"Why have you choosen to stay so long with someone

[Heywyre]

So Lou - are you wanting to start a whole new thread based just on this one question? YIKES!!

I have thought about my answer a little more and would like to add to it, if I may

Aside from the fact my parents, particularly my mother, were not there for me emotionally, I had a VERY hard time connecting at all with my mother. It seemed that no matter what I did, it was never good enough. Because of that, I developed very low self esteem as a child and it continued well into adulthood.

Perhaps that has also flowed over into my R, in thinking that I have to "settle" for what has been dealt me because I am still not good enough. I thought my low self esteem had disappeared a long time ago but I am wondering if somewhere deeper in my subconscious, there is a still that little girl that is "just not good enough" and doesn't deserve better than she now has