You’re a great mom, G. You can be really proud of breaking the cycle.
As for the third guy circling back - what’s your intuition on why this happens? Are you the undemanding fallback girl? Are these guys you rejected? Slacker guys just thumbing through their black book? Guys you rejected who just can’t take the hint? Or are these OLD guys you haven’t met in person yet, in which case it’s common behavior.
Trying to think back on my own “circle back” dating experiences. Although I’m still friends with most of the guys I dated, and I know a couple who would love it if I was interested in dating them again, but the only real “circle back” dating experience I can think of was Mr Big Lots.
He was a Love Avoidant guy who I broke up with because he was so unreliable (dude, don’t make a date with me then show up hours later or sometimes not at all! ). He came back after a while asking to try again, and even read the article on Love Avoidants that I gave him as a precondition to dating again. (I know he read it because he shared it with his mom and he shared her comments with me). But his behavior didn’t change so after a few more dates I broke it off again.
I suppose Spa Guy might count as a circle back but not really, since we were never anything but casual anyway.
Anyway - usually there’s a good reason why it didn’t work out the first time.
Girl - if you want to have casual sex with hockey guy or anyone else and THINK YOU CAN HANDLE IT, then go ahead. You’re a grown woman and sex is delightful. I think though that nobody wants to see you get hurt again by getting attached to a guy who is less invested in the relationship than you are.
