DEAR ABBY: I am a 30-year-old mother of a 5-year-old girl. I have been dating "Mack" for two years. Everything was great at first, but when I moved in with him things changed.
I don't have a car right now. I work less than a mile away, so I walk mostly and don't mind. The problem is, when Mack gets off work, he picks up his son and goes straight home. He doesn't call or text me to ask where I am, or drive by to see where my child and I are walking. When I arrive home, I'll find his son watching TV and Mack doing something else.
I keep telling him I need respect. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Temperatures are in the mid-90s here in the summer, and it can get to you when you're walking. -- UPSET MAMA IN TEXAS
DEAR UPSET: If you haven't asked Mack to pick you up when he leaves work so you're not stuck in the blazing heat -- with your child, yet -- you should. That he wouldn't think of it himself shows not only a lack of consideration for your feelings but also for your little girl's welfare.
Because his behavior has changed since you started living with him, consider this change to be a red flag. If things don't improve, start looking for other living arrangements for you and your daughter because it appears you and Mack do better when you're not cohabiting.