Hidden beauty
Dear Dr. Lovemonkey,
I am a 15-year-old girl and I really want a tattoo. I mean I really, really want to get a tattoo. The problem is that my mother is against it, so I need to have it in a place where she can’t see it. What would you suggest for a location and a design?
_Annie in Cumberland
Dear Annie,
Let me respond to your second question first. Dr. Lovemonkey thinks that when you get something as personal as a body adornment, you want to put a lot of thought and a lot of heart into it. You should therefore think about something that you love, an image with which you really identify, and that means something special to you.
As much as you desire to have a tattoo, you should give it a little more time and thought. You don’t want to regret your choice. There are ways to remove tattoos, but they are time consuming and sometimes painful. Whatever you get should not make you feel like an idiot when you’re 40. As far as the best place to conceal it from your mom, the small of the back seems like a good spot.
Generation gap
Dear Dr. Lovemonkey,
The woman I have been seeing for the past six months is 26 years older than me. We love each other and have no problem with the age issue, but are aware that it will be an issue to a number of friends and family. We have so far avoided any disagreements or negative reactions by not revealing anything about our relationship to our friends and families. Do you have any advice on how to handle this as our relationship becomes known?
_Love Conquers All
Dear Love,
Certainly, there will be talk when there is a large age difference in a relationship. You are right — a lot of the feedback from family and friends will probably be negative. This is because they care about you and are not able to understand your relationship.What you want to do, therefore, is talk to your partner. If she is 26 years your senior, she has a sense of how others will react. Make sure that you are together on how to deal with this and totally support each other. I’m behind you (as long as you’re not 15 and she 41, in which case, we’ve got some moral (not to mention legal) problems here.
Vim and vigor
Dear Dr. Lovemonkey,
I just tried an energy drink the other day, and I really liked it. My sister says it’s not good stuff, and I think she’s full of it. I realize you shouldn’t gulp it down or drink, like, seven or eight of them in a day, but I don’t see what the big deal is. Is she right or wrong about this?
_MSC in Albion
Dear MSC,
Where did you get the notion that Dr. Lovemonkey has any knowledge whatsoever about so-called “energy drinks”? I suspect there is quite a lot of caffeine in your drink, and I would check with a real doctor — or nearly anybody other than Dr. Lovemonkey. If you want to discuss various ways in which to prepare broccoli, Dr. Lovemonkey is your man.
Email the author
Rudy Cheeks: rudycheeks@prodigy.net
