Mouse Circus

So I've recently married my husband and best friend, whom I love. Together we are happy, and the only emotional stressors I feel as a result of our marriage is the family I have married into. More specifically, his female cousin who is slightly younger than me but seemingly years behind me in maturity level (more on that later).

She is clingy towards my husband, and had admitted to me that she would marry him if they weren't cousins. In that way, she decided to become my friend to both become closer to my husband and be competitive towards me. I realized this after we became close and I trusted her with personal information about myself.

For instance, when we became friends she would ask my personal questions about my thoughts and feelings, including questions about the depression...and later told everything to my in-laws. This damaged my relationship with my mother-in-law and was when I stopped seeking this girl out.

Recently, she announced her engagement to her now-fiancé two weeks before my wedding reception (we are having a late one thing weekend) and announced an engagement party two weeks after my reception, at a similar venue, with a garden theme...a theme she knew I was having well in advance.

For whatever reason, she wants me there. I realize it's cowardly and make excuses, and I don't want to stoop myself down to her level. At the same time, I don't want to cause drama that would inevitably unfold with my true feelings about her. What should I do?

I don't know what to do. My best friend just came out to me that her dad constantly molests her, and has for the past few years. She is too afraid to tell anyone (I'm the only person she has told) because her family is financially dependent on him. Her mother does not work, and she has two little sisters. Apparently, her dad has always been an abusive guy, but no longer yells at her sisters anymore when he molests her. He is not as angry. I want to tell her that she needs to go to someone, but she don't because she wants to have a good future. She does not want to mess up her home. What do I do? I don't want to lose my friend.

I don't know what to do. My best friend just came out to me that her dad constantly molests her, and has for the past few years. She is too afraid to tell anyone (I'm the only person she has told) because her family is financially dependent on them. Her mother does not work, and she has two little sisters. Apparently, her dad has always been an abusive guy, but no longer yells at her sisters anymore when he molests her. He is not as angry. I want to tell her that she needs to go to someone, but she don't because she wants to have a good future. She does not want to mess up her home. What do I do?

I read this sci fi story back in middle school. I only have vague memories about it, but I remember that it was disturbing. It was a short story, and had to do with a magic room with tigers in it. There was a constant feeling of dread in the story, and I believe the characters were parents and their children. Sorry if this is not enough, and thank you!

Hi. This may be an awkward question, so sorry in advance. I'm an eighteen year old, healthy girl, whose had to wear a panty liner in my underwear since I was eleven. I'm getting tired of having to wear one...especially because I'm now sexually active and become self conscious when my boyfriend sees it. I've tried to go without a panty liner, but the fluid wets my underwear and even my pants, and the odor is offensive. I've gone to a doctor so I know I'm normal. I just produce more discharge than other girls. Is there anything I can do so that I don't have to wear a panty liner all day? It's starting to hurt my self esteem, and want my sexual life to not be controlled by this liner!

Hi. I'm eighteen years old and go to college, but live with my parents. I love my dad, except for the fact that he's a bit self important when it comes to my college life. If I have a 93% in a class, he will give me lectures on how to boost it up ( I mean, really?) I guess he knows I'm getting older and don't need him as much, so giving me unwanted advice is what he does to still feel he is involved. I can deal with that. However, he criticizes my appearance which I think is highly inappropriate. I somewhat understand when I was fourteen and wanted to wear Iron Maiden shirts to a formal gathering, but now I'm eighteen, dress elegantly, and am everything that is feminine. However, I have a pixie cut. My boyfriend loves it and so does everyone else, except for him and my mom. He constantly gives me back-handed compliments about when my hair looked "nice," and now that my hair is growing out ( a temporary thing for the colder weather), he has said, "Yeahhhh...you shouldn't go back to that short hair style." I'm really upset because I like the way I look. I feel as though he (and my mom) are so stuck in their ways that they can't get past their dislike of short hair to actually look at me in it, to SEE me, to see how happy and glowing I am with it! It'd would still be mean if my hair looked bad, but what gets to me is that it actually looks good! It really opens up my face and makes me feel happy and beautiful. Isn't that how a parent should want their daughter to feel? What do I do? It's like he's going out of his way to give me his two cents, and this time in particular I feel it's extremely inappropriate.

