Will he ever stop cheating?

Dear Lynsey,

I have been dating a man for several years. The relationship has had many challenges, but somehow we manage to stay together. My biggest issue with him is the constant betrayal with other women. We have had this argument many times and each time he tells me he will change. I want to believe him, but I continue to find evidence of other females. Is it possible for him to change? I have tried to be strong and hang in there, but I am not getting any younger and I sometimes wonder if I am wasting my time. When I try to pull away he begs me to come back. I feel torn as to how I should handle him. I know I need to do something different because I feel like I am going in circles.

Sincerely,

Sue

Dear Sue,

Betrayal is never easy and it chips away at the foundation of a relationship. Once the trust is gone, it is very hard to get it back. Regarding the possibility of him cheating again, you only need to look at the past to see the future. He seems to have established a pattern of cheating, begging forgiveness and cheating again. The real question is how much do you respect yourself and why are you tolerating this sort of behavior? If you stand strong in your beliefs of what you will and will not tolerate, then your boyfriend has one of two options: he can either change his ways or leave. Respecting yourself means standing behind your belief system no matter what the outcome. If he decides to leave, understand it is for the best and he is doing you a favor. If he elects to stay, make him accountable and do not let him slide if it happens again.

Lynsey