expectations

They're on My Case About Being Unmarried

Hi Karen, I’m going to my family’s home in Ohio for Christmas, and I am dreading it.  I’ll be around a bunch of nosy, judgmental family members that I don’t even like, and they’re going to get on my case about being unmarried.  I hate it!  It happens every year, and...

read more

Having Happy Holidays

This can be such a challenging time of year for people, partly because our expectations of experiencing all this joy, fun, love and happiness (that’s supposed to be abundant in our lives through the holidays) may not actually be happening. In fact, quite the opposite...

read more

Getting Through Fairy-Tale-Itis

Dear Karen, I was recently dating a man who I thought was “the one”.  Things were going along well, and then “Boom!” – he dumped me.  There had been a couple of things that I had seen along the way, but I thought we were still fine.  I am so shocked and hurt.  How can...

read more

Enjoy Your Life – It’s Very Attractive!

Dear Karen, There are so many things I’d love to be doing, but I don’t want to get involved with things and miss a chance to find someone to be in a relationship with.  I’m scared to be single for the rest of my life, and getting into things before I’ve met someone...

read more

He Cannot Read Your Mind

Dear Karen, I’m really getting back out there and dating, after a painful breakup.  I have a question about something that comes up for me quite a bit; I believe that if a man really cares about you, he should intuitively know what you need.  Do you agree with me on...

read more

Why Can’t Men Handle This?

Dear Karen, I've started dating online again and I am astonished at literally the countless number of men's profiles who say "no drama please".  What exactly do they mean by this?  I feel as though either they are unrealistic about relationships or they don't...

read more

Where Are The Great Men – And How Do I Attract One?

Dear Karen, I have been on a few online dating sites, and am just not having any luck!  I feel like I’ve got a great profile, I’m attractive and fun, but all I seem to meet is one jerk after another!  It’s so annoying!  I kinda feel like I want to throw in the towel,...

read more

Dating Is A Great Mirror

Dear Karen, I often wonder what I appear like on a date.  Do I seem interested?  Too independent?  I wish I could take a hidden video camera just to see what I seem like.  Sometimes, a man may not call back, and I do wonder: “Was the karma not right?  Me? Him?  Just...

read more

The Trouble with Valentine's Day

The Trouble with Valentine’s Day If you’re like most women (from my observations), you can get yourself fairly worked up leading up to Valentine’s Day...and the media sure does throw gas on that fire!   Note: If you’re a woman who doesn’t get emotionally hooked by...

read more

Never Do Anything You’re Not Ready To Do

Dear Karen, I went on a date with a man I thought was nice, and I would like to see him again.  You may be wondering what the problem is. Well, he kissed me, and I wasn’t ready for that yet.  How should I handle this in the future? - Sarah Dear Sarah, What a juicy...

read more

Long Distance is Not the Big Problem

Hi, Karen, I met a man on Match.com last year, after a very long “man drought”.  He was so sweet, he loves to dance - which is very important to me - and he was really into me…he “hit me like a ton of bricks”!  Here’s my problem: he lives in Georgia six months out of...

read more

Can He Change His Mind and Commit?

Dear Karen, I’ve been dating a man for the past couple of months, and I’m crazy about him.  I’ve never connected with someone so well, or so deeply.  My only issue is that he’s told me that he is not interested in being in a committed relationship (he’s just gotten...

read more

Meeting Each Other's Physical Needs

 Dear Karen,  Please help me figure out how to talk with my husband about the fact that he’s become kind of a “shlump” – he’s gained weight, he doesn’t really care how he dresses, and he’s not that interested in sex these days.  He was pretty hot when we first got...

read more

He's Out of Work, You're Out of Patience

Dear Karen,  My partner has been unemployed for a few months now, and has basically moved in with me.  I don’t feel financially strained to have him here, but I'm running out of patience.  I don’t think he is working hard enough to get a job.  I need him to support me...

read more

Set Him Up To Succeed

Dear Karen,  It’s that time of year again – my husband will invariably get me something I don’t want for Christmas, and ignore what I’ve told him I do want.  Again.  It wasn’t always like this…for the first few years, he tried to listen and to give me what I wanted. ...

read more

The Trouble With Valentine's Day

If you’re like most women (from my observations), you can get yourself fairly worked up leading up to Valentine’s Day...and the media sure does throw gas on that fire!   Note: If you’re a woman who doesn’t get emotionally hooked by this “Hallmark holiday”, you may...

read more