avman

I'm not sure where you are located but you might check out your state or province's Department of Natural Resources. I was able to get a boatload of information on geology from them when I needed to teach some skills to our cub scout pack. They sent out rock samples, educational pamphlets, and offered to have a geologist speak to the group.

Maybe they would allow you to set up an informational interview with one of their geologists to learn more about the industry.

Another good place to check out would be the Oil and Gas industry or the Mining industry. They employ armies of geologists to do exploration.

I agree the child should be told, but it is not your place to do it. That needs to come from his mother.

The more pressing concern is how this man treats the child though. He is doing damage to this child by his words. Even if the child knew this man was not his father, the damage will still be done.

Talk to your sister at length about it. I also think a family counselor would be a good idea.

Here is another trick:

If it is a capsule, put the capsule in your mouth with your liquid of choice (water, oj, milk, whatever). Tilt your head forward and hold the liquid and capsule in your mouth for a second or so. The capsule will float on the liquid and naturally head for the back of your mouth. Then swallow the whole thing.

If it is a pill, then tilt your head back instead of forward. The pill will sink in the liquid and once again be at the back of your mouth. Then swallow.

I think it is best for people to lead by example. If you are a good and decent person and treat others with respect, others will follow you. There will always be some who are evil, but by and large I have found that the more good I try to do, the more good I see in people around me.

AWESOME!

Congratulations Gilgamesh. This is truly a great eNotalone story. I am so very happy for you and your new wife. May you both be blessed in your marriage and live happily ever after.

You should probably check with your doctor. They may prescribe some medication to relieve the pain and some physical therapy to help.

In the meantime rest the area and apply ice or heat to the area if it helps your symptoms. Take some over the counter pain relievers like ibuprofin or naproxin.

I would urge caution about going into real estate right now. The U.S. housing market is at the beginning of what is predicted to be a long, protracted slide. Even very experienced agents are having a really tough time selling houses right now.

I can't handle it anymore and will have to pressure her for some answers I'm afraid.

I think that would be a mistake. Continuing not to give her space and pressuring her for answers will only drive her away.

You've got a choice here. You can either give her the space she asks for and see if she comes around after some reasonable period, or you can say you have had enough and finish the divorce and move on. You can't force her to see things your way or make her ready to communicate with you.

This topic is currently under investigation

Well if there is a policy that you can't date your coworkers then that is probably why he isn't making a move.

That is a very common fantasy for men. Don't ask me why, but there are studies all over the place that list this one as a top fantasy.

If it upsets you, then you should talk directly to your boyfriend about it. The real issue is whether the fantasy causes friction in your relationship rather than the nature of the fantasy itself.

Well you aren't giving me a lot to go on but I'll try to help.

I suggest you both sit down and talk about it. Make sure to use phrases like "I feel .... when we don't hug or kiss". Just see where her head is at and maybe she'll open up about what is going on.

You could also just initiate the affection yourself and see what happens. Hold her hand, put your arm around her, kiss her, etc.

What do you mean by touch each other lately? Do you mean sex? Or just some intimacy? Is that what is making you feel like strangers or is there something else that you are worried about with the relationship?

Don't worry about what Ellen thinks. Your thoughts should be on your girlfriend and what SHE thinks. Ellen is a big girl. Let her take care of herself.

Focus on your girlfriend and don't spend any more energy concerning yourself about Ellen and her issues.

Don't meet Ellen. You will be playing with fire as it is clear she's interested in you. You did what you had to do in order to stay faithful to your girlfriend. That was the right thing to do. If anything, you should have been more direct with her earlier in the evening telling her - "look, I have a girlfriend so nothing is going to happen here".

Some states have do it yourself kits. A friend of mine in California did her divorce that way but they had little property, no children, and it was a relatively short marriage. She went down to the courthouse, asked them for the forms that needed to be filed, and then did it on her own.

If you have a simple non-contested divorce then you should be able to do it yourself. However if you have any kind of substantial assets or if there are children involved you should probably contact an attorney.

Please write out your posts and do not use netspeak. I can barely understand your post and it is not likely to get many responses.

I'd start with honoring his request of having some time apart. If you won't even honor such a basic request then he probably would not consider a friendship with you due to your obsessive behavior.

More contact is not the key in this case. That was what caused the problem in the first place.

I am trying to fix the errors I made in the relationship, as we didn't argue or fight, one day she just had enough, and I didn't see it coming until it was too late. I just hope my being around regularly doesn't compromise our reconciliation. I feel she needs help and is very stressed out. The extra work load is not helping her in my opinion so I try and help where I can.

I understand what you are saying. However you can't force her to give you a chance. You can keep doing what you are doing and work on yourself. That is totally great and it will only help you become a better person.

You being around your kids will not endanger a reconciliation. That will either happen or not on it's own merits. But your children need you. You can't cut contact with them in the hopes that it would cause a reconciliation. That will hurt them deeply and you don't want that to happen. If you feel that time together with your wife is hurting things, then take the kids on your own and spend time with them.

If your wife is overloaded, well then thats something she will have to learn to deal with. She's asked for a break in the relationship so she'll have figure out her workload by herself. Not having you around to rely on might cause her to rethink things a bit.

Well you certainly need to stay in touch as it relates to your kids. If your wife isn't interested right now in closeness then keep your contact strictly limited to the children. Talk daily about the kids only. Talk to your 6 year old on the phone.

If you can see them every day even for just a little while thats really terrific. Kids need both parents to really be involved and I truly admire you for wanting the best for your children.

I can't promise you that your wife will come back, but I can promise you that your attitude will truly make a difference in your childrens lives. Perhaps with time, your wife will re-evaluate things and be willing to talk about the relationship again. Until then, focus on being the best person and best father you can.

We will decide what is flaming and what is not. Please follow our posting guidelines.

I support the other posters. I too am Christian, but you need to remember that we are taught not to judge. We are supposed to love everyone and leave the judging up to God.

If you start telling people how wrong they are and criticizing their lifestyle, well you can expect problems. We can't impose our lifestyle on others. If you try, people will rebel and resist. It is no wonder your son is having trouble making friends if he won't accept people for who they are.

Even with all that said, for the boys to beat your son was wrong. Did you call the police? Did you file charges? If not, then you should. Why would the other parents file a lawsuit against you? Did your son actually start this fight?

It isn't a bit cold to end things by just cutting contact with no warning is it?

She's demonstrated more than enough times how little you mean to her. It is merely your wallet she is interested in. This isn't a friendship you are ending, you are merely closing the bank from further business.

avman, when you say no more contact do you mean I should just never talk to her again?

Yep, thats what I mean. Any relationship whether it is romantic or friendship must be based on both people contributing. I see you contributing, and her taking. But I don't see her giving anything back.

So if you get nothing out of the relationship, well then there is no reason to continue it. You need to stand up for yourself, get your self-respect back, and get rid of this toxic person from your life.

Good for you. It's a very cleansing thing going through that process. Delete her numbers from your cell phone, remove her from instant messenger, remove online contacts, etc.

You most certainly did the right thing. Congratulations!