My boyfriend lacks romantic ambition. In our two years together, we've never gone out to dinner someplace I can wear a dress and heels, and he never brings me flowers or does anything for our anniversary or Valentine's Day. I've suggested he pick out lingerie he'd like to see me in and shown him how to set a romantic mood in our apartment. I've told him things like "Nothing makes me happier than fresh flowers, especially lilies," and tried flat-out asking him why he never brings me flowers. He said, "I was thinking about doing it yesterday, but then I forgot! But now that you've asked me, I don't want to because it will seem like I bought them just because you asked." When I encourage him to take initiative in planning a night out, he'll say that he's worried he'll choose wrong and that I complain about things I don't like, so I always end up deciding what we do. I know he loves me (from his other actions); I just want some romance! It's as important to me as good sex and intimacy. Should I just accept this as his flaw?

You two have a fairy-tale romance. Unfortunately, it's the part of the fairy tale where two elves stand around scratching themselves in a mud hut.

You aren't asking for much. It would just be nice if Valentine's Day felt like something other than a Tuesday and if, on some random Tuesday, he'd stop at the grocery store and pick you up some flowers. Otherwise, even St. Paddy's Day can be a downer. You'll see him getting himself a green paper hat and drinking two-for-one green beers -- which stands in stark contrast to how he celebrates your anniversary: by getting amnesia.

You've done everything but hand him a pictorial to-do list complete with store addresses and closing times. So what's stopping him? Well, maybe because he doesn't need this flowers and chocolates business, he thinks you shouldn't, either. And if he starts doing sweet things for you, he'll have to keep doing them. And we all know how buying flowers and making reservations at a restaurant with white tablecloths is like breaking rocks in a quarry.

The problem is, as I wrote in a recent column, women evolved to feel a need for commitment cues from men. They didn't have cute cards back in the Stone Age, but a thoughtful giftie of fresh roadkill (some wildebeest that got trampled by elephants) probably made some ancestral lady's heart go pitter-patter. And that's the point here. Falling in love isn't like falling in a big bottomless hole (one tumble and you're done). There's maintenance required. Your boyfriend should care about doing the little things that make you happy. If he doesn't, maybe instead of going for "long walks on the beach" (planned by you), he should be making short trips out to his car to load up boxes of his stuff.

Explain that you need him to do these things so you feel loved, and explain that the only way he can really go wrong is by doing nothing. Even the smallest remembrances count -- like scrawling a heart on a Post-it and anchoring it with a chocolate or drawing "You 'N' Me Forever" on your dirty car window. You, in turn, need to be sure you show appreciation for whatever effort he does make -- even as he's seductively drinking Champagne out of your scuzzy old bedroom slipper.

My boyfriend loves making fun of me, although he calls it "just ribbing." I'm not humorless, just tired of hearing about how badly I drive or how long I take to order food. Yesterday I mispronounced "cumin" while reading a recipe, and he had a field day. What ultimately bugs me is that I'm most often made the brunt of a joke when others are around to witness his hilarity.

Just because a convenient subject for humor presents itself (or you happen to pick it up in your car and take it out to a restaurant) doesn't mean you should seize the opportunity. If your current relationship were a movie, it would be "Eat Prey, Love." Good-natured teasing can be a bonding thing, but publicly making fun of somebody sensitive is often an act of aggression. It's possible that the behaviors your boyfriend "ribs" you about annoy him and his joking is scorn dressed up in clown shoes. Tell him that being the joke butt isn't working for you and that he either needs to find another source of material or another girlfriend. If he loves you, he'll take the mature, restrained approach to getting laughs and stand on a chair trying to light his farts on fire.

My commitment-phobic boyfriend of several years is also my neighbor. I resolved to make it work with him and then caught him on FriendFinder exchanging numerous messages with some woman in Tijuana. He claimed he was just being friendly. I asked if he'd correspond with a guy. He responded, "No. I'm not gay." Humiliatingly, I've let him use me for things he can't afford. (He's been unemployed for two years.) He sometimes showers at his tiny apartment but basically uses it for storage. He refuses to move in with me so we could pay expenses with money his grandma gives him for his rent, but he spends all his time at my place (where I pay for everything). He partakes of my cable TV, Internet, food, and beer, and he even eats food I buy specially for my 9-year-old son. Well, he's now my ex-boyfriend. As he's been many times before. What's with him? Is talking to some random woman on the Internet worth losing everything over?

Feminists have hammered into us girls that we aren't supposed to sit around dreaming of being rescued by some prince. Somehow, I don't think the alternative's supposed to be opting for the mooch neighbor who eats your kid's food while using your DSL to talk to some chiquita in Tijuana.

Reality, like angry little dogs, often bites. Every day, I wake up wishing for home-invasion housecleaners. But, as much as both Nature and I abhor a vacuum, at a certain point, I have to pull one out, lest my rugs provide shelter to a lot of little things with a lot of little legs. You, likewise, can pretend you've found Prince Charming, but that won't transform your Parasite Charming (not even if you throw both hands into the air and say "Poof!" six or seven times, very energetically).

