People say that the only perfect relationships that exist are those between a blind woman and a deaf man. He can't hear her nagging and she can't see all the mess he creates on those odd occasions when he tries to complete one simple domestic chore.

Seriously what do you need for a great partnership? If you ask any old couple who have been together for decades, they will tell you honesty, respect, trust and a healthy dose of sexual attraction. The lust does wear off after the first heady couple of years but it should be replaced by a mutual fascination strong enough to ward off all temptation.

Honesty is important between couples. Even simple things such as always doing what you say you will pay off huge dividends. No relationship is without its ups and downs but if you know your partner always means what he says, it helps to trust him when things do get tough.

Trust doesn't just mean that you feel secure when he is with other women. It also means that you know he will be there for you. That he believes in you and your abilities as a person, a mother or whatever role you fill in life. And it goes both ways, you have to believe in him too.

Mutual respect is also very important. Life is difficult and there are enough people out there who will put you down without your partner doing it too. If you do have disagreements, keep it private. It is pointless and disrespectful to share the intimate details of your row with the whole world. When you have forgotten about it someone else is bound to remember and remind you!

Sometimes things can get a little stale in the bedroom. Life gets in the way either through having kids or stressful jobs, or financial problems. While you will not be making love as often as you did when you first met, if it has been a while you need to address it. There is a secret bond that keeps couples together and that only comes about by being intimate. It is not all about sex though. Gentle touching, a lingering hug, just holding hands and a wispered "I love you" are just as important, if not more important.

To have a deeply loving relationship you need to trust the other person with your heart. You must be able to tell them your innermost secrets and desires. Sharing special moments will help to deepen the bond that exists between you.

It is often difficult to remember to put your relationship as a priority but unless you nurture it, it may fade and die. Yes it may take some juggling but try and arrange a night just for the two of you to enjoy. Ban all talk of your relatives, the kids, your finances and aim to concentrate on each other. It doesn't need to end up in the bedroom; well not always!

Sharing good times will help you through the dark days that hit every couple even those in perfect relationships.

Don't hold out for perfect relationships because you'll only be disappointed. So many people sabotage their chances at love because they place their loved one and/or their relationship on a pedestal.

Until you change your definition of what perfect is you are doomed to failure again and again. You will also cause yourself and anyone you enter into a relationship with, a lot of pain.

No one is perfect, but someone can be perfect for you. There is a difference. The sooner you can make that distinction the sooner you'll have a real shot at having a great, loving relationship.

To get a better idea of what someone who is perfect for you would like, I've compiled a list of some of the most commonly desired traits in a partner. Of course your ideas could be different but these traits are fairly common and they provide a good place to start in examining what you consider perfect.

1.Understanding:

People are comfortable with someone who 'gets' them. If you sing in the shower, like weird food combination's, or just like to act goofy sometimes, you'll want a partner who can play along with you.

Everyone has their own little quirks and your perfect partner will, at the minimum, accept those quirks without making fun of you and at best will have the same or similar quirks. You won't want someone who will roll their eyes or ridicule you whenever you do these things. They should love you, and accept you, just as you are.

2. Good self esteem:

One of the biggest problems I see in relationships is when one party is insecure. This insecurity is often hidden and it can come across as many other things. Very often someone who is overly sexual or overly aggressive is actually just trying to compensate for and cover up a very strong sense of insecurity.

As you get to know someone keep a close eye out for their actions, this will tell you a lot. For example, how do they react when something embarrassing happens? Do they get angry, defensive? Do they lash out at you, this should be a huge, huge, red flag. Or do they laugh and shrug and go along with it good naturedly. If they do the latter it probably means that they are a secure confidant person, and that is a trait you want to look for in a partner.

3. Outlook:

Do they share similar views on things that are important to you? You don't have to agree on everything. It's possible some relationships can thrive even if both parties are very different in many of their views; though it will only work if both parties are mature and secure and don't feel threatened that the other one doesn't agree with them on various issues.

For the most part though, it will work better if you and your potential partner have a common ground on the main issues, your core beliefs. If you value honesty and fidelity, for example, you won't be happy with someone who lies and cheats.

Believe it or not, it's actually pretty easy to find perfect relationships, or at least perfect for you. The problem is that people see what they want to see and not what is really there. I know it can be hard, especially in the beginning, but it's important for the long term health and happiness of the relationship that you take off the blinders and see your partner as they really are, not as you want them to be.

Men, internet dating advice isn't hard to come by. Whether you're just getting started in the modern online dating scene or you want to brush up some rusty skills, here are some tips that can help you out.

Your main way of interacting on the internet will be through email. For those of you who aren't used to relating this way, you need to realize that much more thought and effort needs to be put into and email than say a phone conversation, for example. This is because what is read on the other end could be interpreted completely differently than what you intended.

So make sure you are clear and consise, not confusing. Also, when corresponding by email, don't go on and on and on about yourself and your life story. This is a big turn-off.

Instead, keep your emails short and ask her a lot of questions about herself. If she asks you a question, answer it briefly. The truth of the matter is, women want to do all of the talking (writing). And they want you to do the listening (reading).

