Dating secrets fear of being hurt

You will come back to the relationship refreshed, more able to express your needs (as you’re more likely to know what they are).

We will always ultimately be a mystery to each other – it’s more healthy for this to be acknowledged, celebrated even, than denied. According to research, people who sneer, ridicule or talk down to their partner are on a fast track to relationship destruction.

Go to a place where you used to laugh or where there’s a good chance of laughter.

That moment when you exchange a look and end up laughing, often over a shared memory, is the best way to understand each other again.

We all make mistakes, particularly in our love-lives, as relationships are never easy.

But if you can exercise forgiveness in small ways at the start of a love affair then you’re more likely to find ways to forgive the bigger hurts and transgressions, if and when they happen. There are good rows and bad rows but make no mistake – everybody argues.

It’s natural that attention shifts to the children, but it’s a good idea to remember why you are together, and have a child together, in the first place.