Relationship Concerns
A 56-year-old woman, who has been divorced after a 30-year marriage, is concerned about her current relationship with a man she calls "Tom". They have been together for 2.5 years, and she loves spending! time with him, except when they travel. Tom has a habit of looking at young women and smiling at them, which makes her feel disrespected.
The Issue
The woman feels that Tom’s behavior is feeding his ego, and he has even admitted to having to "settle" with someone at his age. When they are in public, Tom often turns his chair towards other women, making her feel like he is not fully present with her. She is torn between her love for him and the bad feeling she gets when he behaves this way.
Advice
It is possible to love someone and ignore their flaws, but the woman should focus on the fact that Tom said he has to "settle" with someone at his age. This suggests that he may not be fully committed to their relationship. The feeling of unease in her stomach when he behaves this way is her intuition telling her that she may not be safe with him.
Another Relationship Concern
A woman who has been happily married for 12 years is concerned about her relationship with her in-laws. She and her husband have a beautiful family, but he is not close to his family. When they visit, her in-laws always address her by her husband’s last name, even though she kept her own last name after marriage.
The Problem
The woman feels hurt and unaccepted by her in-laws, and she has asked her husband to talk to them about it. However, he refuses, telling her to let it go. She is torn between feeling loved and appreciated by her in-laws and feeling disrespected by their refusal to acknowledge her last name.
Advice
The woman should let go of the issue with her in-laws. Since she doesn’t have a close relationship with them, it’s not worth causing tension between her and her husband. She can simply ignore the envelopes addressed to her by her husband’s last name and focus on nurturing her relationship with her husband and children.
