Let's Talk Relationships (Page 36)

Amber Brooks

By: Amber Brooks

Editor: Lillian Castro

Updated:

Relationships have incredible upsides, in fact too many to list here. But they can also be a lot of work if we’re being honest. We know the dynamics of romantic partnerships can feel somewhat like a mystery, especially if it’s your first or your first serious one in a while.

So to ease things up, our experts have agreed to provide key insights into navigating the ebbs and flows of relationships, and how they can add value and joy to our lives.

Our expert-backed content provides readers with the advice to approach relationships with intention, effort, and understanding. Whether you’re in a relationship or dating to find one, our experts want to guide you to take healthy steps toward meeting your goals.

We’ll recommend the best dating apps and sites for getting serious and discuss the steps you should take to settle down and commit. Our authors also cover the five love languages, attachment styles, codependency, and more helpful tips, so you can love better and live fuller.

1118 Results

What Our Experts Say:

1051.
What Does it Mean if She Has to Think About My Marriage Proposal?
Dr. Wendy Walsh

Dr. Wendy Walsh

Reader Question: What does it mean when a girl doesn’t want to lose you but when you propose, she says she has to think about it? Her friends say it's because she is leaving for basic training. -Charles W. (Georgia) Dr. Wendy Walsh's Answer: It means exactly what she says. She loves you. She’s attached to you. And she’s afraid to be without you. But she also knows her life is about to undergo a big change...

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1052.
I Don’t Want to Run Her Off. How Do I Let Her Know I Care?
Dr. Wendy Walsh

Dr. Wendy Walsh

Reader Question: I was introduced to a girl who had recently left her ex for abusive reasons, and she had just found out she was pregnant. Things worked until right before the baby was due, and even though I had established work and was about to buy a place for the three of us, she started wanting to try and give the baby’s father a second chance. She has since apologized for the way she acted. She has been...

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1053.
Does Porn Ruin Relationships?
Dr. Wendy Walsh

Dr. Wendy Walsh

Back in 2009, Simon Louis Lajeunesse, a professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Montreal, launched a study to examine the effects of pornography on men. In order to do sound science, he needed to compare two groups: Young men who have consumed pornography and a control group of young men who have not consumed pornography. There was only one problem. He could not find even one man who had not...

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1054.
5 Reasons Your Friends Don’t Like Your Boyfriend
Kara Pound

Kara Pound

There is nothing worse than finding out your friends don’t like your boyfriend. Why? Well, chances are your friends know you better than anyone in the world. If they don’t like him, that’s a big, fat red flag — one you need to pay attention to. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons your friends might not like your new boyfriend and decide if the angst is justified or just petty. 1. He dresses like a...

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1055.
How to Make Up with Your Boyfriend
Sam Stieler

Sam Stieler

You’ve just had a fight with your boyfriend, eh? No matter who won, no matter if you proved your boyfriend wrong or he prevailed and ended up on top, both of you are probably feeling pretty lousy. Few women really like to fight with their boyfriends, and just as few men enjoy finding themselves arguing with their girlfriends. To return to a healthy, happy place in your relationship, both you and your boyfriend...

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1056.
10 Tips for Meeting Her Parents
Bethany Heinesh

Bethany Heinesh

Meeting the parents is a major event, especially if you’re madly in love with the woman in your life and you’re starting to see her as potential wife material. If you’re experiencing some anxiety and apprehension about your first rendezvous with her folks, don’t be alarmed. Feeling nervous about meeting mom and dad is completely normal. After all, this is a big step in your relationship. Sure, you should take...

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1057.
Is Your Date “The One”?
Dr. Wendy Walsh

Dr. Wendy Walsh

Men and women today are constantly scrolling through pages and pages of potential dates, hoping to find "The One."  Newsflash everyone: There is far more than one good mate for you. There are many. On the quest for a mate, some women judge their men on looks, money and sexual chemistry, turning today’s dating culture into a never-ending game of trying to find Mr. Perfect, rather than creating a smart, sound,...

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1058.
I Have Forgiven Her and Want it to Work Out. Am I Wasting My Time?
Dr. Wendy Walsh

Dr. Wendy Walsh

Reader Question: My wife and I are separated. She was unfaithful three times this last month, but I was unfaithful 19 years ago. We have been married 21 years. She wants to divorce and after a couple of months, get married again so we can have a clean slate. I have forgiven her of all and want to work it out. But am I wasting my time, or is this true? -Mike R. (Washington) Dr. Wendy Walsh's Answer: OK, I’m...

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1059.
His Deceased Wife’s Picture is on the Fireplace. Should I Ask Him to Remove it?
Dr. Wendy Walsh

Dr. Wendy Walsh

Reader Question: I have been single for years! I'm ready to have a relationship again, and I'm not getting younger! I have met a perfect guy. We both have been widowed for more than six years. I put my pictures away but not my memories. I am concerned because he has his wife’s picture hanging over the fireplace, and he asked me to accept that it won't be removed. I know he loved her, and I would never ask him to...

