Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 1 - 17 of 17
It wasn't until I moved in with my boyfriend that I discovered the surprising rates of divorce for couples who live together before marriage. There seems to be no end to the warnings and statistics, which are taunting me with the thought my boyfriend and I are doomed before we even begin. Four months after my high school sweetheart broke my heart, I asked my current boyfriend to go out. We were both in the same place in life. We grew up in similar households, attended the same college, and even...
I've been married 15 years and have a wonderful husband and two children. About a year and a half before I married I was seeing a man I wanted to fall in love with me. The first time I slept with him he said, "I'm set in my ways, and I like my freedom." I kept hoping he didn't mean what he said, but eight months later our shallow relationship ended. After my marriage I would bump into him periodically--it's a small community--and he said, "Out of all the girls I've been with, and there's been a...
My mother-in-law of 17 years is a nasty, difficult European woman who has been in America for 45 years. I don't know if we're having a culture clash, a personality clash, or both. For starters, in the beginning when my husband and I lived together she called me a whore, then the day after the wedding she asked me to call her mom. I refused. We've been having loud arguments ever since. This upsets my children, so three years ago I stopped talking to her. It took her two and a half years to...
I have been married 25 years. We come from completely different backgrounds. I grew up in a large family in a small town, and we were poor. My husband is an only child, privileged, and he was given everything by his parents. This continued throughout all our married life. The house we moved into, against my wishes, is theirs. It was "given" to us when they retired and built a home in a warmer climate. However, the deed remained in his parents' name, and they came back every summer for a visit....
I need someone to give me an honest answer, so when I saw your column in the paper, I thought maybe I can unload what I have on my mind. I live in a small community and work for my father. Several weeks ago I was looking for change to purchase water for the crew, and I know my dad keeps loose change in his desk. As I was looking, I saw a notebook. I know it was none of my business, but what I discovered was a listing of dates and money paid, with some initials and remarks written beside the...
I am wondering if this is fair? I work and my employment benefits include life insurance. My husband came to watch me sign him as beneficiary. He then took out family insurance through his bank and showed me a page of the insurance form stating if he dies I am his beneficiary. Later I heard him on the phone with his daughter telling her she and her brother were his beneficiaries. They are grown and married, with well-paying jobs. Is this fair? When I asked him about this, he said it was not...
I am writing from the UK to thank you for the first bit of advice that has ever made sense to me. I have lived for many years with a "good" man who has provided me financial security and the sort of life I dreamed of living. Unfortunately, I knew that although I cared about him and we had similar interests and life values, I didn't truly love him. I spent the best part of 20 years trying to make this marriage work. I perfected the art of being a wife, mother, and lover. The truth, though, was...
My boyfriend and I have been living together for 13 years. My mother-in-law--well, she's like my mother-in-law--is manipulative, needy, mean, stingy, selfish, overbearing, and jealous. Let's see, how many more adjectives can I think of? You name it, she's it. She thinks her only son, my boyfriend, is supposed to be with her 24/7. She calls him constantly, needing something fixed. He's over there two or three times a day trying to please her, but if you give her an inch, she wants a mile. She...
I am a 34-year-old, single, college-educated woman, but honestly, I feel clueless when it comes to love. I've had lots of relationships in the last six months. That's when men start professing their love, and I find a reason to run. I had one relationship that lasted five years, mainly because he was a professional athlete. I'm ashamed to admit I would have stayed with him just because of what he did for a living and the exciting lifestyle he provided. Even then, I cheated twice. No matter how g...
My mother-in-law has lived with us for four years. She babysits our son, 4, and takes him back and forth to school three days a week. She also helps get our 8-year-old ready in the morning. We pay her for her services. She pays no rent or bills and buys no groceries. My problem is she has no motivation or goals and doesn't want anything in life. She has nothing of her own, nor does she want anything. I suggested a part-time job so she could have extra money and do something with her life. She do...
I am the oldest of three kids. I am 28, and my brothers are 24 and 16. I wish I could say the years of sibling rivalry are over, but I'd be lying if I did. My 24-year-old brother still lives at home. We used to get along, but things changed when he turned 16. He developed a violent temper that was directed only toward me. It started with the typical bickering from any brother and sister and evolved into cursing, name-calling, and insults. That further evolved into spitting on me, throwing food...
I am single, attractive, and 42. For the last decade, I've been a personal assistant to the managing director of my company. He and I have a very good relationship which is essential in this kind of role. When his marriage of 25 years broke down, he was loathe to discuss it with family or friends. Our good working relationship and confidentiality paved the way for him to turn to me for advice and support. I was happy to provide it as he has been a good friend to me. Nothing sexual has ever...
I am 25, and my father was an alcoholic all my life until two years ago. My older brother is an alcoholic in denial. He's a sweet guy but, even when sober, can be snappy. I'm worried because I don't want to go through what my mum has gone through. Her brother is an alcoholic, and she is responsible for him even now. My younger brother seems okay, but I'm scared something will happen to him as well. I love my family and have taken a lot of their baggage and put it upon myself. I remember my...
I'm in a five-month-old long-distance relationship. Of those five months, we have spent a total of 15 days together spread over a two-month period. As in all relationships, it was wonderful in the beginning. We spent long hours on the phone getting to know each other and catching up on what was going on in each other's lives. About two months ago I noticed his calls were not as frequent as they used to be. He says it's because he's busy. I accept this because I know his job is demanding, but...
My husband had two affairs last year. I am pretty confident he is not cheating now, and we are seeing a marriage counselor. He has changed much since I found out what he was doing. He put our property in my name and bought me a $12,000 diamond ring. He is affectionate to me most of the time. I believe this is proof that he loves me. The problem is I also have proof that he does not love me because he had affairs. So I have proof he loves me and proof he does not love me. Our marriage counselor...
I am a woman, 42, who three years ago married a wonderful man who will be 48 on his next birthday. I love him very, very much. The only problem is our sex life is horrible. Pretty much nonexistent. I can safely say we have had sex maybe 20 times in our six-year relationship. When I've tried numerous times to talk to him, he gets defensive and says, "There's nothing wrong with me." He also says, if I want to have sex, I should just say so. But when I make advances, he pushes me away thinking I...
I have a mother who is constantly yelling at me for the smallest things, regardless of whether or not it is my fault. She tells me how hopeless I am, even though I get really good grades and excel in all my extracurricular activities. Whenever I defend myself, she tells me I have an attitude problem. She puts words in my mouth and denies anything she ever did wrong. She told me she is going to kick me out of the house because she thought I was rebellious. She doesn't even know what that means...
