I have a fairly large circle of friends and one of the questions that comes up a lot is: Why do men leave women? This is often followed by an explanation of how devoted the woman was and how she cared for her boyfriend and did everything she could to make him happy. From a man’s point of view, that may be part of the problem.

Let’s look at some reasons why men leave women.

1. The woman is too pushy. Men really like a little freedom, if you insist on being around all the time and calling him every hour or so, the guy will be out the door faster than you can say “Where are you taking me tonight?” . Give her space and you’ll be surprised how she responds.

2. You are too “high maintenance.” Don’t treat your partner like your own private trust fund, if you insist on the best restaurants and bars it will drive you away. A night out doesn’t have to cost $500, why not surprise him multiple times and take him to the places he likes to go? Why not take it to a ball game or to the movies to see the latest action movie?

3. Annoying. I probably don’t need to say much about this. If you constantly tell him to do this and that, use this and that, you are well on your way to losing him.

4. The C-word… Commitment. There is a time in a relationship where talking about commitment is good, that time is when both people are ready. If you’ve only been seeing each other for a short time and start buying bridal magazines or talking about how you’d like to settle down, once again you’re going to scare him off. If you’re sure he’s the right mister, then there are ways he can get you to think about commitment.

5. Changes in appearance. OK, this is a bit of a misnomer, very few men will leave you if you gain weight or change your hair. If they do, it’s probably a blessing in disguise, since that’s a relationship that was destined to fail. On the other hand, if you suddenly change your personality, shave off your hair and cover yourself with tattoos, then maybe you’ve gone too far.

If you are reading this and have been dumped or have a feeling that day is coming soon, then all is not lost. Try to identify why you are in this current position if it is one of the above reasons then you can fix it. You may think that you are just naturally distancing yourself. Stop thinking that! What was it that attracted him to you in the first place?

We men are simple creatures at heart, give us what we need and we’ll be as devoted to you as any pup (but a little better trained…well, sometimes). You will find a lot of information online on how you can win back the man of your dreams and end your relationship problems forever. Good luck.