Steve Cooper

I'll be the first to admit that not long ago, I would have been quick to declare that Valentine's Day is nothing more than a "Hallmark" holiday. I’ve often said, "It's just a reason for greeting card companies to push more product." While they certainly capitalize on the holiday, I had an epiphany that brought me on board with the celebration.

Even before the light bulb went off above my head, I still celebrated Valentine's Day and even enjoyed the holiday, although a certain piece of me felt it was contrived.

Who wants to be married? Dying sounds more proactive than being married. The word married, whether used as a noun, verb or adjective sounds past tense and settled. Married comes across as boring and evokes no excitement. Dating, on the other hand, is an action word. Dating sounds like things are happening, you sense a future with endless possibilities and dreams around the corner. Married rolls off the tongue with the thud of dirt clods falling on a casket.

Girls between the ages of five and 14 are spending 40 percent more time on unpaid domestic chores than boys their age, missing out on chances to learn and enjoy their childhood, according to a report on Friday ahead of International Day of the Girl.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said girls are spending 160 million more hours a day on household work such as cooking, cleaning, looking after family members and collecting water and firewood.

Bringing sex toys into your relationship can be a way to invigorate a stale routine or max out an exciting one. Even a simple visit to an adult toy store or lingerie shop with your spouse can make a couple see what they’ve been missing or discover things that they never, ever want to try. It can be a time to break through walls and discuss secret fantasies or broach requests that may otherwise fester secretly into resentment and resignation.

However, there are some things to keep in mind when using sex toys and things you both should know from a medical standpoint before you start bringing home

As a speaker for more than 20 years, I typically spend more than 250 days a year on the road. In that time, I can honestly count on two fingers the number of seminars I’ve canceled. Last February, while finishing an event in Phoenix, I received word that my 83-year-old father had been rushed to the hospital. After hearing the words, "You’d better come now," I jumped on the first available flight and subsequently canceled an upcoming speaking tour. Fortunately, Dad was released from the hospital a few days later.

Verbal and non-verbal language is an essential element for committing in a marriage, friendship, business relationship and virtually all others. We depend on making ourselves understood to convey our wants and needs, likes and dislikes, thoughts and feelings and to make requests of others. These communication skills can be applied inside and outside of the bedroom.

We communicate non-verbally with our faces and our bodies. For example, when we are listening, we might tilt our heads a bit or lean forward toward the speaker. The speaker would likely perceive us to be interested and listening attentively.

Some couples seem to have no trouble saying exactly what's on their minds. They are able to express their hurt feelings or anger directly and confront their spouses easily and comfortably.

But for many of us, expressing hurt or angry feelings or saying something you think might hurt or anger your mate is very difficult. You fear your partner's reaction and you're afraid of either hurting their feelings or making them angry.