Don't try to be their parent RULE 38 You should be a lot of things to your partner: friend, lover, compan- ion, confidant(e), ally, comforter. One thing you shouldn't be is their parent. They're grown-up and they don't need one of those any more, at least not beyond any they've got already. Your partner is an independent and mature person who can run their own life. They choose to spend it with you, for which I hope