At one time, in our culture, “going steady” was the term for a commitment to an exclusive relationship without the finality of a marriage contract. Whether you “wore his pin” or “gave her your ring” – usually high school – going steady was a statement. We may not call it that any more, but deciding [read more]
Live together or Marry? 21st Century Options
A mere 50 years ago (which isn’t that long, really) everything was very different. There was still a huge stigma on couples who chose to live together “out of wedlock” as it was called, and parents whose children did so white-knuckled the social embarrassment until they could finally send out those wedding announcements. Aside from [read more]
How a Painful Breakup Can Lead to Personal Growth
Don’t kid yourself. Breaking up can be brutally difficult. In many cases, it is akin to losing someone to death. The loss is complete. Ties severed. Someone who once filled your life and heart is now gone. Don’t pretend “it’s okay” when it’s not. Let yourself experience it, in whatever way is right for you. [read more]
Are You Dating a Selfish Person?
Feeling a little invisible in your relationship? Wondering why your date’s version of give and take has a lot more take than give (which leaves you making up the difference)? Maybe you need to assess how you show up in your relationship, and whether you are looking out for yourself enough. On the other hand, [read more]
New Year’s Intentions
Have you ever thought about the difference between goals and intentions? Goals are about the future, and what we plan to do about getting there, specifically to the future we desire to manifest. I have written before about the importance of having clear relationship goals in order to end up in a partnership that is [read more]
Dating before Engagement: How Long?
You are probably familiar with the show, The Bachelor. One of the most persistent questions that arises among fans and critics of the show is: “Is 12 weeks long enough to know someone before asking for her hand in marriage?” 12 weeks, also known as 3 months, AKA 90 days. If you’ve never felt the [read more]
Are You a Career Dater?
How to Get Back on Track to Your Goal of True Love In the 1997 movie Picture Perfect, Kevin Bacon plays the role of the quintessential career dater. He never “finds the one” and instead moves from one conquest or short term relationship to another. In fact, he is only interested in unavailable women. Though [read more]
First Impressions
Have you ever read the first page of a book in a bookstore (if you still buy books that way, that is!) and decided not to buy it? It might have been a really great book, but you didn’t want to take the chance and spend the time to read 50 pages. It takes at [read more]