My sister-in-law got a divorce. While I had a great relationship with her ex-husband (as far as I was concerned, he was a great guy), when the process moved forward, I had no choice but to be on the side of sister-in-law. I had to stop all communication with him because having even a casual acquaintance with him would have hurt my sister-in-law. A few years later they have a horrible relationship and often face problems while raising their 3 daughters. Sometimes I just wonder if I could pick up the phone or have a beer with her ex and help him better deal with the problems that they have because they do not even look at each other any more (they only communicate through their children). Here is a great video of Jill Brooke and Julie Chen that talks about divorce and relationships without choosing sides.

By attending a mass divorce fair. Like the mass weddings often organized by religious or social groups, this event will enable couples having problems in their marriage to seek counseling, get a painless divorce, learn to move on after a divorce, and deal with issues like personal finance, child support, and singles vacations. Austria has the same rate of divorce as the United States.

Did you know that having problems in your relationship could hurt your health to much that you could die from it. Latest research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that "negative close relationships" boosted the risk of coronary events by a third.

"Previous research in this area focused more on philosophy," said Robert De Vogli, a lecturer in social epidemiology at University College London. "It was assumed that if you were married, you were more likely to be healthy. It was well established that social relationships are important for health."

This finding means that if you are in a relationship (if you are single try our free dating website) that is not going so well, you can do one of the two things: Fix it by seeking help from marriage counselors, family members, and friends, or simply end it. There is absolutely no reason to drag it and be miserable. I know many couples do it for the sake of children or due to financial considerations, but this finding shows that you would be better off either fixing it once and for all by making compromises and resolving conflicts or getting a divorce.

A divorce lawyer may be the most unlikely source of marriage advice but they have unique insights into why marriages fail. While some studies say that half of all marriages fail, the actual number is much higher because many couples live in horrible marriages but stay together for all sorts of reasons. They are actually worse than divorced couples.

So what are the reasons for divorce?

Of course, we live in a world of choice and now that men and women are financially independent, they do not take BS from no one. Another major reason is that when passion goes out of a relationship.

So what is the secret to a long and happy marriage?

1. Appreciate your partner
2. And keep the relationship spicy.

If I were God for one day, the first thing I would do is to make a couple fall in love so much when they decide to have a child that they will never get a divorce (or breakup since it is no longer the case that only married people have children). While divorce is hard on both partners, studies say that it is even harder on a man than a woman, and it is a traumatic experience for children, particularly if they are not adults (as is most often the case).

Divorce is also typically the end result of years of fighting and that results in a lot of bitter feelings towards each other. It is not surprising for couples to not even want to see each other's faces when one day that took the vow to be married till death (How to make your marriage work). Unfortunately, with 50% marriages ending in divorce, there is not much we can do about this reality except to discourage people in doubt about their relationship from having children in first place, but if they do, making sure that regardless of how much they hate each other, still love their children.

I always thought that divorce hurts families and based on the number of emails (if you want to share your story, please write to us) that we receive from women, it is devastating to them. They start to doubt themselves and their self esteem becomes low. Many women are severly depressed and find it very hard to date after the divorce. Some refuse to remarry or continue to have problems in their next relationship.

All this time, we all assumed that men just moved on, probably found a younger chick, and never looked back.

Not true. According to an analysis by Statistics Canada (and I am confident that the results are valid for most of us in the West), men are six time more likely to get depressed compared to happily married men. According to Michelle Rotermann, the author of the study, "On the one hand we know depression in general tends to be more common among women, but there is also a lot of evidence that shows that men have fewer social supports and social support does seem to play a role."

So if you are a recently divorced man and don't feel right, chances are you are depressed. So get some help. And friends and family members of men who have recently divorced, if you don't see things are right, please provide some support and ask him to get professional help.

And to all those women who might date just divorced men, be patient and don't judge too fast. If you think that he does not seem "normal," don't just dump him (though it is fine to end the relationship in a civil manner) but make sure that he meets with a therapist and gets psychiatric help. There is a reason Prozac is a bestselling drug.