I know this is a weird question, but I've always wondered this. I got a pixie cut in June, so right now it is at an awkward post-pixie, pre-bob length. I would say that I looked elven with my hair as a pixie cut, as do many other girls when they get this hair cut (my boyfriend loves it). However, when I search for pictures of pixies, and I have in many places, the only hair I see on them is hair at least shoulder length. I have always thought of pixies with short hair, and I suppose other people have too if that's the name of the haircut. If this is true, then how come pixies are depicted with longer hair? Thanks for any help! I'm confused right how, haha!

Hi. Thanks in advance to anyone who answers. I'm eighteen years old and a freshman in college. My boyfriend is twenty-one, and we have been dating for a year and a half (let's call him Paul). Paul is smart, but isn't going to college right now and is instead working for a construction company. He's incredibly sweet though, which has always made me look past this. However, since I've started college, our lives have become more complicated. I'm a commuter so I see him often, but not as often as my new friend, Bill. Bill is a history major, is twenty, and is a good match for me, an english major. He knows all the history behind my favorite authors, and we talk and spend time together for hours. Paul figured this out and is going to great lengths to be protective of me (like logging into my texting and Facebook accounts...) and is very upset. I love Paul and don't want to upset him. Paul and I have been through so much. However, my feelings for Bill are growing and deep down (I know it's bad) I wonder if we could grow into more than just friends. I love Paul, but Bill seems to go with me better as of late. What do I do?

Hi! I'm eighteen an my boyfriend is twenty-one. We have been dating for over a year, and despite our wonderful relationship he has really struggled with helping me get rid of my emotions regarding his ex girlfriend. His ex girlfriend was a friend of mine, although we were not close, which is why I had no idea she would take it so badly when I started dating her ex. She had dumped him quite horribly, and I didn't think to mention it to her when I started dating him a year later. Boy was I naive! She started harassing me over text, making sexual comments such as, "when you kiss him you'll be tasting my..." (I'm going to leave that last part out) and spreading rumors (more like tall-tales) about the situation at school. My friendship with her ended, but she did not leave my mind. I became jealous of the sexual relationship she once had with my boyfriend, and felt threatened by her because of it. My boyfriend was sweet however, and stayed by me until I was secure in our own relationship. We now have a relationship that we both call our first serious one, and I'm very secure in it. However, although my jealousy was gone, during my senior year of high school she seemed to show up everywhere. I had difficulty dealing with her good looks (although I'm pretty as well), her friends (although I have many friends as well), and the fact that she was quite popular despite her narsissism and arrogance. It started to eat away at me, exhausting me more than my studies, and that is not good. Now I'm getting ready for college and I'm struggling to understand why I let myself become absorbed by her even after I was no longer jealous of the fact that she dated my boyfriend. It seemed my jealousy of her relationship with my now boyfriend turned into envy of her blessings despite her horrible personality. Can anyone explain why my jealousy didn't just go away after her relationship with my boyfriend no longer bothered me, and what I can do to make it better? Thanks!

