Our little Chihuahua begging our sweet Bullmastiff
not to eat her. They are both so adorable.
Photo Taken By:
Always Marsha
Dear Lily
I have been dating a man for a year and 6 months now. He is very funny and passionate about life. There are a lot of things I like about him, but there a few things about him that makes me feel as though our relationship will not be able to last over time. He is 28 and and I’m 21. He is constantly talking about marriage and children. I often try to avoid the discussion altogether because I know that I am truly not ready to go through with such a major change any time soon. He does not put out the effort to spend quality time with me and is also quite cheap which are some of the main reasons why I cannot see myself marrying him. I see him twice a week at most and we usually end up staying in, instead of going out to dinner or doing activities I love. Finally, he expects me to be supportive of all his interests even though he is rather indifferent to mine. I have discussed my issues with him on several occasions to no avail. At times he does change but the change is never permanent, as he always ends up reverting back to his old ways. What should I do? Please help
Lily
Dear Lily,
The first thought coming to mind while reading your post was that he is 28 years old and probably ready to settle down while you are 21 and still experiencing life in a youthful passion. He is demonstrating a mature, older fashioned style of a relationship by choosing to stay indoors, and you are probably still looking for a good time out on the town with him and your friends. Staying indoors is quality time at its finest. During this time, you are both getting to know each other on a personal level and should be able to see each others true selves.
Treading a Fine Line
Almost a year ago now, I met an absolutely amazing guy online. As I am fully aware of some of the more sinister characters on the Internet who try to earn your trust for dishonest reasons, I was rather wary at first when he admitted that he liked me, but after a while I accepted that he really is who he said he was, and since then we’ve had a wonderful relationship that has greatly enhanced both of our lives, even though we live in different countries and neither of us has had the chance to visit in person as of yet. I am extremely shy and quiet at all times and have a fear of being judged by other people, and only average-looking, so talking to guys, never mind dating, has always been difficult if not impossible for me. I use Internet message boards as a way of expressing who I really am, and I suppose that’s why my now-boyfriend was attracted to me. The only problem is the fact that I am 18 (he is 19) and still living at my parents’ house with no chance of moving out in sight. I would be fine with this if not for the fact that they have a strong bias towards online dating and communication with “strangers” over the Internet in general. They’ve done as well as can be expected from any parent for me, but we do not have much in common, and so I spend most of my time in my room talking to him and doing homework and such.
This has caused them to grow increasingly “concerned” (AKA nosy) about what I’m doing on the computer, and have tried on many occasions to worm the truth out of me. I am not sure how they would react if I told them about my boyfriend, but my greatest fear is the possibility that they may forbid me from going on the Internet at all and subsequently take away my one connection with the one I love and my way to express my true self. However, I also feel that if I don’t tell them, they will eventually find out what I’m doing by force and without my consent and perhaps get me in even more trouble. Leaving him is not even close to an option, I love him more than I thought it was possible to love another human being, and do not want to lose that. What should I do about the situation with my parents?
-Treading a Fine Line
Dear Treading a Fine Line,