Why do you keep taking him back? You're probably engaging in "future discounting," an econ term explaining how we're prone to forgo big benefits down the road for a small immediate reward. It helps to recognize that you'll be tempted to go for the quick fix. You'll be lonely some night and want a snuggle, rationalize all the reasons he isn't so bad after all, and before you know it, there'll be a familiar barnacle attaching itself to the beer tap on your hull.

To avoid backsliding, don't rely on yourself to gin up self-control in the moment; use tricks like "precommitment" to your goal, a strategy originated by Nobel Prize-winning economist Thomas Schelling and recommended by Dr. Roy Baumeister and John Tierney in their book, Willpower. Precommitment involves setting things up in advance so it's hard to cheat. Research suggests that two of the most helpful measures are recruiting others to monitor your progress and establishing financial penalties for relapse -- the higher, the better. It also helps to give yourself small rewards for daily good behavior. Maybe put aside $5 for each day you don't call him and give yourself occasional lump-sum rewards (like at the two months loser-free mark). The website stickK.com can help. (You can configure it to forfeit your money to a cause you hate if you fail.) Research from Baumeister's lab also suggests that practicing daily self-discipline unrelated to your goal (say, making yourself a weird green health shake every morning) increases overall self-control. This should increase your self-respect. Which should increase your chances of having a man in your life who sings your praises -- stuff like "your lips are like wine," not "your Wi-Fi's, like, free."

I've been delighted and humbled by my interactions with this girl who goes to my favorite coffee shop. She is in a band and probably has lots of dates and fans, but I keep picturing us together, and not just sexually -- making dinner, going on hikes, doing little couple-y things. I'm not sure why she'd want to go out with me, but I can't stop thinking about her.

It's the teenage fangirl approach to being a man. (Are your bedroom walls plastered with photos of her that you took while pretending to check your phone?) Here you are imagining this woman running slow-motion through a field of daisies into your arms. The reality: She's walking out of the coffee shop, probably without giving you a second thought. Yes, she might be out of your league. There's a way to know for sure in seconds, and it's by asking her out. Pining over a woman transforms her from a person to an unapproachable ideal. The more you grow your fantasy girl the more impossible it'll be for you to speak to the real deal. If you want an imaginary something in your life, have an imaginary goldfish. Should things go badly, you could make it die an imaginary death and flush it down your imaginary toilet.

I'm a 33-year-old nurse in a five-month "friends with benefits" thing with a doctor co-worker. I am only 18 months out of an abusive 10-year relationship and wanted something fun and light. We get along well, but he rarely asks me ahead of time about getting together. I know he has a busy schedule, but this bothers me. He will do anything I ask (give me a ride, buy me a coffee if I work late) but doesn't make kind gestures without being asked and doesn't talk about his feelings or inquire about mine. My biggest issue is that he doesn't compliment me. He once said his friend asked him how he got such a beautiful woman. But that's it. The crazy thing is, he doesn't even possess the qualities I want in a partner! Are my feelings here simply because he's here? Can I learn to separate my feelings from what we really have?

--Help, STAT

I bet the doc doesn't have patients show up at whim: "Hi, I was in the neighborhood, and I thought I'd have a physical."

It's understandable that you'd like a little more formal scheduling to your casual sex, but remember that the guy reads X-rays and MRIs, not minds. When you need medical attention -- or certain attention from a certain medical professional -- you need to make that known, same as you would with a friend: Don't be so available on a moment's notice and also ask him to make advance plans. (Enough with this "Undress and put on a robe; the doctor will be with you shortly.")

Although the reasoning department of your brain keeps telling you that you should be friends with benefits, there you are jonesing for girlfriend benefits (flattery, little prezzies, and all). Anthropologist John Marshall Townsend explains that women evolved an emotional alarm system to read whether a man would be a good provider and to compel them to seek cues of commitment. Some women feel especially emotionally connected to their partner following orgasm, probably due to the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin, although the most conclusive research is on rats and prairie voles, and your ability to send email suggests you are neither. Regardless, Townsend's surveys on casual sex showed that even when women fully intended to use and lose some himbo, many would wake up the next morning and find themselves longing for more from a guy they knew they wanted nothing more from.

An apple a day...mainly keeps the creditors away from the apple growers. To keep this doctor away, let on that you're longing to use him as a boyfriend instead of just for sex. The thing is, this seems like exactly the right time for you to have exactly the wrong man. Having your sex life staffed up can help you avoid any temptation to get into a relationship, and you can instead figure out and fix whatever led you to be in a 10-year emotionally abusive thing. You may ultimately find casual sex too upsetting, but understanding where your feelings are coming from might help you intellectualize your way out of letting them rule you. Regularly reviewing all the ways this guy's wrong for you is another way to put the meaningless back into meaningless sex. Remember, the only aisle you should be walking down with him is the one between your bed and your dresser. As that jewelry commercial (doesn't) go: "Every kiss begins with K-Y."

