Dear Abby, How can I help my daughter who is entering yet another undoubtedly doomed relationship?

DEAR ABBY: Is there anything I can do to help my 55-year-old daughter, who has just started another undoubtedly doomed relationship? She quickly cohabitates with these men, usually in less than two months. My daughter then reinvents herself to live up to HIS ideal. Each time the relationship ended, it cost her dearly and negatively impacted her now adult children.

Despite all this, my daughter continued to work, although four years in one position is a long time. I’m afraid this last move will limit her job opportunities once the work-from-home trend subsides. Is this similar to dealing with a drug addict or alcoholic who has to seek help on his own? This roller coaster took its toll on me too. –MOM IN THE LINE

DEAR MOM: You can talk until you’re blue in the face—and I’m guessing you’ve tried more than once—to get your middle-aged daughter to understand that what she’s been doing hasn’t helped her. She is not a “drug addict” but is desperate to find a partner.

When your daughter finally realizes that she doesn’t have to twist herself into a pretzel to please a man, and that she’s okay just the way she is—a successful parent, a self-sufficient, self-sufficient person—she may not only feel better, but they will also have better luck finding a partner.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jean Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or PO Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.