Natalie is a single mom with two children in elementary school. She is separated from her husband of 11 years and has decided to seek a divorce. "Only recently I decided to date (check out our free dating website) and found a wonderful man. It was love at first sight. He was also separated, and like me, wanted to divorce his wife too, but they were still living in the same house. After dating for two months, he told me that he needs his space and time to figure out what he really wants. What should I do? I am giving him his space he asked for and he has told me that we did not breakup and that he just needs his space and time. How should I handle this development?" she asks.

Dating after divorce is somewhat complicated for both men and women and even more so when the divorce is not yet final. Both men and women completely change their thinking about relationships and marriage after divorce because they start looking at whole live very differently. In some ways, it is a good thing because they can now think before they act. And that is exactly what he is doing.

My advice to you would be to leave him alone for the time being by not pressuring him to go out on dates. It doesn't hurt, though, to occasionally email him politely to check up on him and share how you and kids are doing. If you push hard at this point, it will be frustrating for both of you.

You should also tell him that you would like to give him whatever number of days you feel comfortable with, say, 30 or 60 days, to come up with his plan forward. In the meantime, you should tell him that both of you are free to see other people. Imagine that he comes back to you 2 months later and tells you that after all he does not want a relationship with you. You would have wasted all this time particularly if you end up meeting someone nice. You can tell him that you are not breaking up with him either; you just want to keep your options open. It wouldn't be fair for him to expect that you will just wait for him even when he does not want to commit anything at all.

Recently a group of divorce attorneys in Chicago were blasted for a very controversial billboard with the tag line "Life's short - get a divorce." The critics argued that marriage was not something to be taken lightly and by openly motivating people to consider divorce, the lawyers were sending a wrong message.

While it is often said that one out of every two marriages in the country leads to a divorce, some recent statistics suggest that the divorce rate may have actually leveled off and even declined. Is it true?

Yes, the numbers are right and that is why the divorce attorneys are seeking new clients, the real story is different. What is happening is that instead of getting married people are choosing to live together before marriage (if at all they do it) and even have children out of wedlock (in the traditional sense), though many of these couples are actually in long-term, monogamous, committed relationships.

According to statics, the number of couples living together without marriage has increased 10 times since 1960 and the marriage rate has plunged by 30% during last 25 years. Plus, Americans are marrying when they are much older.

So what is the message here?

If you are not absolutely convinced that you have found the spouse of your dreams, wait to get married. There are other options to be together. Remember, divorce is costly and painful.

Courtney is a 52 year old woman and this is what she wrote to me today. "I agree with you on the subject of an older woman being with a younger man. Many people don't accept that this is a viable option. I myself resisted the temptation for some time before succumbing to the affections of a man 23 years my junior. I wound up marrying him and the problems that surfaced in our marriage were not due to our large age gap. His family members were more judgmental than mine about the age difference. After 6 years of being together, he divorced me and went back to his ex, who is only about 4 years younger than myself. I have been alone for nearly a year and have not found a man thus far that suits me. Age is a number. This is what I want men and women out there to understand," she says.

I think Courtney's case clearly proves that if a couple is compatible otherwise, age is merely a number. And if they are otherwise incompatible, being of the same age can actually be a problem sometimes - a mature partner can handle the situation better.

Uma Thurman is a great example of great ex wife

Relationship with your ex is a delicate issue especially if the divorce or the breakup was ugly. The feelings are even more bitter when it was a result of adultery or dispute over money. But is it a good idea to talk bad about your ex (think Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards here)?

Maybe the answer is provided by Uma Thurman (who coincidentally also stars in "My super ex-girlfriend."). In several interviews she has admitted that she had a bad marriage (and so has Teri Hatcher) with Ethan Hawke and there are some reports that he may have cheated on her, but in an interview in Parade, she says that she does not believe in being critical about her ex-husband. (Related: Should I go back to my ex?)

"I think it's fair to say that I haven't said one mean thing, and I'm not going to start now. It's terrible for my family," she said. "I'm just another American woman who was in an unfulfilled marriage that fell apart," she added.

Indeed, not every one has a perfect marriage and many of us are lonely and depressed in our relationships. Some of us even choose to end our relationships and move on, but friendship with your ex is generally a good idea.