Relationships

Every ongoing interaction is a relationship, and we talk about all kinds of them: friendships, romantic and sexual relationships, relationships at work and at home, at school and out and about in the world. Dating, breakups, shakeups, makeups; situationships, crushes, love-of-your-lifes. From figuring out what kinds of relationships you want, to navigating change or trouble, if it’s about you + someone else, it’s probably here.

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Articles and Advice in this area:

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

It sounds to me like this is really about you more than it is about him. The person having trouble with his history right now appears to be you, and that’s the person who I think needs to work through this. In other words, you say he won’t open up about this, but I’m not sure I can envision what you…

Advice
  • Susie Tang

Some people think they’re ready for sex, but after they do it they find out they’re wrong. You need to ask him how he’s feeling about the experience. He’s obviously got something bothering him. He might think he’s inadequate because neither of you reached orgasm. He might be feeling guilty because…

Advice
  • Susie Tang

Leave a note for her saying, “Hey, I know you really dig your new guy and all, but I was wondering if you and me could hang out together sometime. Just us. You’re still my best friend no matter what, and I miss you.” Some people get really wrapped up in the excitement of new relationships, and they…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

A partner addressing your worries or nervousness about any kind of sex by telling you you need to “grow up,” needs to grow up WAY more than you do. In a word, if that’s how he responds to this, I’m less worried about him dumping you, and more concerned about you sticking around with the likes of him…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

When something big is brand new to us, and carries risks with it – negative or positive, and in the case of sex with someone, both – it’s entirely normal to be pretty darn nervous or anxious. And when people with penises are nervous or anxious, quite commonly they won’t be able to get or sustain…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

All I can do is to strongly encourage you not to deceive anyone into becoming a parent. Would you want someone to trick you into pregnancy or parenting? Given, it’s you who would become pregnant and give birth, not a guy, but manipulating someone into the position of creating a pregnancy when they…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

You seem to be asking two separate questions here: 1) If it’s okay to have an open relationship now, and 2) If it’s a wise idea to sleep with someone who dumped you because you wouldn’t sleep with them. Let’s hit #2 first, since it’s pretty easy. For real? For real you want to sleep with someone who…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

You know, while five years isn’t a big age difference between people who are, say 35 and 40, it can be a lot bigger between people who are 15 and 20. Think abut it like this: at 20, your boyfriend has literally already lived 25% longer than you have, just a little less than you’ve outlived someone…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

We don’t condemn or dismiss any kind of relationship model around here. What model is right for any given person or couple is highly individual, and depends on what the people involve want and need. There’s no one right kind of relationship for everyone, and we’ve talked about casual sexual…

Advice
  • Sarah Riley

Virginity, in and of itself, is a societal concept not a medical one. Certainly there used to be the thought that as long as a woman had a hymen, she was a virgin (and unfortunately some people still subscribe to this belief). However, a hymen is just thin, flexible folds of mucous tissue that…