Dear Eric: I don’t know if this is an issue with others, or if I’m just over-sensitive. My partner and I have several pets and we’ve been together for many years. She frequently gushes to them “I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU!!!!”

In today's Asking Eric column, R. Eric Thomas responds to someone who is sad because their partner says "I love you" to their shared pets, but not to them.

It’s good that you’re feeling your feelings and you’ve been able to identify a need. Remember, however, that love for pets is different from love for a partner. (Not necessarily lesser—just different.

This is great but she never says this to me. Am I being a wimp because I would like some of the same affection? Dear Best: If it’s wimpy to want to know that we’re loved, then every single one of us on Earth is a wimp.