Hi! Thanks ahead of time for anyone who tries to help! To give you a bit of background, I am eighteen, my boyfriend is twenty-one, and the girl in this situation (his ex girlfriend) is eighteen as well. I have been dating my boyfriend for over a year, and everything is great. However, he had to help me get over my jealousy toward his ex girlfriend because of the sexual relationship they used to have. It was very difficult for me to accept because I had never had sex before and in my fairytale-loving mind, I always wanted the one I love to be a virgin as well. What made matters worse was the fact that his ex girlfriend tried to rub this in my face, probably because she was jealous of me as well. Well, time went on and my boyfriend has helped me every step of the way to get over my jealousy towards her and to no longer see her as a threat. We have created a relationship full of trust and what both of us consider our first serious relationship. However, I'm no longer jealous of her prior relationship with my boyfriend, but the jealousy has transformed into envy of her appearance. See, before I dated her "ex," we were both friends. We weren't close but we used to joke and call each other twins since we look similar. Now whenever she looks good, it hurts me just like it used to when I thought of her having sex with my boyfriend. I don't understand why it bothers me since I am no longer jealous of what happened in the past, but I am envious in the way that I don't want her to look better than me, or even just as lovely as me. Why did my jealousy transform into envy, instead of going away? And why am I envious if my life is so blessed? I know it's very shallow, but that's I would like some help, and hopefully a way to overcome this! Thanks so much for any help!

Hi! Thanks ahead of time for anyone who tries to help! To give you a bit of background, I am eighteen, my boyfriend is twenty-one, and the girl in this situation (his ex girlfriend) is eighteen as well. I have been dating my boyfriend for over a year, and everything is great. However, he had to help me get over my jealousy toward his ex girlfriend because of the sexual relationship they used to have. It was very difficult for me to accept because I had never had sex before and in my fairytale-loving mind, I always wanted the one I love to be a virgin as well. What made matters worse was the fact that his ex girlfriend tried to rub this in my face, probably because she was jealous of me as well. Well, time went on and my boyfriend has helped me every step of the way to get over my jealousy towards her and to no longer see her as a threat. We have created a relationship full of trust and what both of us consider our first serious relationship. However, I'm no longer jealous of her prior relationship with my boyfriend, but the jealousy has transformed into envy of her appearance. See, before I dated her "ex," we were both friends. We weren't close but we used to joke and call each other twins since we look similar. Now whenever she looks good, it hurts me just like it used to when I thought of her having sex with my boyfriend. I don't understand why it bothers me since I am no longer jealous of what happened in the past, but I am envious in the way that I don't want her to look better than me, or even just as lovely as me. Why did my jealousy transform into envy, instead of going away? And why am I envious if my life is so blessed? I know it's very shallow, but that's I would like some help, and hopefully a way to overcome this! Thanks so much for any help!

Hi! Thanks ahead of time for anyone who tries to help! To give you a bit of background, I am eighteen, my boyfriend is twenty-one, and the girl in this situation (his ex girlfriend) is eighteen as well. I have been dating my boyfriend for over a year, and everything is great. When we first started dating, however, we had to get over a few humps. The largest hump was my jealousy toward his ex girlfriend because of the sexual relationship they used to have. It was very difficult for me to accept because I had never had sex before and in my fairytale-loving mind, I always wanted the one I love to be a virgin as well. What made matters worse was the fact that his ex girlfriend tried to rub this in my face, probably because she was jealous that he moved on after being dumped by her. Well, time went on and my boyfriend has treated me wonderfully, helping me every step of the way to get over my jealousy towards her and to no longer see her as a threat. We have created a relationship full of trust and honesty and what both of us consider our first serious relationship. However, I'm no longer jealous of her prior relationship with my boyfriend, but instead of the jealousy disappearing, it transformed into envy of her appearance. See, before I dated her "ex," we were both friends. We weren't close but we used to joke and call each other twins since we look similar. Now whenever she looks good, it cuts me like a knife just like it used to when I thought of her having sex with my boyfriend. I don't understand why it bothers me since I am no longer jealous of what happened in the past, but I am envious in the way that I don't want her to look better than me, or even just as lovely as me. Why did my jealousy transform into envy, instead of going away? And why am I envious if my life is so blessed? I know it's very shallow, but that's I would like some help, and hopefully a way to overcome this! Thanks so much for any

