Dear Breakup Girl,

I have just recently discovered your column…and I love it! However, I have an issue that I need to get a second opinion on. I have this boyfriend that I’ve been seeing for only a couple of months now. But we’ve known each other for 4 years and had crushes on each other all that time. Well everything’s good I suppose but there’s some things I have a problem with. OK, he’s the same age as me (21) but he has a 14 month old child. He rarely gets to see it but he does pay child support. I’m not sure why it bothers me so much…perhaps because he was a virgin until this girl came along and “seduced” him. He claims she “tricked” him and told him that she couldn’t get pregnant and that she was on the pill. And you know how dumb and gullible some men can be. Well he believed it and they slept together for the next three or four months. He even had the nerve to tell me how many times a day they had sex!! Well, needless to say she got pregnant and he realized what a huge mistake he had made. Now this whole situation really disturbs me sometimes. I don’t know if I just feel threatened by her…I mean I know he doesn’t want her back. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. It’s just that he has all this excess baggage that I have to deal with.

(more…)

Just starting out on August 10, 1998…

Dear Breakup Girl,

OK, here I go. I am ten years old. At my school, there is a rule “Keep your hands and feet to yourself.” Now, there is this boy who was in my class. He was my ex-boyfriend. His new girlfriend and him hold hands. At my school you aren’t supposed to. When him and I were together he didn’t hold my hand. Now, is ten years too young to hold hands? Does that mean puppy love?

— Desperate to Know

Dear Desperate,

Ten years may or may not be too young to hold hands, but it’s definitely not too young to feel jealous. I’m pretty sure this is what you really want to know: “HEY! How come he holds her hand but he didn’t hold mine???” Breakup Girl can’t really answer that — but she knows it must hurt. Still, at least you’ll be the one hanging out with your friends instead of staying after school for breaking the rules.

Love,
Breakup Girl