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Among opposite-sex married couples, one in 10 (5.4 million couples) are interracial & 18% of heterosexual unmarried couples (1.2 million couples) were of different races.

The data shows we are becoming much more of an integrated, multi-racial society,” says demographer William Frey of the Brookings Institution.Says sociologist Dan Lichter of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., “This is a movement toward a post-racial society, but most social scientists would agree we’re a long way from a colorblind or post-racial society.

“Race is still a category that separates and divides us,” but “this might be evidence that some of the historical boundaries that separate the races are breaking down,” Lichter says.

Christelyn Karazin, 38, of Temecula, Calif., on Friday celebrates the 10th anniversary of her marriage to Michael Karazin, 39. She is black; he is white.

She says the Internet has allowed more people of different races to interact. She and her husband, who met online, “would never have met” otherwise. “He’s from Westport, Conn. His father is a judge. My parents are from the country in Texas. My mom picked cotton.”

Other trends in households:

•Non-family households rose 16% (34 million to 39 million).

•Households with just one person increased from 25.8% to 26.7%; among cities with 100,000 or more people, Atlanta and Washington had the highest percentage of one-person households, both 44%.

•Unmarried-partner households increased from 5.5 million to 7.7 million.

•Households with three or more generations rose from 3.9 million to 5.1 million; 9% of households in Hawaii were multigenerational, the highest percentage of any state.

Which proves that, finding love does not have a boundary nor specific expectation but instead can be found with an open mind and heart.

For original article: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-04-24/census-interracial-couples/54531706/1

Determining if your partner is cheating may not always be as cut and dried as simply waiting for naked people to jump out of your bedroom closet. However, if you suspect that your partner may be cheating, researchers have identified several things that you can look for to confirm (or refute) your suspicions. There are two types of infidelity: emotional and sexual. If your partner is talking a lot about spending time with someone else (with whom you think they would consider having a relationship) or acting apathetic toward you, these behaviors may indicate either type of infidelity. Clues that your partner may be engaging in emotional infidelity include indications that your partner is unsatisfied with your relationship; reluctance to discuss a specific person; emotional disengagement; increased anger, guilt, anxiety, or hostility; and not wanting to spend time with you (of course, many of these may just mean he or she is just not that into you as well).

Indicators that your partner may be engaging in sexual infidelity include changes in the partner’s normal routine, changes in sexual interest (either lack of interest or exaggerated interest), and physical clues like lack of arousal. Women tend to be more sensitive to these cues, suggesting that they are more adept at monitoring for and identifying infidelity. Again, however, a very large and important caveat here is that these behaviors only suggest—and do not guarantee—that cheating is occurring.

Of course, in an ideal situation suspicions about a partner’s activities would not involve a private investigator-like monitoring.  Instead, the best course of action is to build a strong relationship founded on trust and open communication where any doubts about fidelity lead to open conversations rather than a hunt for evidence. If if makes you think twice, maybe there is a reason to dig deeper. However, be wise, pay attention to the signs and don’t jump to conclusions!

This article was adapted from the book Science of Relationships: Experts Answer Your Questions about Dating, Marriage, & Family.

 Going out with someone on Halloween is a great way to ensure an atmosphere that is absolutely perfect for love. It may seem ironic that a holiday dedicated to monsters and ghouls could be romantic, but everyone knows that the best date movie is one which will scare your partner right into your arms.

At Halloween there are also a variety of exciting date idea’s, without having to go to a lot of trouble or expense. Some ideas include:

– Going to a Haunted House: Most communities have organizations such as schools or local cubs that set up haunted houses for the public at little or no cost

– Go to a Scary Movie: Horror movie makers schedule the release of the best movies for late October. Those who don’t, usually schedule the release of the DVD’s around this time

– Halloween Parties: A lot of people throw big monster mash balls to celebrate the holiday. Check your local bulletin or ask around.

– Major Public Events: Aside from haunted houses, communities will often throw parades, fairs, or carnivals for Halloween. One of the most famous is the parade held in Greenwich Village NY each year;

The bottom line is, Halloween is a great night for a date. The atmosphere is already inspired with excitement and fear, and the evening is usually full of built in activities which are fun and inexpensive. Best of all, people tend to be more uninhibited when dressed in a fantasy costume, so you never know what might happen next.

Forgiveness is easy but forgetting is harder. It’s like that saying, I can forgive but will never forget. It’s hard to forget something that has taken an emotional and mental blow on you. I try never to hold grudges but I have friends that vow that their friendship/relationship will never be the same with others because of something that’s been done to them.

What do you think of this? Honestly, I may get frustrated and mad when someone hurts me but I find that I can easily forgive my good friends but it’s harder for me to forgive someone that I used to be in a relationship with. I think it may be because of the different kind of feelings that are involved but it takes me a longer period of time just to be able to forgive an ex-significant other… I hope this is a common thing and not just me!

Forgiveness… I believe it makes you a better person because why waste time holding grudges and having anger within yourself for a long period of time? I also firmly believe in trying to be the better person. I have to remind myself of this as well because sometimes I’d rather be angry. There’s no harm in letting out heat and anger but don’t let it consume you. You eventually have to move on in your life, and hopefully to bigger and better things.

So is forgiveness easy for you? What situations would you absolutely not tolerate? Grudges and anger a common thing for you?