For nearly two decades, my boyfriend has been a doormat to his kids and to the kids' mom - and that pattern continues three years after his divorce from BM.

Almost anything his ex-wife and his kids ask of him, he agrees to, even though he usually says "no" at first. The frustrating thing about his initial "no" is that he actually thinks that demonstrates assertiveness. He doesn't seem to realize that by always caving in and saying yes in the end, which everyone knows he's gonna do, he's not being assertive at all.