The fleeting fling can be such a lovely experience. It’s especially more delicious when it happens in the middle of a dry spell, after a recent break-up, or just during a time when you are craving some attention from the opposite sex. After all, what woman doesn’t want to feel wanted and sexy? But what if this sexual company happens to be your ex—the husband, boyfriend or partner you thought you’d left behind forever? Is it ever a good call to give an old relationship—especially one you once slammed a door on—another spin (or two, or three)?

There could be many reasons why having an affair with an ex might seem appealing. We’ve all seen It’s Complicated, the romantic comedy where ex-spouses Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin end up back under the sheets together some 10 years after their divorce. That liaison had hysterical and, well, complicated results, suggesting that there’s more for ex-lovers to consider than their renewed sexual attraction for one another.

Here’s where you need to be brutally honest with yourself and make a responsible decision about whether or not to risk “going back there.” … //READ MORE

What do most of us think about, when we think about love? No, not a Raymond Carver short story, however intriguing were his musings on relationships. I think when most of us think about love, and all the entrapments of that fickle emotion, clichés pop into our heads. When we’re young, we envision passionate kisses, dizzying emotions, even the uneasiness of unrequited desire. With maturity comes wisdom, and our slightly-more-advanced selves can accept that even the most frenzied romantic love, if nourished with enough affection and shared purpose, has the capacity to ripen into a secure and long-lasting partnership.

If we’re lucky, we retain some of the passion that ignited our union in the first place. If we’re really lucky, the arrival of children teaches us that love requires equal parts patience, self-sacrifice and surrender. And if we’re really, really lucky … //READ MORE

Those of us who are still out there in the market love to swap stories about all the quirky crimes men commit before, during and after a date. Admittedly, our critiques begin before we even meet them, as we voyeuristically search their online profiles for their selfies—self portraits taken while they’re staring into the bathroom mirror or posing in their geek caves—and then rip them apart for their poor judgment and reality-show-worthy depictions (come on, we all do it). Then, when we actually meet up with one of these guys, we may be subjected to all kinds of interesting behavior that gives us more complaint fodder: ungentlemanly manners, booty calls, delays in returning phone calls, not having a plan for the first date (“Uh, so what do you want to do tonight?”), or even learning that the guy has dated everyone we know. By this time, we have an endless number of stories to exchange with our girlfriends.

At some point I had to ask myself: Are we women just as bad? Are guys just as analytical and dumbfounded about our behavior? I decided to find out by asking my male friends and former dates to reveal their biggest pet peeves about us. Here are their top … //READ MORE

People, can you believe it’s been 25 years? It’s been 25 years since we first watched a fresh-faced Meg Ryan and a sardonic Billy Crystal argue about whether men and women can sustain friendship, discuss the complexity of ordering pie à la mode, and finally realize, after a lonely New Year’s Eve, that they belong together. The brainchild of writer Nora Ephron and director Rob Reiner, who each brought to the film their unique perspectives on love and relationships, When Harry Met Sally is a true classic. Here, three of my favorite scenes from one of the best rom-coms ever, and the romantic truths that emerged from them.

Truth #1: Ladies, every man secretly wants to bang you. … //READ MORE