Today, readers respond to recent tales.

SARAH: I agree with your answer to the concerned Baptist father whose son married a Jewish woman.

(He thought Jews were atheists because they don't believe in Jesus Christ and wondered what chance the marriage had. I assured him that Jews were not atheists because they believe in God, and that the marriage might have a better chance if he were to educate himself.)

It reminded me of an article I read in Reader's Digest years ago. The title was "When to Keep Your Mouth Shut." It was about an older couple who refused to meet their daughter-in-law because she was Jewish. Their son was miserable. They were discussing this with their friend Michelle, who was a Quaker. What they didn't know was that Michelle had Jewish grandparents who died in a concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Michelle was torn between her friendship with them and their blatant bigotry. She decided to speak out and told them about her background, saying, "I'm proud of my heritage and sorry you feel the way you do, but you're making me very unhappy."

Her friends were stunned and apologized to her. They took her words to heart and later made peace with their daughter-in-law.

(Kylie is the woman who felt guilty she left her husband of 15 years even though her cheated on her, swore at her and belittled her. When he was drunk, he'd destroy whatever was handy. He'd tell their two children that they and their mother were the reason he drank, and a million other things. Despite all that, she's afraid she has ruined four lives by leaving him.)

NANCY: No, Kylie, you didn't ruin four lives. But you have allowed yourself and your children to live in a toxic environment. It's good to be out of that and take the time to rebuild yourself and your life and your children's lives. You need a lot of therapy.

You say you wanted to shield your husband. From what? He's a grown man who must accept all the responsibility that comes with being an adult and a parent. You say you always wanted to make him happy. What about your happiness?

It's understandable to wish your marriage had been different. I hope therapy reduces the time you spend doing that. Your focus needs to shift to the well-being of yourself and your children. There's still time to undo the damage that's been done to all of you, to learn what healthy relationships are made of and how people should treat one another.

It has to begin with growing your self-esteem, and the best way to do that is with the help of a professional. Let a professional lead you, so you can learn to lead your children.

Got a problem? Send it, along with your questions and rants to cheryllavinrapp@gmail.com. And check out my e-book, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front."