When it comes to love . . . where's the line between deserving to have certain expectations fulfilled, and having standards that are too high? In particular I'm curious to know if you ever ended a relationship with someone you were in love with, and then went on to fall in love with someone else in a deeper and more enriching way. [more inside]
posted by lblair on Jan 11, 2009 - 21 answers

What do I buy my girlfriend that I'm not dating for her birthday? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 28, 2007 - 24 answers

I'm being given a second chance by my ex-boyfriend. Please help me not screw it up. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 26, 2007 - 25 answers

A close friend was cheated on and is devastated. What should I do to support him? [more inside]
posted by wireless on Jul 23, 2007 - 43 answers

What do I do about an old friend who wants to get back together with his old girlfriend, who I am now pursuing? They broke up a long time ago. [more inside]
posted by rhizome on Oct 26, 2006 - 30 answers

Well, it seems like the relationship is over, it's over, it's oooohver. What, if anything, can I do to distract, deflect, defer, deal with the pain? How do you say good-bye? [more inside]
posted by barnone on Sep 26, 2005 - 21 answers

My girlfriend cheated on me this weekend. I am beside myself with grief. How do I cope, and where do I go from here? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 12, 2005 - 58 answers

I'm a graduate student who has been dating a classmate for about a year and a half. She a nice girl for the most part and a mother. I should explain that she got pregnant at an early age (19) from an older man (about twice her age) and still managed to do well academically. While I realize that she is very well put together academically, emotionally she is not as mature a person as I would ideally like to be with. I recently broke up with her (or at least I thought I did), but ended up right back in her arms consoling her and attempting to stem the apparent emotional devastation this break up was causing. I have been clear about my issues and honest to no avail. What do I do to get out of this relationship? We live in the same building and function in the same atmosphere. I can live with her hating me. During the (mock) break-up she told me I was the best thing that ever happened to her and she can't let me go. I am only her second boyfriend (the first being the father of her child) and third person she's ever had sex with. She has a history of clinging. I imagine a lot of people would say sever this cold turkey, but theres no such thing for someone who clings so tightly and does not appear to have the emotional coping skills to deal with rejection. I am afraid of her hurting herself, the kid, me and so on. She has absolutely no friends outside of her sister who is a year younger, while I have many. She doesn't appear to be able to connect with anyone other than her sig. other (me) and her sister. She hates her mother, doesn't know her father that well and says she is unable to bond with her child (quote, " I don't really feel attached to the child"). This leaves me alone on an emotional island of sorts. Maybe we all need therapy. I have taken the issue of birth control into my own hands, as I am afraid if left to her we might 'accidentally' end up in babyland. A bad situation for all. Any ideas, I'm open.
posted by nmorgan on Jul 7, 2005 - 21 answers

How do you know your relationship is worth fighting for? Or, how do you know when to call it quits? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 11, 2005 - 25 answers