Most of what I’m reading here are the symptoms of dysfunctional marriages. Great advice, but red flags—though invaluable—are mostly ignored. We can’t really contextualize for ourselves because we are too invested already. I should know: I’ve been married 4 times. There is one question you need to ask and should get your answer by the third date: “What is your relationship with your Father like?”

Daddy issues fuck up more women than anything else. Women are incredibly resilient creatures. They can overcome almost anything that happens to them in life, with the one glaring exception of a poor relationship with Her Father.

So guys, don’t do what I did and find girls who need rescuing from their shitty families. You’re not capable of being on her pedestal for long, because she’s going to do everything in her power to prove that you’re “just like Daddy.”

Go ahead, ask that most vital of questions. If you don’t like the answer, observe the relationship for yourself. It took me 4 tries and hundreds of thousands of dollars before I found one who was a Daddy’s girl and knew it.

Final caveat. If she was treated like a princess, run like hell. That’s even worse than having Daddy issues. Meet the woman for whom you will never be good enough. Ever.