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1060.
How Should Your Girlfriend Interact Online?
Kara Pound

Kara Pound

Over the past two decades, the inception of the World Wide Web has brought additional obstacles to the world of dating. It used to be that you waited ever so patiently for that next date with your girlfriend. Now, you can virtually watch her every move via Facebook, YouTube, email, Google searches, iChat, Skype, etc. But what happens when you think your girlfriend is being irresponsible about her online...

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1061.
How to Bond with Your Girlfriend
Lauren Hostert

Lauren Hostert

While growing up, fairy tales can give us a distorted view of relationships. The prince and the princess leave the ball or hop into their magic pumpkin and ride away into the sunset. That's the end, the credits roll, and we never find out if Cinderella and her prince root for the same sports team. Sorry Prince Charming, but the difficult part of a relationship isn't getting the girl — it's what to do once you're...

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1062.
Can it Work if Your Date Lives in Another City?
Dr. Wendy Walsh

Dr. Wendy Walsh

Online dating and matchmaking have become mainstream within the past decade, making long distance relationships (LDRs) a common way to mate. Today’s economic times also play a role, distancing partners due to jobs in different cities. In fact, according to The Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, nearly 3% of U.S. marriages were considered long distance and an estimated 4 to 4.5 million college...

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1063.
Love is a Verb, Not a Noun
Dr. Wendy Walsh

Dr. Wendy Walsh

So many people I council talk about love as if it’s something you find — a thing, a person, a place. Love may be a feeling but it certainly isn’t a noun. Love is not something you capture. You don’t just suddenly stumble upon it like a treasure chest left on a sidewalk. Love is something you do. It’s something you build. And to keep love alive, you simply do more. Love is an action word. It’s a verb. It involves...

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1064.
My Parents Don’t Like Who I Date. How Do I Get Them to Like Him?
Kara Pound

Kara Pound

This really depends on if you care what your parents think. If you have a close relationship with mom and dad, respect them immensely and consider them friends as well as parents, then you should absolutely care what they think. If your parents are completely out of touch with reality and don’t like the new beau because of something superficial like tattoos, piercings or the fact that he’s not a doctor or lawyer,...

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1065.
I Want to Get Married. How Should I Propose to My Girlfriend?
Nick Slade

Nick Slade

There are a million ways to propose to your girlfriend. Whether you ride in on horseback or simply take her to a fancy restaurant, it depends on your style and budget, but there are some things that all decent proposals have in common. A proposal should be romantic, memorable and creative. “Creative” does not mean “crazy,” so keep it real and keep it personal. Make it private and special, away from friends and...

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1066.
What to Do if There Are No Sparks
Nick Slade

Nick Slade

Have you ever felt an overwhelming attraction toward a man that you couldn’t explain? He’s no hunky movie star but there’s just something about him. And then there’s that other guy who has everything on your checklist but you just don’t feel a connection. Is there really such a thing as romantic chemistry? And should you depend on it to guide you in selecting dates and taking relationships to the next level? Let’s...

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1067.
Why Women Lose Interest
Bethany Heinesh

Bethany Heinesh

When you first become involved with someone, you can’t get enough of each other and it’s all you can do to keep your hands to yourself. There aren’t enough hours in the day to satisfy your desire to gaze longingly at each other, talking about absolutely nothing. Calling 200 times a day just to hear her breathe is totally acceptable in the early days, when you’re spending every dime of your paycheck to impress...

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1068.
7 Excuses Men Use to Stay in a Relationship
Nick Slade

Nick Slade

There are a lot of things that hold a relationship together. Love and commitment are usually at the top of the list but not always. Men have a whole host of excuses for staying in a relationship with you — mostly lies and rationalizations they tell themselves but don’t share with you. As a result, a lot of dead-end relationships are never pronounced dead until they’ve been on life support for way too long. If your...

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1069.
Do You Have to Feel Instant Attraction?
Nick Slade

Nick Slade

In this age of instant gratification, we sometimes assume that we have to get the “hots” for our date right away or it’s a lost cause. Not so fast. Love and attraction are two very different things. • Attraction (lust, if you prefer) is a kind of built-in radar combined with a visceral urge that nature gave us so that we would not forget to make babies and keep the species going. It lives in the physical, sexual and...

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1070.
Is it OK to Have Some Secrets?
Bethany Heinesh

Bethany Heinesh

Women often ask if they are required by some relationship rule or dating devotional to tell their man every little thing. We wonder if it is OK to have secrets, to keep certain parts of our lives private. Because women are so naturally open and communicative, we often feel we are being dishonest if we are not completely forthcoming. This is not necessarily true. Although secrets usually create dilemmas, no matter...