Hi. I'm eighteen years old and my boyfriend is twenty-one, so you would think I'd be more mature than to get jealous....but think again. My boyfriend and I started dating over a year ago when I was still in high school, and his ex (and my former friend) really bullied me about it. She said things like "You have him but remember you'll be tasting me on his lips." Real mature. Well, my boyfriend and I handled it well, but I had a lot of difficulty in high school because she was the type who was labeled "the darling" in high school. Everyone loved her and it seemed she often threw that in my face by showing off her popularity. What made matters worse was the fact that we have a lot of the same friends, look similar, and were even called twins when we were friends. It really added onto the competition. My boyfriend has taken no interest in her and has told me he knows the truth about both of our personalities, and how I shouldn't let her get to me. But it did. I stayed competitive with her even now actually, a year later. Every time she had a good hair day or cute clothes I'd find my whole day effected at school, and even now when i see her on Facebook. I'm usually a sensible person but with her I was like (and still am) every teenage girl! What's odd is that I've long stopped being jealous and competitive because she dated my boyfriend. Now I'm just jealous over her because of her looks, friends, etc. Its odd because it now has nothing to do with my boyfriend! Can anyone explain to me why on earth they may think I am still jealous of this girl when she's no potential threat? Or why I care if I'm so loved by my boyfriend and the people around me? Also, any advice on how I can get over this? I feel I can get over this after I discover why I'm truly jealous. Thanks so much!!!

Hi. I'm eighteen years old and my boyfriend is twenty-one, so you would think I'd be more mature than to get jealous....but think again. My boyfriend and I started dating over a year ago when I was still in high school, and his ex (and my former friend) really bullied me about it. She said things like "You have him but remember you'll be tasting me on his lips." Real mature. Well, my boyfriend and I handled it well, but I had a lot of difficulty in high school because she was the type who was labeled "the darling" in high school. Everyone loved her and it seemed she often threw that in my face by showing off her popularity. What made matters worse was the fact that we have a lot of the same friends, look similar, and were even called twins when we were friends. It really added onto the competition. My boyfriend has taken no interest in her and has told me he knows the truth about both of our personalities, and how I shouldn't let her get to me. But it did. I stayed competitive with her even now actually, a year later. Every time she had a good hair day or cute clothes I'd find my whole day effected at school, and even now when i see her on Facebook. I'm usually a sensible person but with her I was like (and still am) every teenage girl! What's odd is that I've long stopped being jealous and competitive because she dated my boyfriend. Now I'm just jealous over her because of her looks, friends, etc. Its odd because it now has nothing to do with my boyfriend! Can anyone explain to me why on earth they may think I am still jealous of this girl when she's no potential threat? Or why I care if I'm so loved by my boyfriend and the people around me? Also, any advice on how I can get over this? I feel I can get over this after I discover why I'm truly jealous. Thanks so much!!!

Hi, and thanks in advance to anyone who gives my question a second glance. I am seventeen and a senior in high school. I have been told I am mature for my age, which is part of the reason I believe I have a boyfriend who is twenty. My boyfriend has dated some dramatic girls before he met me (one being his age and the other being my age) and once these two girls discovered that he actually moved on after being dumped by both, they didn't take it too lightly. (These girls are friends now.) One of them messaged me over Facebook telling me how awful he is, and the other has been hitting below the belt, saying extremely vulgar things like, "Remember that whenever you kiss him, you'll be tasting me." Eww! My boyfriend and I have been together for nine months now, and while the "drama" has died down, it is still on my mind. I handled both situations in a non confrontational way, and while my boyfriend absolutely loves that (having me is a nice change from dramatic girls), I get the feeling that they have taken my responses as a weakness. It seems that in today's society, being confrontational and mean is a way of showing you are tough. While I'm proud of the way I handled things, I have regrets in my mind, wishing I could have been more feisty, mean, and clever. I want to show them that I am tough, but since the drama is over, there is really no point. But I can't seem to get it out of my mind. Why do you think this is, and what do you think are the causes of these feelings? Should I take action, or work on coming to peace with myself? If the second one...then how do I come to peace with myself about this? Thanks!

