Can Married People Have Platonic Friends of the Opposite Sex?
Some people think married people can’t have friends who are of the opposite gender. However, by establishing proper boundaries and communicating openly with their spouses, married people can have successful relationships with coworkers or friends that aren’t inappropriate. The key is for a married person to keep a relationship platonic from start to finish by following a few simple guidelines.
Remaining an Open Book
A married person should never try to hide emails and phone conversations they are having with friends of the opposite sex. If a married person feels like he or she has to leave the room to talk on the phone or delete email messages, it’s a red flag. Married people should never say or do anything that they wouldn’t want their spouse to hear or see. Sometimes people have friends of the same gender who want to talk privately. While, it’s fine to have that kind of intimacy with same-sex friends, it’s crossing a line when married people are that emotionally intimate with a person of the opposite sex other than their spouses.
Keeping it Professional
One scenario in which platonic relationships tend to thrive is when two people work or attend school together. Collaboration is an important component of successful work and school projects. While it’s appropriate to ask general questions about a married colleague or classmate’s spouse or children, it’s important not to get too personal. Some taboo topics include sex, in-laws, arguments with spouses and private or embarrassing information such as a bankruptcy or illness.
Avoiding Alone Time
While it’s fine to have conversations that no one else overhears, it’s not acceptable to spend time alone with a person of the opposite sex unless it’s in a professional setting and can’t be avoided. When friends of the opposite gender get together, it should be in a public setting. In most social situations, the friends’ spouses should be included. Spending too much alone time together in person can lead to physical temptations. One of the benefits of having platonic friends through social networking sites is that it takes the pheromones and physical attraction out of the equation.
Knowing What’s Off Limits
For most couples, there are some relationships that are off-limits. For example, Read More…
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