DEAR ELLIE: I'm 20, in a two-year relationship with a man five years older. He feels he should know the passwords to my e-mail and Facebook accounts, or else I'm hiding something or lying. But he doesn't give me his passwords.
DEAR ELLIE: For three years, I needed "off" breaks from my girlfriend's lifestyle, with her three kids, working two jobs and ex-husband problems. I'd feel unable to cope, so I'd break things off.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm a man, age 40, recently divorced and living with my girlfriend, who's 30, in school with limited income. I've been covering expenses for several months but recently discovered she's not been forthcoming and has more income than she's indicated.
DEAR ELLIE: When I'm away from my live-in boyfriend, I'm more active and outgoing and eat less. When together, we "enable" each other's laziness -- spending our nights in front of the TV and often eating unhealthy meals.
DEAR ELLIE: My three grown daughters all became vegans in their mid-teens. They're also animal-rights activists -- I think they're fanatics, refusing to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, with a "dead bird" (turkey) in our home, though I've prepared a "tofu turkey" for them.
DEAR ELLIE: I asked my best friend last spring to be my maid of honor. She wants to participate in a two-day bike ride to conquer cancer five days before my wedding. She'd be missing dinners and bridal party get-togethers while she's gone.
DEAR ELLIE: My father was a divorced deadbeat dad -- unsupportive, abusive and narcissistic. He's not a role model for me or for my children. Two years ago, I broke off all communication with him and all his family, saying I wanted nothing from them. He's never met his youngest grandson, and my other children don't remember him.
DEAR ELLIE: My boyfriend and I have been living together for nine months and fighting now more than ever. He's constantly angry at me for things I don't think are a big deal. Every issue stems from something I'm doing wrong or not doing right. I'm trying to do better but he's not very patient with me. He says our relationship is tiring.
DEAR ELLIE: I've been dating my girlfriend for one year, after I went through a bitter, expensive divorce. She's never married, is beautiful, smart and independent.
DEAR ELLIE: I recently broke up with my girlfriend of five months because I felt we had few common interests and we're from different backgrounds culturally. Also, she grew up in the city and wants to live there close to her friends and family. I grew up in the country and would like to live there someday.
DEAR ELLIE: My girlfriend and I (six years) split up recently; we broke up previously, then got back together and had our son.
DEAR ELLIE: My wife of 25 years moved out six months ago. I was working out of town for one year, returning home every two weeks. She rejected counseling, so I go myself. She's moved in with her girlfriend and won't return any contact.
DEAR ELLIE: I've been in a love triangle for 10 years. Initially my lover wasn't married. We broke up and he had a one-night stand. We got back together; things were going well until the girl informed our co-workers she was pregnant with his child. She knew we were back together and would come around.
DEAR ELLIE: This year, I lost a good friend, my grandmother and my mother. And the love of my life left me. After 10 years married (I'm 32), I want a child, she doesn't. I filed for the big "D" as she requested. I've been in marriage counseling by myself, as she thought it was a waste of time and money.
DEAR ELLIE: My mother-in-law moved 180 miles away eight years ago; her husband died and she's staying there. She doesn't drive and expects my wife and her sister to drive 720 miles (there and back, twice) to bring her here for holidays. She still sees her doctors and dentist here. She reimburses my wife for gas but not wear and tear on our cars.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm in a long-distance friendship, which could become a relationship; she's in Russia, I'm in North America.
DEAR ELLIE: My partner of seven years and I live separately, although I spend 90 percent of my time at her house with her two kids. When we'd initially lived together in her home (for two years), she and her kids never tried to accept my values nor share their home -- it's their family home from her previous marriage.
DEAR ELLIE: My wife believed I was having an affair, which I wasn't. She reacted badly by taking medications and was hospitalized. Recently she said she's confused about her feelings toward me and toward her ex (he's very involved in their son's life).
DEAR ELLIE: We've been married 17 years; I'm 51, she's 40. Despite going through a difficult time for several years, we only just started talking about our differences.
DEAR ELLIE: I'm married just over one month and recently went through some ups and downs not directly pertaining to my marriage, but my new wife is uneasy as a result. I accidentally stumbled over some text messages to her friend saying that she should just pack up and leave, she was not prepared for this, she's been put through too much already, etc.