Hi. So when i buy songs or albums off of itunes, they download and sync to my ipod normally. But when i download a CD that i own to my itunes, it syncs normally to my library, but not to my ipod. It just wont. Could i get some help? Thanks!

This may sound ridiculous, but i want to fix things. Im sixteen years old, about to be a senior in high school, and have a mind of my own, if that paints a good picture. So obviously, i can be a handful, but i genuinely care about my family and pick them over my friends. Which is why i get so downright...pissed when my dad says all these bad things about me. Every time i disagree with my dad, he says, "oh god, look at Julia again, trying to turn everyone against each other." Or "oh god, theres Julia again wanting drama." My fourteen year old brother can call him an asshole, but thats ok. My dad even encourages my brother to tell me i start crisises too. I feel like my dad is selfish. He doesnt want me to get a job, but gets mad at me when i ask for somethinf. I rarely have friends over, but when i do, hes rude to them and doesnt let them inside the house. So what do i do? What does this mean? My younger brothers can sass my dad all they want, but when i have a different opinion, he calls me crazy and a *****.

I was dating a boy for a year, and we loved each other so much. He cared about me soo much. He used to always be thinking of me, and be would do me so many sweet favors. Well, our parents forced us to break up because we made love, and they saw it as filthy. A year later, we are talking again and see each other and kiss and go farther. But nothing more. Im only sixteen, and as much as i love him, i dont wanna do this anymore. Ive recently talked to him about it, and it turns out he really doesnt care. He still does all the things we used to do together, but by himself. The memories dont even hurt him. I know he did care because i knew him so well. Now im watching Adventureland, a movie he picked out for me over a year ago just because he knew i liked the music, and i now realize how horrible he treats me compared to that. Assuming and trusting me that he did care, how is it possible for him to change so much, with everything we have been through? My guy friends say its impossible, and that hes trying to convince himself he doesnt love me anymore,but thats still just as bad. So tell me please, how can a guy go from caring about every aspect about you, to hardly caring at all? Its like the past doesnt phase him at all. How is such a change possible, with how emotionally bondef we were? Thanks so much!

Hi. I would prefer if guys answered this, but girls are most certainly welcome. Although no guy is the same....guys: what are the qualities in a girl you would be interested in dating, and what are the qualities in a girl you would only consider a friend with benefits? What are the main differences in between the girls who you want to commit to and the girls you do not? Is there anything us girls can do in order to make you more interested in committing, or is it the kind of thing you don't change your mind about once you have your mind set to it? I'm "seeing" my ex boyfriend again, and I want to get out of the friends with benefits zone. Thanks!

Hi. First off, im sorry if u think my behavior is immoral, but as long as this is my question, im not going to lie. Feel free to criticize, as long as u have something helpful to say too. So i was with my ex for a year and a half. We had a great relationship and were best friends. My parents decided to break us up however, after they found out we had sex. Even though it was more like making love, they viewed it as dirty and discusting. Since we were younger (i was fifteen and he was sixteen), there was not much we could do. We fought them for a while, but in the end they one. There was no way we could see each other.

Now a year has passed. He is seventeen and can drive, and i am sixteen and only have my permit, but i have more freedom to be out on weekends. Much more. I had just been used by a jerky guy, and was going through lots of school drama when i contacted him over facebook and said, "hi. I know its been a while, but im going through a rough time right now. I respect the relationship we had, and need a friend right now. This may be awkward, but can we talk?" As it turns out, it wasnt awkward. We hit it off great. We enjoyed each others company and planned a visit that same night. The break up a year before was rocky, making us not get along at all, but after we got a break, we hit it off great! So we hung out (my parents did not know) and he was very sweet and shy. All was casual at first, but then we started kissing.....which eventually led ti more. Since then, we have been talking and spending time together, as well as kissing and...doing other things. But i want to be in a relationship again. I havent asked yet because i want to develope a firm ground (getting used to hanging out without my parents knowing) so i havent asked just yet. What should i do? How should I go about this? Is there any way to rekindle the flame even more?