Two Day Magazine

Dear Natalie,

I’ve just had a baby about three months ago and I am starting to feel more like my old self again in the bedroom. For about six or seven weeks, I wasn’t interested at all in sex. But now that I feel a little better, I am a nervous wreck about being naked in front of my husband. I know I shouldn’t feel bad (after all I just had a baby) but I am afraid he won’t find me attractive or want me sexually. What should I do to overcome this?

--Baby Body Blues

Dear Natalie,

My girlfriend told me that she doesn’t want to exchange gifts this year. She lost her job and I think she is feeling really down. I really want to cheer her up, though, and get her something really special, but I know her and I know she will be upset with me because she will feel bad that she didn’t get me anything. How can I make it so she enjoys the holiday?

--Secret Santa

Dear Natalie,

My fiance is serving in Afghanistan this holiday season and I am really missing him a lot. I haven’t seen him in almost a year and the holidays are really special to us. I am having a really hard time dealing with the loneliness, and I feel really selfish for even saying that, when I know he is dealing with a really difficult situation over there, as well. What’s your advice for getting through this tough time of year? I just really miss him.

--Sad Separation

Dear Natalie,

I have been dating someone for almost a year now and I invited him and his family to Thanksgiving at my place. The only thing is, he is still in the closet and his family doesn’t know that we are together. I thought it would be a good time for him to come out to them. He’s twenty-two years old. Don’t you think it’s time?

--Home For the Holidays

Dear Natalie,

I am having a really hard time moving forward. I recently broke up with my long-distance boyfriend, but we keep calling each other to check in. We were such good friends and now there seems to be a big hole in my life without him. When I expressed my need for space, he got really upset, which made me feel guilty. So, I call him once a week now, but I cry every time I get off the phone because it hurts me so much. What should I do? I want to move forward but I feel stuck.

--Bound By Love

Dear Natalie,

I recently got engaged and since then, I feel like my fiance has done a 180 degree turn in the personality department. All of the sudden, he has become controlling and belligerent with me. We had been dating for six months prior to getting engaged and I thought everything was fantastic, but now he is making me question why I got engaged in the first place. To make matters worse, when I brought up how I felt, he flipped out. We have already started planning the (VERY EXPENSIVE) wedding and I worry that I will disappoint a lot of people if I don’t go through with it. What should I do?

--Say Yes?

Dear Natalie,

Every time my husband’s friends run into his old girlfriend, they text him about it. It really pisses me off. Why does he need to know that they ran into her? It makes me wonder if my husband talks about his ex to his friends and that’s why they text him when they see her. My father-in-law thinks I’m paranoid, but it makes me feel really uncomfortable. What do you think?

--Text Drama

Dear Natalie,

My mother-in-law is constantly opening up my husband’s mail. She goes through it and reads it. I think this is ridiculous and so I checked her on this. She got upset because she thinks since he is her son, she has the right to do so. He’s an adult! Who’s right on this topic?

--You’ve Got Mail

Dear Natalie,

The new guy I am dating is great except for one thing. He was a cocaine addict but has been sober and clean for about a year now. We started dating about six weeks ago and things are going really well. He wants to move in with me but I worry sometimes that his issue with drugs could resurface. I told him I would give him an answer as to whether or not he could move in this week. Here’s the other issue: I have a great job in an advertising company and he recently quit his job. He wants to go back to school and get his MBA. While I fully support him, this seems impulsive and a lot to take on. I don’t know if I’m ready for this next step. What are your thoughts?

---Second Chances

Dear Natalie,

My husband and I are having a bit of a problem. I just got a huge promotion at work (and a big bump in pay) while, unfortunately, he was just laid off from his job. Now, the pay increase I will receive plus his unemployment will keep us afloat until he can find a new job. He is really depressed, however, and hasn’t even celebrated the fact that I am doing really well at my job. He hasn’t been interested in sex lately and hasn’t been particularly nice to me, either. How do we move beyond this issue?

--Punished For Being Successful

Dear Natalie,

My husband and I were married for seven years when I discovered last week that he had been cheating on me for two of those years with a woman he had been seeing from work. They ended things last year but the damage has been done. He confessed to me what had happened over dinner, claiming the guilt had been driving him crazy and that he wants to try and make things work because he says he loves me more than anything. I am totally and utterly devastated at the loss of my marriage (how can I stay?) and while I am bitter, angry, sad, frustrated and scared, I am more than anything---heartbroken. I literally feel as though someone has punched me in the stomach and I can’t eat, sleep or even think. I don’t know what to do. Can you literally die from a broken heart? I feel as though I am dying. It’s horrible. What should I do? I hate him but I still love him.

Broken-Hearted

Dear Natalie,

Why do men like bitches? I see it all the time: Really nice guys dating girls that are downright mean, demanding and high-maintenance. Any thoughts as to why men put up with this?

Sincerely,

Bitchin’ About Bitches

Dear Natalie,

I hear from women that they want romance, but then I hear that if you are romantic it can “creep women out”. What’s the appropriate thing to do on a first date?

-Romantic Fool

Dear Natalie,

I am an overweight 29-year old woman and I feel as though I will never find a man. All of my friends are starting to “settle down” with their partners (or at least date frequently!) and I sit at home on the weekends, miserable. I desperately want a man in my life, but I have come to the conclusion that no one wants me. My friends think that I am nuts, but I feel completely depressed about dating. My last relationship was six years ago and I feel stuck. Any suggestions?

-Overweight and Unhappy