Most of us, even if unmarried have been in every stage of dating.
Flirting, Talking, Dating, Exclusive Dating, and Relationship.
Most of us have probably been through breakups as well and if you haven’t you’re part of an elite group my friend.
Everyone knows how awkward it can be when two people from the same friend group breakup. It’s like a real family going through a divorce. They talk about what friends can stay with the guy and what friends can stay with the girl. The friends act like children, planning out what days they can go to dads house and where they’ll spend holidays. Sometimes they even hide the fact that they are still spending time with the other “parent”!
It doesn’t have to be like that however. What if we as a generation knew how to date our friends without tearing our friend groups to pieces? What if we knew how to be… (dum dum dum) ADULTS!
Our friend groups would stay together.
There is an art to breaking up with someone. Normally you both know its about to end and so its somewhat expected. But even still, many times it ends in a huge fight, someone says some things they don’t mean, someone throws a fish bowl, and they go on their way to vent to their respective sides of the group. That fight acts as a knife, cutting the group in half.
You already know your friends
We’ve all had crushes on our friends before. The most prevalent scenario is a male best friend falls over time for his female best friend, he finally spills his guts hoping for her to reciprocate, and she says she see’s him as a brother. Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes people just aren’t interested and thats not what I’m talking about. In this scenario the female is too afraid of losing her friend because all of her past relationships have failed. So, because of a fear of failure and a lack of confidence that the two could stay friends if a breakup occurred, they never even try. “Well Sandy, stop complaining about not finding a good man, you already friend zoned the one you knew wouldn’t hurt you.”
Most people want to marry their best-friend.
I am very aware that this is not all people, some see a very distinct line between friend and lover, which is okay! But for many out there, the thought of marrying their best-friend is the stuff of dreams. They don’t want to meet their spouse years down the road after they’ve experienced a huge portion of life, being forced to simply tell stories to their spouse. They want to make those stories with their spouse!
Sometimes things get messy.
There are moments in life that no matter how hard you try to keep things nice and neat, tornadoes show up. They have no regard for your attempts to friend date wisely. They don’t care if your friend group disperses. You can be the most mature, loving, pure-intentioned person in the world but sometimes fights still happen.
So try and date your friends, I implore you. But be wise in doing so. Do your best to handle things in a mature manner that will allow your friend group to survive should your relationship not. However, never forget that sometimes you’ll still get a fish bowl thrown at your head.