Approval makes the world go round, even if many of us want to transcend our hunger for it.

For weeks I ran through a mental inventory of my closet. Did I want to wear something new - to christen it and forever make it The Divorce Dress?

Whenever I told women - friends or acquaintances - that I had to go to divorce court, they'd invariably, without skipping a beat, ask, 'What are you going to wear?' It was like instant female solidarity: of course it mattered what I was going to wear.

Divorce court seemed to inspire in my girlfriends 1940s-era fashion fantasies, not only for me, but for themselves.

Am I an elitist because I like wine?

I have no problem being full-term pregnant and do not understand women who say, 'I can't wait to get this baby out of me!'

Whether you plan to labor with an epidural or the Pitocin Fairy pins you down or you end up having an emergency C-section, there are still choices you can make throughout your entire birth experience that allow you to feel some control over what is probably the most dramatic day of your life.

Getting a pedicure seems to be a standard pre-birth ritual, presumably because it is relaxing and makes you feel pretty even though your little piggies are going to be covered in those awesome no-skid hospital socks which I kept on for three days.

If you want to become a mother, you can. I promise. It may not happen the way you think, but it's possible. It just takes a combination of a little planning and a lot of living your life.

My first husband and I never came close to having kids.

I spent my late twenties and all of my thirties figuring out what I was supposed to be doing and where my home was.

Most of my best friends had children in their early 40s.

Donald Trump, who surely has lots of high-stakes issues on which to focus, is consumed with the appearance of women.

Making fun of people's looks is something that children do - mean children - and, in fact, linguists have determined that Trump actually speaks like a 3rd grader.

People who champion Trump say they don't want politics-as-usual. But 'politic' is also an adjective. It means 'tactful and diplomatic.' It's necessary for an elected official to be politic.

Are we a people who put politics over integrity? Or are we a country of voters and leaders, men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, colleagues, humans who care about treating each other with basic dignity?

Hours after I gave birth to my first child, my husband cradled all five pounds of our boy and said, gently, 'Hi, Sweetpea.' Not 'Buddy' or 'Little Man.' Sweetpea. The word filled me with unanticipated comfort.

The t-shirts that declare 'Girls Rule the World' offer an empirical falsehood, but at least the aspiration is there.

Boys have always known they could do anything; all they had to do was look around at their presidents, religious leaders, professional athletes, at the statues that stand erect in big cities and small. Girls have always known they were allowed to feel anything - except anger.

The boy taught from infancy to be tough is emotionally doomed.

I don't think, in my entire 18 years as a student, I ever used an exclamation point in an academic paper.

I admit I feel funny when I use the word 'whom' as I'm talking to my diapered children, but I persist.

No longer is a geek identifiable by a pale complexion, black-rimmed glasses, a bowling shirt that says 'Nerd World Order.' No, geeks are everywhere. And they're cool!

Real love is more than a one-time, seemingly iron-clad pledge that we will never be apart. If you're over 20, you've probably figured out that meaningful love isn't constricting; it doesn't chain you to one place or to each other.

Every time I play darts I try to keep my poker face on and stay focused until that last dart has gone in.

If I'm in a pressurised situation, I've learned to breathe, chill myself out and be calm.

I haven't taken into account how much I drink. I do drink a lot when I am on stage anyway. You will see me come back and have sips of water. I haven't taken into account how much.

I could be two sets, two legs down but I wouldn't think that. I take each leg as it comes.

There are women who can play at my standard, if not better, and they can beat men, too, so it would be nice to see them do it as well.

I know I've probably got a massive target on my back now, because everyone wants to be better, to beat me.

I started taking medication to weaken my immune system because that is what was attacking my kidneys. The problem was when I went on different medication, I suffered side effects. And the side effects caused 'moon face,' where my face swelled up. It was a reaction.

The sky is the limit now, us women are showing that we can beat men and hopefully it will open more doors.

When I play on stage, I have to drink a glass of water.

I focus on each leg and not what the score is.

Especially with the ladies' game, I have proved we can compete with all these men.

I feel really proud of myself for helping to put the ladies' game out there.

Spider and heights are much easier than beating a man at the Ally Pally, any day of the week!

I'm just me, a normal person.

I never get really nervous.

I definitely think I can use the crowd to my advantage.

There's more women who can play like me if not better and we just need more recognition really.

Us women can beat these men, we just need more opportunities to prove ourselves.

Who's to say I can't beat anyone?

I've made history, I've just beaten one man, who's to say I can't beat more?

Being included in just the U.S. Darts Masters was amazing enough but to now be able to go worldwide is something I could only dream of.

I'm so proud to help put women's darts on the map.

The sport has come on - we do not just play in pubs any more and there are massive international competitions.

As long as you put the effort in with your practice, the muscles in your arm stay relaxed and mental preparation is all it takes.

In the sport itself it's fine, but online I have had constant sexist comments saying women are not as good as men.

I practise about three to four hours a day and I will play one night a week, or at the weekend in a competition.