Let's Talk Commitment (Page 11)

Reader Question: I have been single for years! I'm ready to have a relationship again, and I'm not getting younger! I have met a perfect guy. We both have been widowed for more than six years. I put my pictures away but not my memories. I am concerned because he has his wife’s picture hanging over the fireplace, and he asked me to accept that it won't be removed. I know he loved her, and I would never ask him to...

Reader Question: I needed a date for an occasion and my friend told me about this guy she knew. We went out for dinner and a movie for a first date. Something I partially regret to this day is we had sex that same night. We do everything couples do like hug, kiss and go out, but I’m still not his girlfriend and it's been half a year. I'm just confused on why we haven't moved on to the next step yet? I do have...

When it comes to meeting a guy's parents, all I can think about is how stressful it is to watch any of the “Meet the Parents” movies. During the entire two hours, I’m screaming at the TV, “Focker, get out of there. I don’t care how much you love your girlfriend/fiance/wife, these people are crazy!” In real life, a.k.a. not the Silver Screen, knowing when to meet the parents is an actual issue many women have to...

So many people I council talk about love as if it’s something you find — a thing, a person, a place. Love may be a feeling but it certainly isn’t a noun. Love is not something you capture. You don’t just suddenly stumble upon it like a treasure chest left on a sidewalk. Love is something you do. It’s something you build. And to keep love alive, you simply do more. Love is an action word. It’s a verb. It involves...

There are a million ways to propose to your girlfriend. Whether you ride in on horseback or simply take her to a fancy restaurant, it depends on your style and budget, but there are some things that all decent proposals have in common. A proposal should be romantic, memorable and creative. “Creative” does not mean “crazy,” so keep it real and keep it personal. Make it private and special, away from friends and...

Reader Question: I have to decide between two women. Please know, I am not by any standards dating either one of these women, and neither of them know of the other yet. I ask for your decision because I have tried many times in the past and have either failed miserably or have been drastically let down. With the first woman, I could see our whole lives together. We met three weeks or so ago. We have a great...

Hearing the phrase “summer romance” reminds me of the 1978 film “Grease,” where good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fall in love over the summer and then unexpectedly discover that they’re going to the same high school. The gist of the movie is that the two lovebirds never thought they’d see each other past the summer and the struggle that goes along with transforming a summer love into an everlasting love. So...

As our culture’s premier popular art form, movies produce a profound effect on how we view and define our relationships. But are the movies really telling us the truth about what love is and isn’t? Let’s take a quick look at some of the most famous movie quotes of all time on love and see how they measure up to reality! 1. “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” — “Love Story” If only this were true!...

He contributed half of the DNA and character-building for the man you love, so your boyfriend’s dad is probably a pretty cool dude. With Father’s Day right around the corner, you might want to honor him with a gift that will both show your appreciation and maybe even endear you to him a little more, too. Don’t know what to get him? Here are some ideas that he is bound to like. 1. Spirits and Ale It may seem a...

Reader question: I met this guy on Match a month ago. I'm crazy about him. We had the talk and I told him I can't date several people at the same time, and he told me he's the same way. Now a friend saw him on another dating site, POF, and saw he spruced up his profile after the weekend he met me. Obviously, he's still looking around. I already feel lied to but how do I approach this subject with him?" -Britt M....

There are few aspects of a relationship more difficult than running into serious problems and finding yourself faced with making the decision between salvaging your connection or cutting ties. In that moment, you will find yourself coming up with just as many reasons to stay as reasons to move on. Why is it so difficult to determine whether a relationship is worth saving or not? What worked? Your relationship...

Kids are noisy, messy, expensive and require a lot of upkeep. They’re also hilarious, unconditionally loving and cuddly little rascals. If you’re one of those women who has never liked kids and never planned on having any of your own, why should a man change that? It’s OK to admit that you’re just not the maternal type. In fact, a lot of women end up having babies because they think that’s their role in society....

If you’re young and living at home, you should introduce a new girl to your parents right away. If you are older and your parents live two time zones away, you should wait until you’re in a committed relationship or living together. Let’s suppose that you are either living with your parents or they live in the same town as you. There are probably a lot of times that you swing by for some reason — to borrow dad’s...

Figuring out what to do for your own mom on Mother’s Day may be nerve-racking, but it’s nothing compared to knowing what to do for your boyfriend’s mom when the second Sunday of May comes around. While your relationship with your own mom is pretty clear-cut, the expectations lying between you and your boyfriend’s mom are far more open to variation and interpretation. Before deciding what you should do for your...

Typically, monogamy is the end goal most women have when it comes to dating. Although there are plenty of women out there who engage in alternative lifestyles, generally speaking, most of us want to be with one man and we want him to be with only us. I, like most, consider myself a one-man woman and expect the same in return. I may be a rare breed, but I have never cheated because being in a committed relationship is...

As much as all of us may bemoan the fact that we can’t simply be open and direct with how we feel and what we desire, in our heart of hearts we all understand that any suitor who approaches us with 100% honesty about their intentions can be intimidating and often ruin their chances of earning our true affections. Which is why, as counterintuitive and frustrating as it may be, you can never just come right out and...

Women like titles — that’s just how we are. Whether we want to be someone’s “girlfriend” in middle school and high school, a “fiancé” in our 20s or “wife” in our 30s, ladies like to know where they stand. That’s why — like it or not — we will most likely check your Facebook profile until you change your status to “in a relationship.” If you are in a relationship with a woman out in the “real world,” then you...

You’ve won her heart, and your private time together is amazing. But there is still one more hurdle you need to clear before you can really become a fixture in her life. Even more than winning over her parents or her dog, it is imperative you are accepted by her friends. Here are some of the do's and don'ts that can help you make a good impression. Do be attentive. Her friends care about this girl in a way you...

Tarzan and Jane had little in common on a lifestyle level, but they still found a way to build a pretty darn good life together. More and more often in this age of the modern, empowered woman, we find ourselves attracted to fabulous ladies with whom we seem to share no common interests. Is it worth the effort to try to make it work? Well, if she is the sweetheart that rings your bell, then damn the torpedoes! Full...

Long-distance relationships are a challenge but they can be done. In many ways, a long-distance relationship is much more enjoyable than the one that affords a couple the opportunities to see each other every day. It’s like the old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” When two people are only able to see each other on occasion, it makes those occasions that much more special and intimate. Long-distance...

There's nothing quite as exciting as the first few months of a relationship. From the first time they catch your eye to the realization they feel the same way, it can all seem like a dream. Even the most dysfunctional dater can get through the 90-day honeymoon (read: lust) period of a relationship. It's what you do once the dust has settled that determines whether or not you're a keeper. 1. Embrace the new phase in...

Some three little words are so easy to say. "What’s for dinner?" "I’ll have decaf." "Bond. James Bond." But there are three little words, specifically when put together, that can feel like the hardest words in the English language to say - I love you. Why is it so easy for women to say it to their dogs or to that picture of Ryan Gosling hidden in their wallet, but they won’t be the first ones to say it...

A woman is an important element of a man’s life. The right woman is the most important element. Why, then, are so many men — strong, fearless, and competent in most matters — so cowardly and clueless when it comes to saying, “I’m with her”? Labeling a relationship seems to come so easily for women. They will proudly stand next to our scrawny, bony body or balding, chubby form and cheerfully proclaim, “This is my...

So three months have rolled around since you started dating Mr. Perfect and it’s the point in the relationship where you make it exclusive, keep chugging along or break it off. He’s everything you’ve been looking for in a guy, but the only problem is you are ready to take the next step. How do you tell him you want to be his girlfriend without scaring him off? How do you have the “talk” with him? Go over the...