Calling your partner a cute nickname is only cringe to people who don’t get what it’s like to be so ooey-gooey in love with someone that you can’t help but give them an ooey-gooey nickname to match.

I met my boyfriend when I was 43 and he was 32. For the first couple of years, calling him my boyfriend didn’t raise any eyebrows, but as time went on, that changed. I’m now 54 and he’s 43 and most ...