I’m 31 years old and I’ve never been in relationship, nor have I ever been in love. I look at couples — married, cohabiting, dating — and I’m so envious of their ability to open up and create something with another person. Sometimes I feel like I’m too broken to even be considered by the universe […]
I’m 31 and live in Brooklyn. My problem: I keep attracting perfectly nice, smart, but utterly self-absorbed men. I’m a giver and a nurturer. I like listening to other people talk about their problems/interests/days/whatever. I like offering advice and think I’m good at it. I truly am happy to show my partners that I l […]
I’m discouraged about dating right now. I ended a five-year relationship when I moved to a new city four months ago. I now live close to my brother and I’m enjoying hanging out with him and his friends, but I’m struggling to find someone suitable to date. In the past couple of days, two guys […]
Like every other person who writes to you seeking wisdom, my story requires so much context and nuance I could write a novel but will try to spare you by giving the broad strokes. I also want to mention that simply having someone to write to about this is in and of itself therapeutic and […]
Should I tell my younger brother “Sean” that I think his new girlfriend “Jasmine” sucks? They’ve only been dating for a few months and I’ve met her three times. Each time we hung out, she doesn’t engage with me at all. When she wasn’t scrolling through her cell phone, she looked bored and uninterested in […]
My friend, who I’ll call Sophie, is driving me nuts. She’s a sweet, but also incredibly self-absorbed. I’m introverted, so I don’t mind being a sounding board, but she takes it to the next level. She spends almost every minute of every conversation talking about herself: her ex, the guys she’s dating now, her boss, […]
My best friend is in a new relationship. I’m really happy for her, but it seems like she ONLY wants to gab about this new fella, who I’ll call Louis. We talk about Louis for—I’m not kidding—hours on end. She doesn’t even ask about how my day’s going, she just talks endlessly about this guy: […]
My boyfriend “Jack” is always on his phone. Despite my repeated pleas to focus on me when we’re together, he brushes me off. If he’s awake, he’s in a loop checking Instagram, Facebook, and his various sports apps. It’s non-stop. How do I get him to stop fiddling with his feeds and pay attention to […]
Make It Stop is a new weekly column in which Anna Goldfarb — the blogger behind Shmitten Kitten and Shlooby Kitten — tells you what’s up. Want a fresh take on a stinky dilemma? Email anna@shmittenkitten.com with the subject “Make It Stop.” She’ll make it all better, or at least make you laugh. Girl Scout’s honor. First up, how […]
