The opposite sex doesn’t have to become off limits just because you’re in a relationship. In fact, it’s just as healthy to maintain friendships with the opposite sex as it is with the same sex. There is a line though, and it can be crossed — very easily — if you’re not careful. Being too friendly can compromise your relationship, even if you don’t mean to offend your significant other. Always think about how you would feel if your beau did the same thing with his opposite-sex friends. Follow Cupid’s advice so you can carefully walk the line:
1. Don’t send private messages to each other: Using Snapchat and texting every once in a while is fine, but limit the amount of private messages shared between the two of you. It’s better to communicate via more public avenues, like Twitter or Instagram. That way, your sweetheart won’t feel like you’re hiding your friendship.
2. Don’t spend too much one-on-one time together: Similarly, spending too much time alone with a friend of the opposite sex can be inappropriate. If you have a long-time bud, it’s alright to occasionally hang out on your own, but when it starts to occur multiple times a week, your partner will have logical reasons to be suspicious. It seems like you’re intentionally seeking out alone time because you want your behavior to be kept secret…catch our drift?
Related Link: Do Your Friends Influence Your Relationship?
3. Don’t excessively brag about your history: Say you have a friend who you’ve known since you were born because your moms are besties or who you met in law school and spent countless hours studying with in the library. Constantly bringing up the fact that you’ve “known each other for so long” or that you’re “like family” can make your significant other feel like they’re less important. It’s fine to tell your babe these things, but don’t over do it, so as not to seem like you’re rubbing it in their face.
4. Don’t party with them too much: Alcohol-induced rendezvous aren’t totally uncommon, so if you’re always going out and spending late, tipsy nights with a friend of the opposite sex, it will make your partner jealous and uncomfortable. Keep it sober and casual — or better yet, invite your significant other out to enjoy the night with you too.
Related Link: When is it OK to Be Friends with an Ex?
5. Finally, don’t share too much information about your relationship: Relationships are meant to be intimate and private, so if you’re divulging every detail to someone else, it can come off as you trying to connect with them intimately and privately. Your boo will probably want some things kept under wraps when it comes to your love, so sharing that information with an opposite sex pal is a violation of trust.
Tell us: How do you handle being friends with the opposite sex when you’re in a relationship?
