How to Deal With a Controlling Spouse (page 2 of 2)

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I Love Him But ...

Question
I love my boyfriend, but we don't share the same values. I want kids; he doesn't. I'm religious; he's an atheist. Everyone tells me to drop him. But I know he loves me and respects my beliefs. Should I follow my heart?
-- Valentine Quandary

Dear Quandary,
How much are you willing to sacrifice for this love? Children? God? Those are biggies. Love between incompatible people is cute only in the movies. Maybe this guy would make a better friend. Leave your heart open for someone with whom you can share your values and your entire self.

Question
I'm a nursing student and the oldest of five children. My family is counting on me to succeed, but I didn't make the grade and have to repeat the semester in six months. I'm so disappointed that I let my parents down. I don't know how to tell them.
-- Failure

Dear Failure,
You aren't letting them down! Working hard to enter an honorable profession should make any loving family proud. Needing to retake classes because you learn at a different pace is not shameful, just a fact. Why don't you spend the next six months volunteering in a nursing-related function, maybe at a local hospital? Learn all you can, and go back to school with the confidence of a committed student and a future nurse.

Question of the Month
I'm an officer in a high school parent organization. One mother in the group believes the teacher favors my daughter over hers because of my position, and she's made false statements about me that sparked irate phone calls from other parents. I've worked hard for the program, but her backstabbing is really getting to me. How can I pull the knife out?
-- Wounded

Dear Wounded,
Sometimes being willing to play rough is the only way to stop a bully. At the next PTA meeting, take on this mom publicly. Cite specific false statements she's made and demand she either back up her allegations or correct them. This is as much about your daughter's reputation as it is your own, so put up your dukes.

From Reader's Digest - February 2008
 
Jeanne Marie Laskas is the author of Growing Girls (Bantam).
Must Read Should Everyone Read This? Yes! I vote for this story
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