if dating in middle school terrifies you, take stock of your concerns. don’t overwhelm yourself or your child with fears. instead, choose the top one or two to discuss calmly and without criticism. if you react reasonably, with a willingness to learn and be flexible, your child will trust your judgment and continue to seek your advice as the issues around dating become increasingly complex. your tween might show an interest in being more than friends with someone they know. …

as a dating author, you’d think a relationship newbie would be a red flag or something i wouldn’t have the patience for. instead of getting caught up in not having a romantic past, focus on everything you do have to offer. not having relationship experience doesn’t put you in a worse position than the people from your high school who were coupling up as early as fourteen. in no way, shape, or form should you get into a relationship because …

and while the practice of matchmaking goes way back (and may even give you flashbacks to your middle school chorus’ rendition of the fiddler on the roof song) — we’re certainly still seeing matchmaking reinvent itself in today’s dating scene. from not being afraid to go on a couple of bad dates to talking about your exes on a first date (yes, it can be a good thing! — stefanie safran, matchmaker at stef and the city “contrary to common …

the one person with whom it works proves to you, in the course of being together, that he or she really gets who you are. how in the world can you get back to opening yourself up to someone who has hurt you? and you can allow yourself time to heal from the hurts of the past, because that is a natural process that cannot be rushed. because your guard remains up (that was number one in this list), your …

and yet, as i prepared to leave for the conference, i knew that something was missing. later in the conversation, i asked her if she was planning to go to another well-known event for writers later that year. i confided that i’d grown up in a middle-class family of doctors and social workers, in a house without books where the television was almost always on. she describes it as the feeling that “you are me, i am you, it is …