Why do men OFFER (as in, announce unasked) that they aren't dating anyone when that's a lie? I'm a busy 30-something woman, meeting men almost exclusively online. A guy will often tell me right away (on the first date) that he isn't seeing anyone. I stumble on the truth by accident on Facebook and what-have-you, lose trust for him, and stop seeing him.

The male brain is quick to note that eHarmony could be the ticket to eHarem. Even if a man's looking for "that special somebody," he may be dreaming of a stable of somebodies and feeling a little guilty about it. Or, maybe he's dating a few somebodies but "there's nobody" means "nobody of consequence." Women evolved to seek commitment from men, and men co-evolved to understand that. Sometimes even an okay guy will engage in some duplicity to make the initial sale -- waiting to see whether he's into you before he ditches Helga, Svetlana, and Amber. You likewise might consider going on a few more dates to see more of a man's character (or lack thereof) before making your final decision. Then again, maybe the best reason to ditch one of these liars is stupidity: a guy telling you he's all lonesome, he hasn't seen a women in years -- just hours after his last date was streamed live on the Internet from some bar.

I'm a retired pastor in my 50s. A nearby church wanted my help with their Christmas musical, and I asked my wife of five years, who played bass at my church, to join me. She became angry at this suggestion and said I should do my own thing on Christmas and she'd do hers. She then announced that she'd be spending Christmas Eve with her (single, lonely) ex-boyfriend, staying the night at his place and hiking with him on Christmas Day. I was taken aback. I said this had the "whiff of adultery" and wondered if she wanted to end the marriage. She flew into a rage. How could I even think of calling her an adulteress, etc.? Their overnight got canceled because his son came home for Christmas, but she's still mad -- barely talking to or looking at me. I confess, I'm a conflict avoider and in counseling for it. But what do I do about a woman whose rage can last for several hours to a month or more? Who gives me lengthy, pedantic lectures about how pathetic and hopeless I am? If I say "Then why don't you leave me?" she says "Because I love you."

Your wife has some creative interpretations of classic Christmas songs: "I'll be home for Christmas"? Naw. "You'll be home for Christmas, and I'll be sleeping over at my ex-boyfriend's." Question this in the slightest and the burning smell will be your chestnuts roasting over an open fire.

First, the obvious: Unless there's some previously agreed-upon "interesting" marital arrangement, wives do not get to have ex-boyfriend sleepovers. As for a pastor's wife picking Christmas for hers, what's the matter, was he busy on your wedding anniversary?

A "love" like hers sends chills down a man's spine -- that is, when the man happens to have one. Did you forget yours at the airport? Maybe leave it at a hotel? Although your wife is engaging in outrageous emotional abuse, your reaction -- your fear of her rage, which she uses to control you and get her way -- is what keeps it going. You might have had a different relationship dynamic (or a different woman altogether) if only you'd put your foot down -- stood up to her instead of always lying down and rolling over so she could better kick you in the head.

You should read "No More Mr. Nice Guy," by reformed doormat Dr. Robert Glover. Glover lays out how conflict-avoidant men go limp in the face of abuse because of their approval-seeking (driven by low self-worth and fear of abandonment) and their hiding of flaws and mistakes (instead of accepting themselves as fallible and human).

Transforming oneself from a chewtoy among men doesn't happen overnight. Until you build self-respect, act like somebody who has it. Set standards for how you'll be treated, and inform your exploding wife that you expect them to be met (which may take anger management), and tell her that you'll walk if the rage and unloving treatment continue. And mean it. So, if she wants to have a little overnight with her ex, tell her that's her prerogative -- when your divorce is final. Remember, you're never too old to be happy, and to instill healthy behavior, and to have something a little warmer and sexier at Christmas than a lecture about what a pathetic loser you are under the mistletoe.

I love good food and wine, but I hate cooking and I'm bad at it. When you're dating, it seems like you're supposed to cook your partner dinner at a certain point, especially if you're a woman. I think I'm at that point now, and I'm considering setting a nice table and ordering takeout. Will he think I'm not that interested if I don't break out the cookbook?

According to needlepointed pillows, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Actually, it's through his sternum with a big saw. I say that a bit defensively because I, too, love good food but spend all of my time slaving over a hot computer. (I don't cook; I heat.) Luckily, I have a boyfriend who likes to cook for me, but for some guys, a woman who doesn't cook is an automatic dealbreaker. For others, it's a bit of a bummer, but what matters is whether the woman otherwise is giving and shows in various ways that she wants to take care of them. You'll find out which kind of man you have when you're honest with him about who you are -- a woman who sets a beautiful table and serves a delicious dinner right out of "The Joy Of Calling Up The Chinese Restaurant And Giving Them Your Credit Card Number."