Emotional affairs are so emotional.

 On all of my days off from work, I go over to my parents' house. My mom is disabled and my dad needs a break once or twice a week. When I get there, he is normally only gone for a couple hours but my mom and I always do the same thing..... watch TV. She used to watch Discovery Health which would drive me insane. I would leave there thinking I was going to die from some rare disease that doctors wouldn't be able to diagnose. Not that I am a hypochondriac but after an hour or two of hearing all that stuff, it would get to me. Lately, my mom has found a new channel... OWN. If you have been living under a rock and don't know what OWN is.... it is the Oprah Winfrey Network.  When I went over there and saw the channel for the first time, I audibly groaned. After watching it a few times, I actually started to enjoy it. Actually, I really enjoy watching Dr. Phil.... except for today. His show was about emotional affairs. What the hell is an emotional affair? Well, after watching the show, I still don't have a clear answer. A woman (who was clearly dysfunctional, but whatever) was deemed an "emotional cheater" by the good Dr. Phil. She was not having sex with these men that she was cheating with... but she was having intimate meetings and conversations with men that are not her husband. Let me expand on these seedy liaisons that she was having. She takes her daughter to school everyday and sees a man there (no explanation, but I assume he was taking his kid to school also). They would lock eyes every day. After months of looking at each other, one day she walked up to him and said something that completely shocked me.... hi. Yeah, that little 2 letter word that is dripping with sexual connotations. Wow, she is clearly a cheater. Then, another affair happened. She hugged a man that was not her husband!!!! Seriously, in some countries she would be stoned for that. Now, I understand that cheating is not about the sex..... but that is a big part of what makes it cheating. Dr. Phil thinks that if you are having a "relationship" with someone other than your spouse it will lead to cheating. Not necessarily. If you are keeping parts of it secret then he thinks you are definitely an emotional cheater. Why does everything have to have a label attached to it? An emotional cheater? I think that you should just admit that you are in a lull in your marriage and either try to fix it or else go your separate ways. Don't go accusing someone of cheating! She hugged a man and looked at another one... well, I have done that MANY times. Does that make me a cheater? Not in my eyes, nor my husband's. I believe I am a cheater when I have an real relationship with another man. If my husband hugged another woman, I wouldn't think of it as an affair. Maybe I just haven't had an affair worthy hug? Is it different that other hugs? Anyway, I think that every relationship has its own boundaries. My husband knows where I draw the line... and vice versa. He knows that I am not going to go into a jealous rage if he talks to another woman. I have to trust that he will not disrespect me or our relationship. Without trust, you get emotional affairs and trips to see Dr. Phil. BTW, I am not bashing Dr. Phil.... I love him even though I think I can do as good a job as he does!