Dear Anita,

Thank you for making me realize that it was okay to feel jealous and hateful towards my step mom.  I didn’t want to feel that way, but I was so used to having my dad’s undivided attention until she came into the picture. She brought a lot of unwanted baggage into our lives, and she eventually left my dad, which was truly a blessing in disguise. He was heartbroken, but she and her children brought so much stress and chaos into our lives. Now it’s just me and my dad, and it’s really nice (I just graduated from college in May and am living at home to save up some money). What’s funny is that now that I get all of my dad’s attention, I hate it! He’s starting to become clingy because I want to move to the city where my boyfriend lives (my college town). I just want to be independent! I completely understand where he’s coming from though since I’m his only child.

On the topic of the innocent peck on the ear, I’m not so sure if that bothers me because of the affection I saw my dad and stepmom give each other; I like the way you think though. I really just don’t like my loss of control in that moment and the fact that I did something out of character. I’m a very big people pleaser and am always trying to make people like me, so I think that definitely played a large role in my impulsive decision, even in my drunken state. I’m also just sickened by the fact that my boyfriend’s roommate, in a way, took advantage when my boyfriend wasn’t around for a minute. I’m not happy with myself for giving in, even if it had no ill-intent, and I’m just sad because the night could’ve gone completely different if he hadn’t tagged along with us. I’m angry that he came with us because now I’m suffering from the pain of doing something out of character. Talking to you all has been really helping though, so I appreciate you!

Christina