I *always* love reading Amy, but today she is absolutely spectacular. Brilliant! Yes, better alone than with somebody who will make your life miserable and make you wish you *were* alone. A full-time mommy dream? Who these days has this dream? I am a perfectly middle-aged woman, and in my (not a small one) number of years, I have met very, very, very few women who wanted to be full-time moms all their lives.

What's the matter, Realist? Did somebody just dump you because she'd rather be alone than be with you? Maybe you need to face reality. Women don't have to settle anymore.
There are a whole lot of things that are worse than being alone. Being with a man who thinks he's God's gift to women, just because he is a man, is infinitely worse.

Thank you so much for an article like this. I am 33 years old, divorced for 3 years and a single mom. I have a great job and a great son. I believe that if male or female could find peace and happiness within themselves than the need to settle for what ever goes away. I just got done reading another article talking about people who are looking for a person to rescue them from themselves. Marriage is no longer the answer to having a happy, loving, stable and passion filled life. Also knowing that when you can find within yourself happiness you will never be alone no matter how old you are. You may have lonely days but I feel true lonlieness is different than being alone. You can be married and still experience lonileness. I know because I have been at that point. Thank you!

You are simply the greatest advice columnist ever! I have read your column for years now, and have never failed to nod my head and mentally scream 'YES!" while reading every one of your answers. What planet did that woman come from? Honestly - full-time mommy dream??!!! She must have been born 100 years ago, cause I don't know a single solitary woman with such a low self-expectation.

The letter from "Realist" is condescending to say the least. Maybe it has never occurred to this idiot that while 50 percent of women may be divorced or single, that there are a great number of women who choose to remain single. Three revered woman in our family, all over the age of 70, who are divorced or widowed for many years. Asked if they ever feel lonely or wish they found someone, they all said, "NO WAY!". The one thing they all agree is that they do not want to spend the rest of their lives in servitude to some man that wants to be taken care of; like cooking meals and washing their laundry. They love their independence and enjoy doing what they like without a man making the decisions for them. Realist may think half the population is suffering from loneliness, but the women in my family are celebrating their freedom.

Wow, Realist is out there doing research on the bad end that will come to women who are too picky to put up with him.