it'll take too much room from the family space in the living room.
DEAR ELLIE: Last year I met a man on a dating Web site; we developed an intense and satisfying relationship, but I soon suspected that he was hiding something.
DEAR ELLIE: Is it worse to separate from a partner you don't love and upset your children, or better to stay together and be unhappy the rest of your life?
DEAR ELLIE: My daughter, 21, and her daughter, 2, lived for six months with the child's father; he's verbally abusive and puts her down or blames her for whatever's wrong in his life. He doesn't work, and they're living off assistance.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm in a 17-month relationship with someone who has four kids from two previous relationships. We have a beautiful 6-month-old daughter, yet he treats our baby differently from his other kids. He doesn't give her any attention, though he has no problem giving attention to the other kids.
DEAR ELLIE: I've been living with my boyfriend for seven years.
DEAR ELLIE: My boyfriend of 18 months and I lost a baby last year, and now I'm pregnant again. I wanted to have an abortion because we broke up.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm 31 now, and met her when I was 18; we dated for four years and loved each other deeply. I was gang-affiliated, and her whole family was a different gang. They didn't know for the first two years, but her brother found out and kept it secret. Then one of his old acquaintances recognized me, and she was threatened with death. I had to let her go. Now, 13 years later and 700 miles apart, we still talk.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm a man in my 20s who gets depressed when I see a beautiful woman. Whether I'm walking down the street, watching TV (an actress or an anchorwoman), see a friend's girlfriend or any other hot girl, I'll get depressed.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm a male, 27, with a huge fear of rejection when it comes to approaching women. I never had a high school girlfriend or prom date.
DEAR ELLIE: I've been with my "boyfriend" over 10 years, living together for five. He owns his own home; I've done landscaping and work on it. He pays "his" bills; I pay my own and contribute to groceries. He refuses my contributing to household bills, saying it's his house. I do all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and have two part-time jobs.
DEAR ELLIE: I've been in an intermittent relationship with a woman for 25 years. This past year, it's been steady and intimate, involving many trips and frequent overnight stays at my home.
DEAR ELLIE: After three years of dating my boyfriend, I feel increasingly resentful, used and hurt because he still hasn't proposed. He's in his early 50s, never married; dating a single mom and being involved with my child, 7, has been a huge milestone for him. I said from day one that I want to get married.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm an engaged man and lost my job a week before Valentine's Day so was unable to plan anything. We couldn't even meet on the day because of our schedules. This isn't the first time something like this has happened on a special occasion. My fiancee gets really upset and questions the whole foundation of our relationship. She says I've ruined these special days for her, and she could never enjoy them again. We're great together, except for these issues.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm 46, father of two toddlers. My wife and her mother argue over my mother-in-law's controlling behavior. I've mostly stayed out of the conflicts.
DEAR ELLIE: My husband will consistently walk a few paces ahead of me, always blaming me for walking too slow, yet he'll adjust his pace for others. I'd laugh, but it's not funny anymore.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm a busy mom of three, with a husband who works long hours at his computer job, both in the home office and outside as well. I recently discovered that he's been using his computer to hook up with other women for sex. He also visits porn sites. He blames me for this because "we don't have sex often enough."
DEAR ELLIE: I'm 23 and have been with my girl for five years. We have three wonderful children but our relationship has been in a downward spiral for two months, since I introduced her to my male co-worker.
DEAR ELLIE: My choices in boyfriends have historically been poor. After a five-year hiatus from dating, I met a wonderful man. He pursued me; he wanted to become monogamous. We've been together for a year and recently moved in together.
DEAR ELLIE: A year ago, my boyfriend e-mailed me that he was going home for his mother's funeral (we live in different countries). I haven't heard from him since.
DEAR ELLIE: My son, 31, and his fiancee are financially well off (earning $100,000-plus each). My husband and I have been in this country for 20 years and brought up two children on a limited budget. My husband's now retired.
DEAR ELLIE: My five close friends have same-age kids playing sports together, and our husbands coach.