A good rule of thumb is to keep all your e-mail replies less than three sentences long. Use the first two sentences to answer a question and the last sentence to ask her a question. If she hasn't asked you anything, just write a one-line question. Asking questions keeps your discussion going and shows her that you are thoughtful and interested.

Also, don't send too many email messages or instant messages. This only shows a woman that you have nothing better to do and makes you appear needy.

Another important rule to keep in mind is to stay away from any sex talk. . .unless she brings it up. And even then, don't go overboard. She may be testing you so feel out the situation before responding.

And perhaps the hardest men internet dating advice to follow is don't lie to impress a woman. It's tempting at first because you don't know these women and they aren't sitting right in front of you. That makes it extremely easy to beef yourself up a little bit. But what if you end up really liking a woman that you've been dating for a while and you'd like to get serious with her? Those lies will eventually catch up with you.

Finally, try not to get involved with too many women at one time. Although that situation may seem ideal to you now, it may backfire. You'll end up mixing up conversations, calling women by the wrong name and generally just gaining a bad reputation. So, when you do get a lot of replies to your personal ad, be very choosy about who you answer back.

Hopefully this men internet dating advice about how to communicate by email will help you in your online dating endeavors.

There are a lot of really tall women out there. And there are a lot of not-so-tall men who are attracted by them. But many feel that men dating taller women is an impossibility. Here are some tips for you shorter guys that can prove this wrong.

1. Don't make it an issue. Maybe you've tried approaching taller women before only to be shunned or laughed at. Maybe you've never even tried it out of fear or intimidation. Here's one thing you need to understand. Most tall women are perfectly fine with the fact that they are tall and you should be too. If you feel intimidated, it's because you are creating that feeling yourself. Most tall women are not going to purposefully try to intimidate anyone. Their height is not something they will use against you. Like any women, tall women care about what kind of guy you are. Not how tall (or short) you are.

2. Whatever you do. . .do NOT use the cheesy tall-women joke lines. Do you think that tall women have never heard them? that you are the first to show your "witty" self"? Do you want to make an impression? Don't even bring up the issue of height in any way, shape or form - hers or yours. Talk about something, anything, else.

3. Sadly, this seems to be one of the harder tasks for men dating taller women. Tall women want to be cuddled too. Hold their hand, put your arms around them. Wine and dine them. Maybe because of their height, they appear to strong to need this kind of attention. But they do. Show them that you love them for their height without making an issue out of it.

4. Ditch the sexual anxiety that you won't measure up in the bedroom. When it comes to sex, everyone is the same height.

5. This is a pretty obvious one but it's easy to do and makes a difference. Stop slouching and always practice good posture. Standing up straight not only makes you look taller, it actually makes you act and feel more confident. Always stand up straight with your shoulders squared. Make the most of your physical frame.

6. When in doubt, look at the stars. All of these famous on-the-short-side guys are dating (or married to) taller women: Michael J. Fox, Martin Sheen, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Dustin Hoffman, and Prince, just to name a few.

7. Stop worrying about what other people think. If you happen to be one of those men dating taller women, do you know what other guys are thinking when they see the two of you together? They're thinking. . ."he must be filthy rich" or they are thinking. . ."he must be great in the sack". Not bad, huh?

Men and dating games seem to go hand in hand. Does this sound familiar. . .Mary and John met at a friends party. There was an immediate attraction and they spent most of the evening talking. John asked Mary for her number at the end of the night and she expected him to call the next day as he had said he would. He did call her. But it was three days later. Why is explained below along with some other games that men play.

1) Men have a 3 day rule. The guys will charm the woman upon their first acquaintance. He'll take her number and may even kiss her passionately good bye. But they don't call until 3 days later. Why? Because this takes the woman down a notch. By the third day, she's already at the point of giving up. She's asking herself why he isn't calling and what she did wrong. Then, he calls with the excuse that he's been really busy. Most women already know about the three day rule, but it works anyway.

2) Men and dating games aren't always recognized easily, especially in this example. Women generally assume that men have a hard time commiting to relationships and men take advantage of this stereotype. They use the excuse of "I'm getting over a serious relationship", "I've been scarred from my parent's divorce", "my last girlfriend cheated on me", among others.

But they are just excuses. While these events may actually be true, they aren't the reasons that a guy won't commit. He will use these lines to keep you attached without him having to be too attached. If this doesn't bother you, then there's no reason to worry. If it does, consider just letting him get over this phase while you date someone else with fewer issues.

3) You've met them. The guys that act as if they are God's gift to women. They behave as if they are doing you a favor by dating you. This isn't really a game. This type of guy probably really does believe this - but you shouldn't! If you're really into a guy like this, be careful. He can really get into your head and change your image of himself and even yourself. But if you're just looking for a little fun, this type of guy is probably the one to give it to you. Just turn the tables and take advantage of what he has to offer for a few days or however long you're interested.

Men and dating games are relatively new in comparison to women and dating games. It's pretty much understood that women are the manipulative ones when it comes to relationships. So hold no grudges - they're just trying to get in on the fun! Now that you are aware of some of their tricks, you can enjoy it too.