I am a 23-year-old single woman who was in a serious relationship for three years with a man I had known for nearly a decade -- since we were children. We parted on bad terms a year and a half ago.

My friends and family tell me what a wonderful, funny, beautiful person I am -- that I have a great personality and I should begin dating again. They are always trying to set me up with someone. Sometimes the thought is appealing, but when the time comes to call or approach a guy, I get scared. I have been asked out, but I never go.

A part of me likes being single, but sometimes I get lonely and wish I could find the courage to ask a guy out. My mom keeps asking me if I've met anyone. I know she wants me to be happy, but I'm scared of being hurt again, so I lie to everyone and tell them I'm fine. But I can't lie to myself.

Can you give me some words of advice to boost my confidence?

Getting hurt is not a big deal. Everyone gets hurt. What's important is how you take the loss. Are you going to take it like a loser, and stop playing, or are you going to go out there and score like a champ? You gotta put some points on the board, and you have a few years of catching up. Be a winner, today.

Now, I'm not necessarily going to encourage dubious behavior here, but you should really just date as many people as possible. How do you meet decent people to date? Keep a higher social profile. Go out to events like art auctions, happy hour with the co-workers, join a fitness center. Meet people that know what's fun to do, and then go out with them and do fun things. Chances are, you'll end up meeting a good guy who does the same kind of things you enjoy doing, as long as you don't do boring stuff, but there's a man for that as well. But those guys are hard to find because they're usually at home all the time solving jigsaw puzzles.

But do not try to fill the loneliness in your life with a man. You fill loneliness with friends. Men fill other things. When you and your friends are all having fun doing fun things, you'll find a good guy. It can't even be helped. He might not be the best guy, but he should be good for your immediate needs, which should be addressed. Hey, is lonely supposed to have some other meaning here? If so, then the only man that can help you is Jack Daniels. That guy gave me the confidence to hook up with countless women, initiate fights with bouncers, and get kicked out of more clubs and bars than I can count on my fingers. Ask Jack Daniels for help. The man is a hero.

I am a 39-year-old married woman with a loving husband who would never cheat on me. I have been having an affair for the last eight years. The other man, "Henry," is also married, and he has a family. I met John at my part-time job, and he also works with my husband.

Four months ago, I decided I needed to be faithful to my husband and I ended the affair. Henry has now begun having an affair with one of my co-workers, a woman I consider to be a trashy person. This has hurt me terribly. When I see them, I feel like telling Henry's wife everything -- but this would only endanger my marriage, and I don't want to hurt my husband. What should I do?

Move on. What you're feeling is something between competition and a hypocritical knee jerk reaction. Don't do anything to smite your old lover. The bigger a deal you make this, the more likely you'd be to hurt people you love. Defeating Henry would be, at best, a Pyrrhic Victory - a victory that amounts more to a huge loss. Don't be charmed by the prospect of "righteousness." He's a cheater. You used to be a cheater, but quit. Quitters don't win. Losers go home. Go home, to your room, and think about what you've done. Just go to your room and think about it.

If you don't want to hurt your husband, you should probably find a way to make sure your husband doesn't find out from someone else, whether it be Henry, John, your co-worker, or anyone else. If I were you, I'd find out where they are one night, and have them neutralized. Or just have Henry neutralized. He's the most dangerous threat to your reputation here.

I don't know why I'm helping here. I hate cheaters. I may hook up with them, but I still hate them. Just go to your room, and really think about what you've done. Disgraceful.

Dear Teeter: I am 23 and live at home with my parents. My boyfriend is 24, and also lives at home.

His mother has given him a cruise for his birthday, and he would like to take me. However, my parents don't believe in premarital sex and have already told me I cannot go away with him -- that only as a married couple can we travel together alone.

I do not want to miss this trip. I would love to spend this kind of time with my boyfriend. I love him very much, but my parents limit our time together. Is there a way to get around this?

I think your parents are trying to give you a hint - move out. Leave. If you don't stop eating their cereal, they won't stop treating you like a 12 year old.

Am I completely wrong? Then maybe you should tell them that the cost of a wedding these days is over $10,000, and you're not going to suffer some poor ass wedding just to have sex. Then tell them you've slept with tons of guys, including your current bf, so what's the big deal?

I'm a firm believer in breaking people in - especially parents. Some kids are cooler than others. Some kids mothers are cooler than other kids mothers. You can make them cool, but not as long you hold their hands and let them think like crotchety old fogeys.

Sometimes people just can't see past their own lives. You have to bring your parents into the year 2007, because they're still living in 1967, dancing some shim sham to Wooly Bully. Stop holding their hands. It's time to kick them out of the nest and let them fly. Tell them they have to move out and start living like adults. They can't live in the nest forever.

My son was invited to a birthday party. When I called the mom to RSVP, I asked her what kind of toys her son was interested in. She replied that it was rude to ask what to buy him, and to just buy him "something suitable for a boy."

I wasn't trying to be rude. I just thought that if I was going to purchase a gift for the child, I ought to know what he was interested in so I wouldn't buy him something he wouldn't use.

Was I rude to ask the question? I shall think twice about asking again?

Not really rude at all. You shouldn't even let this phase you. What if I told you that the kid's mom just found out her husband was cheating on her with some trollop for 8 years? Maybe she didn't want to think about her son's birthday that much because it's not as interesting as planning to stab her husband's eyes out with a soldering iron.

Maybe you should buy your son's friend a soldering iron.