Once you're in a romantic relationship, how difficult is it to have close friends of the opposite sex?

Sunday 05th July, 04:22 AM JST

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14 Comments

Triumvere at 10:56 AM JST - 5th July

Wouldn't that depend on how jealous your partner is?
Den Den at 01:27 PM JST - 5th July

I know, JT is trying to get some dirt on us for their profile file...don't confess guys!
Razor at 01:36 PM JST - 5th July

I haven't had any trouble yet but I must confess I have been tempted to stray with one of my girlfriend's girl friends, but fortunately resisted in the end. It wasn't easy, though, mainly because my girlfriend does get jealous easily. Come to think of it, so do I. Maybe we are not wired to be monogamous.
seesaw at 01:59 PM JST - 5th July

I don't have any problems at all in this aspect. Most of my close friends are men and my bf knows about them. He's never jealous about it either. I think it's important to feel secured in a relationship...:)
griff at 02:09 PM JST - 5th July

relationships aren't romantic, they're sexual. whether it's "romantic" or not (whatever that means) is rather down to the people, and what you might choose to do, don't you think?
hellhound at 02:09 PM JST - 5th July

that is not difficult, I prefer to have friends of the opposite sex so I can play around. we all get tired of eating the same rice everyday do we?
RandomTask at 03:58 PM JST - 5th July

It's difficult if you care about the one you are with and they are uncomfortable with it. It's easy if they don't mind. Playing around is the same, if you really care about who you are with it's not a good idea unless they are okay with it (perhaps let your partner do the same).
Tetsujin at 09:02 PM JST - 5th July

Playing around, whether sanctioned or not, will never be good for the relationship. To be fair it would have to go both ways and there is no way I would want my wife going out and banging some random dude. You can have the same rice every day, you just to add different furikake to it :)
Madara at 09:23 PM JST - 5th July

All I can say that it is not that difficult, It depends on your relationship on the current partner, maybe a crazy jealous lunatic man or an out-going, non-jealous, open-minded, non possesive-man. Hmmm...
Sarge at 10:20 PM JST - 5th July

It's not difficult for me.
Azrael at 11:25 PM JST - 5th July

There is a difference between friendship and flirting. If you cannot tell the difference, you need some EQ training (Emotional Intelligence coeficient). It's is said it takes two to dance. Well, if you don't establish a clear boundary between romance and friendship, you will have trouble.

Close friendship is a blessing; true friends help you out when the world kicks you. A close friend is there when your parents die, when you lose your job, when your child is sick and does not take the chance of your moment of weakness to try to get laid for free. A true friend respects you are in a relationship and even befriends your partner. Same the other way around. If you are in a relationship and you are serious about it, you know when to raise the flag to keep the boundaries clear. Nobody gets "seduced." It takes two to dance.
jackfish at 10:21 AM JST - 6th July

The question was about "close friends". That implies a friendship that gets close to the boundary. Some partners will find that type of relationship to be threatening, and some won't. Which type of partner do you have? A better question might be, why do you feel the need to have "close friends of the opposite sex"? As opposed to just, friends, of any sex.
Altria at 10:46 AM JST - 6th July

I have a wonderful gal pal who I often get together with to gossip, giggle, and share fashion advice. She even lets me borrow some of her many fab handbags. Brucie gets in a tizz when I come home late sometimes, but I think he's just jealous of my handbags!
Richard_III at 12:11 PM JST - 6th July

It's easier to get on with Japanese women than Japanese men, so of the very few Japanese friends I have most are female. It can be difficult though as a lot of people are quiet suspicious of such relationships. Still undecided whether it's best to be totally open about them, or just to keep them under wraps just to avoid any grief.