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1071.
Do Women Consider Flirting Online Cheating?
Kara Pound

Kara Pound

It doesn’t matter if you’re texting, Skyping, Facebooking, iChatting, calling or sending a telegraph — cheating is cheating. Just because you flirt via the World Wide Web — you know, sending romantic emails to someone other than your girlfriend or wife — doesn’t mean you get any extra leeway. For some strange reason, there are men who think that unless they’re flirting in person, it doesn’t count. I’m looking at...

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1072.
Do Movie Quotes Reflect Reality?
Sam Stieler

Sam Stieler

As our culture’s premier popular art form, movies produce a profound effect on how we view and define our relationships. But are the movies really telling us the truth about what love is and isn’t? Let’s take a quick look at some of the most famous movie quotes of all time on love and see how they measure up to reality! 1. “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” — “Love Story” If only this were true!...

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1073.
5 Signs Your Relationship is in Jeopardy
Kara Pound

Kara Pound

Everything seems to be going great and then “wham!” you get dumped. It came out of nowhere. Literally, you had no clue your relationship was on the rocks until that fateful dinner date where he left you sitting in the middle of the restaurant crying your eyes out. Instead of being “that girl,” wouldn’t you rather be familiar with the signs that your relationship is in jeopardy? Here are five to help you get...

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1074.
How Can I Stop Fighting With My Girlfriend?
Bethany Heinesh

Bethany Heinesh

If you’re constantly fighting with your girlfriend, it’s time to reevaluate your relationship. Bickering is to be expected between a man and woman who are romantically involved, and psychologists even say disagreements are healthy. Regular, heated fights, never-ending nagging and an overall sense of relentless strife, however, is far from normal. The best way to stop fighting with your girlfriend is to stop...

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1075.
How to Know Your Relationship With Her is Worth Saving
Sam Stieler

Sam Stieler

There are few aspects of a relationship more difficult than running into serious problems and finding yourself faced with making the decision between salvaging your connection or cutting ties. In that moment, you will find yourself coming up with just as many reasons to stay as reasons to move on. Why is it so difficult to determine whether a relationship is worth saving or not? What worked? Your relationship...

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1076.
How to Get an Ex-Girlfriend Back
Sam Stieler

Sam Stieler

What is it about our exes that make them so appealing? It’s like magic. As soon as you break up with your woman, almost to the day, she suddenly regains all of those alluring qualities that drew you to desire her in the first place. Even a woman whom you felt thoroughly tired and bored with just a couple weeks ago will once again radiate attraction each time you see her after your breakup. Whether you broke up a...

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1077.
Are Open Relationships a Good Idea?
Lauren Hostert

Lauren Hostert

Relationships exist in a multitude of forms and fashions, tailored to best suit the people in them. Couples in an open relationship remain mentally and emotionally committed but are free to explore other interests sexually. This can conceivably become a rather tricky situation to navigate. Here's a few points to consider before you decide to take the step in opening up your relationship. 1. Motives. One of the most...

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1078.
Is He Stringing Me Along?
Kara Pound

Kara Pound

Reader Question: I've been dating someone from an online dating site for two months. He pursued me for a couple of years to meet him. We hit it off from the first date. Because we live in different cities, it's hard to see each other more than once or twice a week. He calls me every night, and we talk a lot but not a lot about "us." I still see him on the dating site and want to know if it would be OK for me to ask...

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1079.
How Do I Take My Girlfriend Talking About Me to Her Friend?
Kara Pound

Kara Pound

Reader Question: I went through my girlfriend's things, which was wrong. She was telling her friend that I was not good looking but that I was the sweetest guy she’s met and she loves me. How should I take this? -John G. (Illinois) Expert's Advice: Hey John G., Thanks for your question. I suppose I’m curious to know why you went through her things. Was it to get back at her for saying you aren’t good looking...

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1080.
How Do I Get Past His Annoying Habits?
Nick Slade

Nick Slade

Everybody has a few annoying habits, mannerisms or expressions. You have them, too. The fact is, most of them become invisible within a few weeks. Still, there are many kinds of habits that will continue to annoy you, so first you have to decide if you can live with them or not. You have to consider if it’s just “you,” or if the habit is really annoying to a lot of people. If it’s something gross, you will have...

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Amber Brooks

By: Amber Brooks

Editor-in-Chief

Amber Brooks is the Editor-in-Chief at DatingAdvice.com. When she was growing up, her family teased her for being "boy crazy," but she preferred to think of herself as a budding dating and relationship expert. As an English major at the University of Florida, Amber honed her communication skills to write clearly, knowledgeably, and passionately about a variety of subjects. Now with over 1,800 lifestyle articles to her name, Amber brings her tireless wit and relatable experiences to DatingAdvice.com. She has been quoted by the Washington Times, Cosmopolitan, The New York Post, and AskMen, among others.

See Amber's full bio »

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