DEAR ABBY: I am a 38-year-old single mother of two. There is a man at work I find attractive, and he's giving me signals that the feeling is mutual. The problem? I've made it a strict policy never to date anyone at work, at church or in my neighborhood because of problems that can occur if there's a breakup.
It's something I've never experienced firsthand, but I've seen it numerous times. When two people split up, there's often tension, hurt feelings and back-stabbing.
As interested as I am in my co-worker, I'm afraid of what could happen to our professional relationship should we become a couple and it doesn't work out. Am I being too cautious? -- TRYING TO BE SMART IN PHILLY
DEAR TRYING TO BE SMART: While it's my opinion that workplace romances (as common as they are) are a bad idea for the reasons you have mentioned, I do think that by not dating men from the neighborhood or church, you are severely limiting yourself. Social opportunities present themselves in the places you present yourself.