Run of the mill pet names like babe, honey, or gorgeous are really sweet when they come from the love in your life, but since they are such standard terms of endearment, it's easy to use them with your friends, too. For example, when a girlfriend of mine was dating her now-ex-boyfriend, he would always refer to her as sweetie, but he referred to her friends as sweetie too! To be honest it Read more

I’m a fan of slang terms (uh, lady business!), but there’s something that just bothers me when people use a slang term for their periods. I mean there's nothing cute about a period! I completely understand wanting to avoid using menstruation to describe what’s typically an unpleasant few days, but “period” is just so much less visual and more succinct than Aunt Flo, crimson wave, on Read more

Calling your significant other by a pet name is a cute term of endearment, but it makes my skin crawl when a guy calls me hot stuff, sweetie, darling, or baby when we're not in a relationship! I'm sure they mean no harm by it, but when they reuse those nicknames with more than one woman at a time, they lose their value and become way too contrived. Of course, this is just my opinion so tell me Read more

I'm all for using pet names in a romantic relationship, but what about using them with your girlfriends? I think "babe" is one of those terms of endearment that can be used for either sex, but more personal nicknames like sweetie or honey just seem a bit inappropriate when referring to your gal pal. Of course that's just my opinion, so tell me ladies, where do you stand on using pet names with Read more

Pet names or nicknames reveal intimacy and familiarity; special people in our lives frequently find themselves with new and special names, names created and communicated usually and strictly between friends. Around Valentine's Day, we asked you to share your pet names for your significant others; the answers ranged from the romantic to the purely silly, showing just how inspired, creative and Read more

After a very informal survey, I discovered that very few couples of my generation have created cute little pet names for each other. Has this sweet and intimate tradition between lovers become a lost art? Is cute dead? Please please please tell me it isn't true! Thankfully, everyone I talked with seemed to remember affectionate nicknames between grandparents or parents, aunts and uncles. Here's Read more