couple handshake agreeing — What would be in your relationship contract?

Relationship Contracts: Do You Agree To Have Sex 5 Times A Week?

It started off as a joke, but here's why I'm drawing up a contract for my relationship.

It may sound unromantic, but here's why I'm laying down the law about intimacy, vacations and how often I get the New York Times.

worried young woman — Do you want to have children? Does your partner?

Help! I Want Kids & He Doesn't

YourTango Expert Jasbina Ahluwalia can help!

I'm in a serious relationship with a guy I really love. He does not want to have kids and I do. What should I do?

Should You Have A Dating Checklist?

I have one, and I’m not about to toss it.

While we are single in our twenties, most of us are still holding on to the dream of finding the perfect guy, having the perfect wedding, and creating the perfect family. By the time we reach our thirties, we recognize the reality: relationships are difficult, and they require work and compromise. Nothing about it will be perfect. Upon this realization, the set of single women seemingly splits into two groups: the ones who can make significant compromises in order to be married, and the ones who can not.

bradley cooper silver linings playbook — Bradley Cooper plays mental patient Pat Solitano.

5 Love Lessons From 'Silver Linings Playbook'

This insightful rom-com can teach us a lot about love.

The Oscar-nominated film 'Silver Linings Playbook' introduces us to messy relationships and messy lives. The relationships and characters are incredibly sensitive and humane. It is a romantic comedy that highlights the best and worst behaviors of people in relationships.

The Fear Of Being Direct

If you scared of being direct, you're not alone. TV characters and many others struggle, too.

Writer Aaron Sorkin and HBO have given us "The Newsroom," a terrific new show with plenty of material to write about, in this case, the fear of being direct. In the first season of "The Newsroom," anchor Will McAvoy and executive producer MacKenzie McHale work their way from a very contentious professional relationship, due to their past romantic involvement, to a highly successful professional relationship in making a well-respected, hard-hitting newscast.

Navigating the Holidays As A Couple

Navigating the holidays as a couple can make an already stressful time of year even more challenging for a relationship. This may be because it is often the first time family meets your sweetie; is everyone going to get along? But before you even reach that point, you have to make that big decision: Where will we be spending the holidays… Yours, Mine, or Ours

woman eating habits — Sometimes it's hard to go for the healthy option.

I'm On A Diet, My Boyfriend Loves Bacon: How We Deal

We're two compatible people with incompatible eating habits.

In January of this year, I began my love affair with vegetables. It started as a weight-loss mission; I was overweight and looking to dig myself out of the hole of shame that extra helpings of spaghetti and pints of ice cream had buried me in. I lost about 30 pounds. Then, as April came to a close, I began another love affair...

Striving For An Equal Marriage? That May Be Why It's Failing

Why keeping a scorecard is the worst thing for your marriage—and how to put it away.

What is the fruit of half a century of self-absorption? Whereas one researcher points to issues such as a reduction in civic responsibility and community service, and a lack of concern over broader societal issues, I see implications for marriage… and they are that are not good.

7 Tips For Enjoing Your First Vacation Together [EXPERT] — Are you ready for the time of your life?

7 Tips For Enjoying Your First Vacation Together

Here are seven tips to make your first romantic getaway a great experience.

Your first vacation as a couple is such an exciting milestone. This is an important point in your relationship because you will get a better idea of your long-term compatibility. While it's easy to feel excited about going away together, you want to guard against unrealistic expectations which can ruin a good time. Keep in mind that your first vacation is not your honeymoon, so it might not be the most romantic event of your entire life. But that doesn't mean it won't be fun. Ultimately, you want to make sure you get along. As a dating coach for women, I want to share seven suggestions on how to enjoy yourselves and minimize common stress points.

Why You Should Stop Compromising In Your Relationship

There are 4 occasions when you should never settle for anything less than exactly what you want.

Every mature person understands the need to compromise from time to time. The ability to consider the needs of others as valid is necessary in healthy relationships. Most of us know that for one person to have her needs met, she may have to give up something in return. But, in romantic relationships, when does the act of compromising start to have negative outcomes? When should compromising stop?

What Are Your Relationship Non-Negotiables?

When it comes to love, you shouldn't settle for anything less than what you need. Here's why.

The process of finding a mate is one of the most dominant and powerful forces in our lives. It is also one of the most daunting and overwhelming tasks. Part of the problem is that we make a lot of allowances for the behaviors of our potential mates. We compromise, we give in, we negotiate, all against our better judgment, thus ending up in situations in which we are unhappy and unsatisfied.

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