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Man-Masks
DEAR SUSAN: I loved your advice regarding playing games to keep a man; you couldn't have said it better! This issue reminds me of the novel "The Other Boleyn Girl," in which the young girls must spend their whole existence fighting for the …Read more.
Alchemy
DEAR SUSAN: I absolutely believe that former lovers can be friends. (Nearly every one of my former boyfriends is a dear friend of mine.) If you're willing to be someone's lover, you should first be his friend — and that means that even after …Read more.
Being Married
DEAR SUSAN: You were wondering about the advantages of being married. Even in these "concept of marriage as outdated" times, its advantages are overwhelming — most importantly, the legalities involved. Children — their custody, …Read more.
As Is
DEAR SUSAN: I guess that at this stage of life (age 63), I'm willing to be the exact same man a woman wants, as long as that doesn't involve change. Sounds kind of selfish at first hearing, but I expect to return the favor — or not find her …Read more.
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Practice on the C GroupDEAR SUSAN: I have to weigh in with my Internet dating experiences. After my divorce, when I felt ready to date, I signed up at Match.com to see what it was all about. I had no preferences about height and weight, but I did specify no smoking and asked for an age limit of 10 years older or younger than I was. I was so very nervous; I hadn't dated since the Carter administration. But my online dating experiences helped give me confidence, confidence to meet strangers and go on dates with them. Some online introductions died at the wink stage, some after an email, some after a phone conversation. The rest I met for coffee, but none of them got past the second or third date. Of my longer-term relationships, one was a chance meeting and lasted four months, and the other is in its fourth year and counting. But if I hadn't practiced dating, which helped me lose my fright, I'm not sure this could have ever happened. As I gradually became more confident, I became readier to meet someone special. It reminds me of something I learned in a sales seminar: First thing, make a list of three categories. The first one, A, is for people you're pretty sure will say yes. The B group consists of people who may say yes. C is made up of people you're pretty sure will say no. My suggestion is to get your practice on the C group. I don't mean to imply that everyone online is the C group, but it was online practice with men in that category that prepared me for the success I had in real life. I truly hope this helps someone else. — From the "Single File" blog DEAR BLOGGER: Your experiences help us understand the weird world of online dating because you detail for us your gradual growth, from (very) nervous neophyte to seasoned smoothie. Your maturation took a while because you were so new at the game, but you stayed with it and went toe-to-toe with its slights. (That's a lesson in itself, a tribute to your persistence.) Then you describe your judgments of the men you were meeting as you winnowed out the undesirables by their online responses, by phone conversations and by in-person meetings "for coffee." Through it all, your better sense prevailed, even as you resisted discouragement.
DEAR SUSAN: The advantages of being married, even in these "concept of marriage as outdated," are overwhelming. Most important are the legalities involved. Children — their visitation, custody and medical decisions — should be foremost. Who in his right mind could disagree with that? Then there are other issues, decisions to be made regarding property, bank accounts, paychecks, rented or cooperative apartments or houses. Need I continue? I think not. Then there's the personal satisfaction of introducing your life partner. Nothing gives me greater happiness than saying, "I'd like you to meet my wife." That magic word, wife, conjures up images unimaginable with any other term, especially "significant other." — From the "Single File" blog DEAR BLOGGER: My mother and I have this duel on a regular basis. And admittedly, I don't always have a snappy retort that makes sense. Moi: More and more often these days, when two people make a long-term commitment, they decide not to marry. And there seem to be fewer reasons to get married. They can have a family life, have children and live as a family, all without a marriage license. Way back when, they would reap the strong disapproval of their parents, their community, their children's teachers and other pillars of the community, but that disapproval doesn't seem to be so vehement anymore. They can have it all and still keep their single status. All current research confirms this, Mom. Mom's comeback: If two people are prepared to weather the storm together, to assume parental responsibilities and risk occasional boredom, why on earth don't they go all the way and get married? At this point, I pass the ball to you. If all those other conditions are in place — and they are for many couples living as committed mates enjoying family life, only not as signatories on a marriage license — what are the reasons for not marrying? Have a question for Susan? Send it to her in care of this newspaper or online at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2012 CREATORS.COM 
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