A past beau called the little chores he did for me around my house “honey dues” and implied they were the dues men paid to make their woman happy. I’ve generally thought it was sweet and loving when a man offered or agreed to help with small household jobs that I either couldn’t do alone…
Tag: dating after forty
Have you become exclusive too soon?
You’ve been dating a man for 2 months. There have been some issues to work out, but generally you really like the man. A discussion of exclusivity comes up. You each share what you need from a relationship to be exclusive and the other agrees to try to provide it, or if you know you…
Glass half full or empty?
On a first date, a man asked if I was a glass-half-full or half-empty kind of gal. Although a tad trite, no one else had asked directly if I was optimistic or pessimistic. I wondered who would admit to the latter, although I know some are attracted to others who share a negative world view….
“Whip appeal” pros and cons
A man I dated for a while expressed his attraction to me in an interesting way: “You have whip appeal.” Huh? I’ve heard of men being “whipped” by their woman, and it is not a thing most men would admit to. In fact, a man’s pals may tease him about being “whipped” if he seems…
Do you let hunky men get away with more?
You may answer, “No. A man has to treat me right or he’s out of my life, no matter how handsome he is.” Or perhaps you realize that good looks do buy some good will, often more than is warranted. It isn’t something most of us are proud to admit, but yes, we do allow…
When breaking up is taking a stand
You’ve stayed with him because it is magical when you are with him. He treats you like a queen. You have interesting conversations. He makes you laugh. And when you touch — electricity. You know this combination is rare, so you’ve put up with the parts that aren’t great. But your needs aren’t being met….
Closure is a good thing
This morning I received an IM from my most recent ex-beau apologizing for having hurt and disappointed me. It allowed me to have closure, even though I had already released him in my mind and moved on. But actual closure, if done sanely, maturely and with care, has value even though closure just in your…
What’s his inclination to work things out?
Bemoaning to a psychologist friend the tale of a recent particularly jarring breakup, he said, “You need to ask better questions early on.” He was right. I thought I was reasonably good about asking important questions, but I hadn’t asked the one he suggested. I painfully learned that my beau of many months had no…
You learn a lot about a man by how he breaks up
A man discloses volumes during a dating relationship, but most revealing is how he breaks up. It’s almost a shame that there isn’t a break up early on as you’d see how he treats you. If a man breaks up via text, IM, or email, I know he’s a coward, afraid to have a mature…
Hamstrung by your own integrity
Early in your relationship you both promised that if there was ever anything that bothered one of you so much to consider breaking up, that one would have the respect and courtesy to share this in person or at least on the phone, not in an email, text, IM or voice mail. Having been broken…
Does he want in your life — or just in your bedroom?
I had a hot and heavy relationship with a man I dated for 5 months. It was one of those instant chemistry situations and after our second date we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. We saw each other once a week, sometimes for several days, even though he lived less than an hour…
