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American Morning

Singles in Class to Learn How to Find Spouse

Aired June 04, 2001 - 09:57   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Tired of being single? Ready to go out there and get married, but having problems finding Mr. or Miss Right?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Did you pick this story for me?

HARRIS: No, not me.

KAGAN: As Alexa Lee reports, there are actually classes you can take that teach you the do's and don'ts of getting hitched.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH JESSICA PARKER, ACTOR: Right?

KRISTIN DAVIS, ACTOR: Totally.

PARKER: One minute he's all over me, and the next minute, he's pushing me away, and I just cannot believe this is happening again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXA LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The frustration expressed by "Sex and the City"'s Carrie Bradshaw over finding the right person: It's a problem many people are having.

In Atlanta, some singles are seeking guidance from Emory University professor Dr. Janet Paige. She holds a class called Before a Year Is Over, I Will Be Married. Though the one-year target isn't set in stone, it serves as a motivating factor to take charge of your personal life.

DR. JANET PAIGE, EMORY UNIVERSITY: The basic idea is to teach assertiveness, to teach super-friendliness, courtesy, ability to choose well. People have a really hard time just sitting down and treating it like a serious prospect. With work, they would go out, know what they want, and try to get it. But with love, they kind of wait for it to drop on them from the sky, or else it's somehow not the right thing or not suitable.

LEE: The class attracts a wide range of people, but a common thread among them is often a feeling that professional life leaves little room for a social life. LISA WRIGHT, STUDENT: I'm a consultant, so I travel Monday through Friday. So I have to cram all my social activities into Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Never mind if work shows up that I need to get done in the middle of the weekend. I'm trying to take a focus on me this year.

LEE: The course offers plenty of common sense advice that many people may overlook in their search more a mate. One of them is that the best way to attract someone else is to be happy by yourself: nurture a variety of hobbies and interests and be self-sufficient. Having a positive and friendly attitude also helps.

PAIGE: Go out and do things. Be prepared really to work on it. One thing that won't happen is sitting in your living room, at home, and getting married. I don't think you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince or princess. If you have a good plan, a good notion of what you're looking for, and a good marketing strategy, well, then you're narrowing the ones you see. I'd say there's a hefty little pool out there that can be the ones for anyone.

Alexa Lee, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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