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]
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]
Signs You’ve Found The One
There are so many chapters in the book of love. Sure, it’s a cliché, but the Monotones were onto something with that iconic 1958 pop song. The chapters may not be exactly as outlined in their lyrics, but it’s essentially true that you can’t really skip to the end. It’s a process. So if you [read more]
Is there more to compatibility than a Princeton degree?
Back in 2013 Susan Patton doled out advice to young Princeton women to find a husband before they graduate or be doomed. In case anyone is still thinking this way, I want to say a few things about compatibility and the criteria for finding a partner. As I’ve emphasized before, to figure out what makes [read more]
Age… Does it Matter?
Of course age doesn’t matter. Age discrimination is an appalling fact of life in all walks of life, and many young people feel marginalized as much as their seniors. Older people are judged as “expired,” “invalid,” “out of touch,” and the young as “naïve,” “ignorant” and “clueless.” But equality issues aside—what about age and dating? [read more]