Dear Donna,

I have been dating a lady this summer and I thought everything was going really well.

Her teenage daughter was staying with her dad in another state for the summer, but she has returned home and apparently she does not think her mother should be dating. I am trying to be understanding, but she has been divorced for three years and the bottom line seems to be that she does not want to see me anymore because it upsets her daughter. She does not even want to meet with me to discuss it.

Any suggestions? – Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

It could just be an excuse to stop seeing you because you are at that crucial two- to three-month mark in a new relationship where it often ends. Assuming she is sincere about her daughter having that kind of control over her mother’s dating life, you are better off knowing that sooner rather than later.

If she does not want to see you or meet with you to discuss it, put the ball in her court to call you if she changes her mind, but my guess is you will not hear from her and you should move on.

Dear Donna,

My boyfriend thinks I flirt too much with other men.

I feel like I am just being friendly and nice and I am the same way with women. I tried to explain to him that it is my nature to be friendly and I am definitely not flirting. He says he is not jealous and that it is disrespectful to him for me to be so friendly.

I find myself walking on eggshells when other men are around and it is starting to bother me. – Allison

Dear Allison,

You have to be yourself in a relationship. If you know you are just being friendly and not flirting, it is not up to you to convince him that you are not flirting.

If he was secure in the relationship I do not think he would be asking you to change who you are. Feeling like you are walking on eggshells is not a good sign in any relationship.

–

Donna Shugrue owns Perfectly Matched. Her column runs biweekly in Home and Family. Visit perfectlymatcheddating.com or email questions to donnashugrue@comcast.net.