relationships

Some women are good parents, some are good career people, and some women fail as they try to outshine the more-than-capable women in the world in both areas. Just be happy doing your best. Don't overly diversify your realm of influence or you won't likely succeed significantly in any of it. If the economy has taught me anything, it's that specialized expertise combined with 24-hour dedication is what wins out over diversifying responsibility and risk.

It should NEVER be stigmatized. For either sex. Thanks for including a 50-something - there's a difference between living alone at that age and your late 20s.

I am in my late 50's and live alone. None of my single girl friends date. None of my married girl friends think that they would date if they lost their husbands. Once the hormones go away, there is no driving reason the put up with a man around the house telling you what to do, asking for services like a hot meal and spending your money on his toys. Sorry boys, you lost your charm years ago.

to the writer: who exactly makes up this 40% of the people who live alone in Mpls; widows, widowers, divorcee without children, and never been married without roommates. Without this information, this article is incomplete.

"Being single is better than being in an unhappy relationship." How true that is. I'm about to leave my single life, but I've been happy and independent for many years, including owning a home for more than a decade. I'd like to think my generation of singles made it better for the ones that followed.

Thanks for recognizing "the other 40%." According to the 2010 US Census, at least 26% of American households are composed of those who live alone - more than 1 in 4! My passion is to generate ways to link individuals through meaningful social connections. We all need strong social ties with others, regardless of marital status. For resources on this topic - www.planbconnections.com. Thanks for this article, Star Tribune - way to go!