Today, readers respond to Reg, the nice guy who no woman seems to want.

MORGAN: I dated one of those self-defined nice guys. He was kind, tall, handsome, interesting, a working professional and totally into me. However, I ended it a few months later. Why would a 35-year-old divorcee pass up a tall, handsome, employed, interesting guy who found me irresistible? Well, we were completely wrong for each other. He was a together person, as in "let's do everything together!" I'm the opposite, as in "I want to be close to someone who leaves me alone." He loved the idea of us cleaning his house together or mowing my grass. I don't want to clean my own house, let alone someone else's, and I actually like to mow my grass, which he never understood.

Once, he dropped by without calling to bring me some cookies, and then he called 10 minutes after he'd left to see how I had enjoyed them. If dropping by unannounced was a red flag, there was a United Nations assembly of flags flying after I told him that I hadn't eaten any yet. He asked why. Actually, he whined, "Whyyyyyyyyyy?"

I was supposed to be gushing and grateful of his thoughtful gesture. But to me, the gesture invaded my personal space, showered me with empty calories and resulted in emotional punishment.

My current boyfriend is one of those ostensible jerks that "nice" guys find incomprehensible. But in reality, he's not a jerk! He's thoroughly aware of who he is and what he has to offer, and he's able to be honest about it. I've learned from him how to do the same.

He accepts the real me, even if he doesn't always understand certain things (like my liking solitude, while he's a people-person). He's loyal, respectful, hilarious and devastatingly handsome. Best of all, his perception of togetherness is giving me what I need and ask for (when he has it), not what he thinks I need or should have. Being with him is an utter relief.

BARB: Please tell Reg not to show his hopeless romantic side at first. I guarantee he's coming on too strong. He needs to back off and act a bit standoffish until a woman falls for him. Then he can slowly begin to show his mushy side.

JILLIAN: A few of Reg's statements immediately stood out. He said he was "a hopeless romantic and dying for a serious relationship." When I was single, I met a lot of guys with this same pattern: They're so in love with the idea of a relationship that they don't both to get to know a real woman.

Romance means something different to everyone. I once talked to a guy who said he would bring me flowers all the time and treat me like a princess, and I was crazy not to be interested in him. But I don't care about flowers and I can take care of myself. The guy didn't make me laugh, period.

And Reg's language — "Sorry, ladies" and "Put on your big-girl panties" — is offensive, condescending and ridiculous. This kind of talk is what the middle-finger emoji was invented for.

Men should treat women with respect, the same kind of respect every human being deserves. They shouldn't treat us like delicate flowers that must be coddled. And they should never act desperate. What a turnoff!

Got a problem? Send it, along with your questions and rants to [email protected]. And check out my e-book, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front."