littleL_RN

Giving my heart An easy donation To the most righteous cause Imposes no limit I won’t collapse Build a strong foundation Lay out the perfect plan To throw a wrench in it Love’s not without Its hasty twists and turns Our faith keeps us buckled Oh, our trust keeps us sound Vulnerable Doesn’t mean crash and burn We can still float on air With two feet on the ground I’ll stop questioning the miracle Even if it drops me low I know I’ll be lifted soon enough So this is me letting go

I feel like I've reached the highest pinnacle of worry. My period is not due for nearly 2 more weeks, and the EPT pregnancy test said the earliest it would possibly be accurate is 4 days before your expected period. And ironically enough, I also took one of the tests on Saturday; it eased my mind for the weekend. Now, it's Monday and I'm back to worrying, especially because I know that test was a cop-out.

Hey ladies. I just need a little guidance. I recently told you that last week, I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend. I am taking Yasmin birth control, and he did not ejaculate while inside of me. However, this past week, I have been feeling a little dizzy and now slightly nauseous. It is obviously too early to take a pregnancy test. Do you think I am just literally making myself sick and stressed over this or could I possibly be experiencing the earliest signs? It has been exactly 9 days. I am a mess.

Thanks, girls. I think what makes me most paranoid was the fact that during your period, you only take the 'inactive pills,' so I felt slightly unprotected. However, I do take the pills everyday religiously. I am going to try not to fret too much for now. Of course, I'm sure I'll be worrying like crazy come a week before my scheduled period.

A few days ago, I had sex with my boyfriend on the last day of my period. Although I am on the birth control pill and he did not finish, I am still fearing that I could get pregnant. What makes it worse is that my period won't even be due for another month. What do you think?

I don't think maturity is an issue either. I am just wondering now if other people's opinions, whether it be friends or family or the stranger on the bus, cause someone to think that an age gap in a romantic relationship is undesirable.

I've always dated men that were around my own age. But after my last relationship, I started to realize that I am just more compatible with men who are bit older. Maybe in the 25-30 category. Unfortunately, in my current situation, my age is working against me. I know there are probably certain stereotypes directed toward the 21 year-old demographic. Care-free. Irresponsible. Impulsive. I've listened to multiple theories that the person you are at 21 could change drastically by the time you reach 25 or 26. Ok, I'll buy that to an extent. But there's no way I will honor it as the absolute truth. I have decent goals and a (reasonably) stable personality I just don't see that changing anytime soon. I read a post by a guy that mentioned being the older, 24 year-old person in a relationship is tough, and that he couldn't take his 21 year-old girlfriend out with his friends. Why? This is so discouraging to me. Really, is this type of age gap the proverbial poison in a relationship? Do some men find it embarrassing to be dating a girl that is 3-5 years their junior?

Frisco - Thanks for the guidance! Sometimes, you just need a new pair of ears (or, in this case, eyes) to get the valuable advice you're looking for. I feel like you're probably right about it being a rebound situation, but is it always true that rebounds never amount to anything? I do actually like this guy. And I do reciprocate the 'I miss you's' and other things of that nature. But the 'I love you' definitely blew me away. But again, you're right. I have been conveniently avoiding an opportunity to actually address the situation.

I am desperate for an outside, unbiased opinion. I must warn you that it's a pretty lengthy story. This issue dates back to June. And some of you will probably wonder why I've maintained it for so long. I met a guy (we'll call him Bill) at the Jersey shore and really hit it off with him. Over the past few months, we have been dating on a very sporadic basis (about once every 2 weeks) but talking regularly, almost every night. We've both chalked it up to being busy, he with work and sports and I with work and school. We had never discussed any type of real commitment, and I assumed he was dating other people as well. BUT I was (and am still) very comfortable with how casual things have been since I had gotten out of a 2-year relationship 2 short weeks before I met Bill. Two weeks ago, Bill and I went out and, as usual, had a great time. We went back to his apartment that night and were kissing and he blurted out "I love you." Now, this was a little bit of a shock to me. It wasn't unusual for him to make "I miss you" comments or tell me I'm an "amazing woman" here and there, but this was heavy. My first thought was that he'd been drinking and probably now was biting his tongue, so I just kept kissing him and never replied. The night still went out without any awkwardness, and I left him feeling butterflies as always. Fast-forward to this past weekend. He had surgery on his ankle last Tuesday and is off his feet for a couple weeks. He asked me to come see him this past Saturday, but it did not happen b/c of a miscommunication (not important part of the story). Anyway, I talked to him on Sunday and this is where the disappointment begins. We somehow got on the topic of me being so young (21) and already working as a nurse. And it snowballed into him saying the following things: - "I feel like you got shortchanged because you've done so much with your career so early on and didnt get the chance to go out and go crazy" - "I think this is why I am so afraid to move forward with us" - "I REALLY like you, and I haven't been in this situation for a long time, if ever and I'm nervous" - "I feel like maybe you'll get into this deeper with me and wake up one day realizing you're a completely different woman and this is not what you want" - "I know you probably think we should have established something by now, and I dont want to hurt you. I just think maybe we should keep things where they are" ... That's pretty much the jist of his end. Of course, I responded to these things. Ultimately, I said I was fine with keeping things how they are. But this is the crazy part: I have NEVER pushed him for a commitment, so I wasn't sure why he came out with all that. Also, I gave him a couple opportunities to cut things off by saying "You're allowed to tell me you don't want to date anymore" and "I'd rather just know now if your intentions are to cut things off".. But he kept saying that's not what it is at all. I really like him and in no way want him out of my life. So I considered the following 2 things: 1) He is being a coward and is really just not that into me 2) He's petrified of commitment but actually does like me This is my PLEA for advice or feedback or insight. Whatever you will offer!