Dear Athena
Column
Issue date: 1/23/06 Section: Entertainment
Dear Athena,
The other night my girlfriend told me she was in love with me. We have been together a year. She tells me "I love you" all the time and expects me to say it back. I do love her. I am just not in love with her. I mean we are only 19. It's not that serious. What do I tell her the next time she drops me the "I love you" line?
Young
Dear Young,
Wow, how many times do you think I have heard this?
We all need to love and be loved. A year is not too soon for someone to fall in love. However, if you do not feel the same, do not tell her that you love her.
You can and should tell her how you feel, "drop her the lines" you dropped me, "I love you, but I am not in love with you."
There is nothing wrong with confessing your feelings.
Dear Athena,
I feel like my roommate is bipolar. One minute she is up and the next she is down. She can be crying and very mad, then in 10 minutes laughing and joking around.
We are good friends, but her mood swings drive me nuts, and I hate watching her hurt other people because she is two-faced. So Athena, I need your advice, what can I do to help my roommate?
Woe Is Me
Dear Me,
Do not go around and diagnose your roommate! She can just be very emotional.
The first thing you can do is just be there for her. Ask her why she is sad and remind her of what she is feeling when she is happy. Some people are like that because they are unstable.
So be stable in her life. If it is really that big of a problem, move out.
Dear Athena,
My girlfriend got me this watch for my birthday that I hate. I can never wear it because it is so ugly. She always confronts me as to why I am not wearing it. I can't tell her that it's because I don't like it. That would make her so sad. What do I do?
Time
Dear Time,
Wear the watch! How hard can it be to put it on once in a while? Maybe just put it on around her when you don't go out, or cover it with a long sleeve.
I need you to remember, it is the thought that counts.
The other night my girlfriend told me she was in love with me. We have been together a year. She tells me "I love you" all the time and expects me to say it back. I do love her. I am just not in love with her. I mean we are only 19. It's not that serious. What do I tell her the next time she drops me the "I love you" line?
Young
Dear Young,
Wow, how many times do you think I have heard this?
We all need to love and be loved. A year is not too soon for someone to fall in love. However, if you do not feel the same, do not tell her that you love her.
You can and should tell her how you feel, "drop her the lines" you dropped me, "I love you, but I am not in love with you."
There is nothing wrong with confessing your feelings.
Dear Athena,
I feel like my roommate is bipolar. One minute she is up and the next she is down. She can be crying and very mad, then in 10 minutes laughing and joking around.
We are good friends, but her mood swings drive me nuts, and I hate watching her hurt other people because she is two-faced. So Athena, I need your advice, what can I do to help my roommate?
Woe Is Me
Dear Me,
Do not go around and diagnose your roommate! She can just be very emotional.
The first thing you can do is just be there for her. Ask her why she is sad and remind her of what she is feeling when she is happy. Some people are like that because they are unstable.
So be stable in her life. If it is really that big of a problem, move out.
Dear Athena,
My girlfriend got me this watch for my birthday that I hate. I can never wear it because it is so ugly. She always confronts me as to why I am not wearing it. I can't tell her that it's because I don't like it. That would make her so sad. What do I do?
Time
Dear Time,
Wear the watch! How hard can it be to put it on once in a while? Maybe just put it on around her when you don't go out, or cover it with a long sleeve.
I need you to remember, it is the thought that counts.