I’ve been in a three-month intimate relationship with a man who’s been divorced for three years; I’ve been widowed for over a year. He’s tired of being a bachelor and would like to give marriage another try. Nothing would make me happier.
      However, while divorced he’s had an on-again-off-again relationship with a woman – mostly by phone - who lives an hour away. Although we’re in love, he still has feelings for her and refuses to end this relationship, claiming she has emotional issues and he cannot hurt her.
      He’s begged me to be patient, saying that we make a better couple and his goal is to marry me. She calls him every morning, every evening and then later to say goodnight. She believes that once her divorce goes through and she sells her house, they’ll start their lives together as a couple. He’s afraid to be away from home through the night because she’ll be calling. He’s very apologetic to me.  
      However, I can't stand this much longer. I feel insecure in the relationship and my nerves are raw. But another loss would be devastating for me.  
      - In Limbo

More devastating, is how your “loss” will feel if he eventually chooses her for these reasons: She’s needy, and he likes playing The Rescuer. He’s also weak, because he should’ve tapered off their co-dependent connection as soon as he became seriously involved with you.
      Instead, he’s been weighing the “better” choice ... for now, it’s you, partly because you live closer. This is NOT a secure relationship and you should break away from it, telling him to choose now, not later.
      If he wants to get back together, he must insist that she stop phoning daily, and set her straight that he’s YOUR partner, not hers. You’d then need six months of being a couple again, before marriage, to see if he’s keeping away from her.
      Incidentally, where’s his concern about your emotions over this?

My mother hates me; I’m 24, and consider myself mature, responsible, and hardworking. I’m also a twin, and my mother’s obvious about preferring my sister. On our birthday, she gave my sister $400; I received nothing.
      This behavour has gone on since I was eight, when she took my sister out every Friday for dinner, without me. Lately, I’ve started ignoring her – not hard, since she hasn't talked to me for a month, for reasons of which I’m unaware.
      Do I have to like her? Should I get over it and keep on forgiving her just because she’s my mother? I feel I’d be happier if I moved on. I have other supportive family members who’ve noticed her disrespect towards me.
       - Bad Blood

You may feel happier if you move on … but you may not, since you don’t know the root of her negativity. You have little to lose by trying to find out. Ask your supportive relatives if they have a clue; there may be family history that’s been kept from you. You may also have to ask her directly.
      Before making any decision to sever ties, you should tell her how you feel (but without nasty accusations that’d block further chat). Say that you’d like to understand why she treats you differently from your twin; that you’re prepared to move on without a relationship with her; but that, if there’s a chance for you both to resolve your differences, you’d be willing to give it a try.
      After that, do what feels best for you.

I want a relationship with my step-father but he continually nags me about little things I do wrong. It’s annoying so I brush him off by just saying “okay” each time. I can't express my feelings for fear of him rejecting them and criticizing me.
      People tell me to get out and grow up in my own way but it’s not working. I also have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which doesn't help. How can I get a relationship with him without being nagged?
      - Annoyed

Listening is the basis of any relationship. Yet, though his comments may be annoying, your brushing him off isn’t helping either. If you listen, you might discover that your “little things done wrong” are just as annoying to him, possibly because you keep repeating them.
      Or that he’s going through his own problems (eg. financial, work pressure, health etc.) which you’ve missed knowing and showing you understand.