Sharing The Magic Number...

Dear Harlan,

I'm 17, and I have a sexual history that I am not proud of. Guys I date or talk to always ask me how many people I've had sex with, and I refuse to tell them. I didn't even tell the guy I was with for a year. A lot of the time, they get upset because I won't tell them. I don't tell anyone, because I feel that since it is in the past, it can be my secret and nobody needs to know. I'm terrified to tell anyone I want to date, because I'm afraid it will scare him away. Is it lying to not tell your partner how many people you've been with? Will I be able to have a strong relationship without telling anyone?

Ashamed

One Soulmate? Try 1000+

Dear Harlan,

I bet you get a ton of letters about your theory of 1,000 soul mates for every person. I find this theory to be the craziest thing. I mean, you seem so logical, and your advice almost always sounds so sane, like there is a rational idea behind it, but this 1,000 soul mates must have been pulled right out of the air. I'm not complaining. I like the fact that the person so many people go to for advice is strangely quirky and isn't always logical. I just wanted to say, though, that I don't know if I agree with the 1,000 soul mates. I do enjoy the fact that you stand by this crazy rule for no real reason.

Fellow Midwesterner