Laura S

I got a tattoo a little over a week ago (2/19/11) that whinds from the top of my foot up around my ankle. I usually go to the gym 5 times a week but have been holding off because I'm worried the rubbing from my gym shoes and socks will damage the tattoo. However, I am going insane not being able to go to the gym. I do a lot of cardio (running, etc.) and am wondering if working out will damage my new tattoo (still peeling) and if yes, how long should I wait before returning to my work out routine without risking damage to my tattoo.

I will try to make this short. I have been with my significant for nearly 8 years. He is also the father of our 4 year old little girl. I love him. I honestly know with all my heart that I love him. And he makes me happy in so many ways, but in other ways, he makes me completely miserable. He seems to have a very immature, irresponsible personality. He quit his job nearly 10 months ago. Just walked out on a job he'd had for nearly 4 years. He decided, without any money saved up or really any planning, that he was going to open up an MMA gym. Well, it didn't work out. The gym was open for about three months, and he had to close it down. He has not helped me by bringing in any money for 10 months now. In the meantime, I have had to borrow money from my family and the bank to keep us afloat, because I simply cannot afford to support the 3 of us on my income alone. We had to take our 4 year old out of daycare, and he watches her 3 days out of the week now (my mother watches her the other 2). Now taking her out of daycare helped a little financially, but it only replaced a fraction of the income he was bringing (could be bringing in) while working. I have gone through this with him over and over again and tried to figure out ways to make this work, but there is just no possible way for me to support us by myself. He attempted to get a job for about a month and put forth about 5% of the effort he should have been. When I bring it up now, he simply refuses to get a job and says his "fighting career" is his job. He MIGHT make a couple hundred dollars here and there from a fight. On top of that, he puts all the blame for everything on me and tells me how I treat him so terribly. I honestly do not believe I do, and I am very good at admitting when I do something wrong. More than willing to admit it, actually. I know with my personality, I am way too forgiving of people, and I love perhaps "too" unconditionally...if that's possible. He minimally helps me with housework and actually has never mowed the lawn or shoveled where we live (have lived there for around four years). I am the one who does all that. It seems as though it is just getting worse. His family understands, and his mother is even telling me that I need to leave so that he can wake up and fall on his face to see what he had. I am so afraid. I want this to work out, but I also realize how things are is not healthy for either of us or our daughter. I am so scared of losing him, because I DO love him very much. It's just the fact that he honestly needs to number one, grow up and act like an adult (which he is) and number two, realize how good he actually has it with me. His mom thinks that he kind of feels like a failure right now after the gym closing and what not and is just taking is out of me instead of facing his own problems. Is leaving him the best (the only) alternative?? And how likely is this to actually work?? This would be so much easier if I didn't care about him anymore, but I do. And I do believe he loves me. I just believe he is in kind of a bad place right now mentally and doesn't want to face it or the fact that he may the one who has been in the wrong here. It seems to be much easier to blame everything on me. Kind of like bully syndrome? I would just like some advice on if leaving is the right thing to do or if there are any other choices or alternatives I haven't thought of yet??