Draw the line

Stacy's got Jewish guilt. She's got boundaries. And a new beau who doesn't seem to grasp her boundaries.

He's good, this Ryan. Charming. Too charming. Knows what she likes without her having to say it. This means trouble.

Stacy came to me for advice. What should she do, she wondered. She didn't want to let him cross her boundary but she doesn't want to give him up.

I told her she had three choices as I saw it: (1) She could loosen up; (2) She could explain to him her boundaries in detail and maybe he'd understand; and, (3) If he didn't understand her boundaries after she explained them, she should dump him.

To this last one, she exclaimed that they weren't even dating.

But while she seemed to understand that there was no serious thing between the two of them, she didn't want to give up whatever they have.

She wondered aloud if she should just let go and have fun, be a kid.

Frankly, I have very few boundaries. As long as I feel I can respect myself afterward, I'll do it, whatever it is. Of course, I'm not Jewish. Or conservative.

Stacy is.

It all made me wonder: When it comes to boundaries, should we draw the line in dry-erase or permanent marker?

(The above image is of Leonardo DiCaprio and Amy Adams in 2004's Catch Me If You Can.)