survivinglife

Should couples only have friends of the same sex while they are in a committed relationship?  (Men have only male friends, women have only female friends.) 

First, why would you want to “get rid of” friends of the opposite sex that you may have had for more years than you’ve know your current partner?  Are your friends so disposable, that you can send them out of your life just because you are now involved with someone new?  And, do you think that since you now won’t have any friends of the opposite sex, that there will not be any chance of an affair?  This whole line of thinking is preposterous.  I would expect to see this type of thinking in high school kids, not grown adults.   

Second, let’s understand that affairs do not happen because you have friends that are of the opposite sex.  Affairs happen because one partner feels that they are not getting what they need out of the relationship.  Whether it is communication, intimacy, or maybe just the fact that they feel trapped or confined.  It doesn’t matter what gender your friends are, if your partner is not feeling wanted and fulfilled, the chance of an affair increases dramatically.  

We can’t blame anyone but the two in the relationship when problems arise.  Usually there are more underlying problems than the one that blows everything open.  Open, honest communication and a lot of hard work is what can make relationships survive, no matter what gender of friends either partner has.