This was published in an advice Hax column, December 2015.
Advice from a single adult to married people (this was not written by me; it was written by a guest writer at the Hax column):
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On being single in a familial sea of marrieds:
I highly recommend that those who are married consider the following do’s and don’ts before they spend time with only one single person (or very few).
●Do not monopolize the conversation with discussions of your kids.
Being interested in keeping up with nieces, nephews and other relatives doesn’t mean wanting to hear a scene-by-scene description of little Sally’s role in the kindergarten play.
Besides being mind-numbingly boring, it can be disheartening to hear someone else go on about their joy in raising a child when you may never experience it for yourself.
●Do engage single people in conversations about their own lives such as job/career, hobbies or travel.
●Do not offer unasked-for advice. No one wants to hear: “Why don’t you join a dating service?”
If they’re in their 40s and wanted to get married, they’ve probably already tried anything you could think of, and then some.
Moreover, there are plenty who’ve gotten married without taking those steps you think are so “helpful.”
●Do offer to fix them up on a blind date if you know a potential match. Just don’t press them on it if they’re not interested.
●Above all, do NOT, and I mean never, ever ask, “Why haven’t you gotten married?” or, “Why don’t you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?” These dreaded questions imply that a single person must be aberrant or have something wrong. More importantly, it’s no one’s business but their own.
[signed]
Single Sympathizer
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Related Posts:
(Link): 10 Things Never to Say to a Single Girl (article)
(Link): Stop Telling Your Single Friends to Try Dating Sites – Please.
(Link): Singleness Is Not A Gift
(Link): Five Things Single Women Hate to Hear
(Link): Article: My Savior My Spouse? – Is God or Jesus Your Husband Isaiah 54:5
(Link): Following the Usual Advice Won’t Get You Dates or Married – Even Celebrities Have A Hard Time
(Link): Fifteen Things You Shouldn’t Say or Do To Your Single Friends
(Link): Responding to the Cliche’ ‘Jesus Is All You Need’ – Christian never married lonely single
(Link): Christian Singles Never Marrieds – it’s okay to get your needs met
(Link): Responding to the Cliche’ “Jesus Is All You Need” – Re Christian Singles
(Link): The Problem with Platitudes – for Christian single over 35 years old never married
Because most sermons about singleness are chock full of cliche’s-
(Link): Topics Preachers Should or Shouldn’t Mention When Discussing Singlehood
(Link): Same Old Tired Advice to Christian Singles
(Link): Singleness and Scripture – responding to Christian myths about singleness
(Link): Unmarried Christian Women Ain’t Got Time Fo’ Dat!
(Link): Annoyances of Being a Christian Single
(Link): Stop Telling Your Single Friends to Try Dating Sites – Please.
(Link): List of Christian Singlehood Annoyances, Part 1
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