Seriously, is there such a thing as balanced love?

Love advice from my mum: it's better if you end up with someone who loves you more than you love them. Seriously - she reckons that if you're gonna be in an unbalanced relationship, better that the scales should be tipped in your favour - typical Mum advice.

But it does get me thinking, is there ever really such a thing as a completely balanced relationship? Can 2 people really love each other entirely equally?

The fear I guess that mothers have for their daughters is that love is irrational and can cause us to do irrational things. They're the driving force behind crimes of passion, youth suicide packs - and why guys will stand in the rain with a boom box held over their heads or why girls will fly across country to rush in to try to stop her ex's wedding - why we seem to so willingly rush to make fools of ourselves - all in the name of love.

But is it better in the end to have a partner who loves us more? In some ways, it makes sense - since women want to be romanced and wooed - worshipped even. So isn't it better to be loved more?

Meanwhile, women still seem to fall for the bad boy and end up in abusive relationships - where you question if the partner cares for them at all. In this extreme, it's the thrill of being entirely in love - crazy in love - that makes life exciting. Without that irrational emotional...passion - is life too boring?

What do you think? Can two people really love each other equally? Is there always an imbalance? Which is better - to love or be loved?