I met my boyfriend on my second day of classes in my freshman year.
We have been together for about two and a half years now, but time has flown by.
We made it official my sophomore year, but the rest of my freshman year was basically like we were dating.
I love the way it all panned out.
It is one of my favorite things about our relationship.
We were friends first.
There is something to really understanding why you are infatuated with someone.
I think when you realize it is because you consider them your closest friend, you know you have something good.
…
I have heard from some of my friends that they feel intimidated to talk to me about things that have come up in their relationships because they think that my relationship is perfect or that I cannot relate to what they want to talk about.
They do not say this with a negative connotation.
(I am trying to convey advice without sounding like an ass here.)
It is not that my relationship is perfect.
I am a firm believer that no relationship is perfect.
We have our talks and we work things out like you have to do if you are going to grow together.
My philosophy is that when you have a foundation of trust and respect for something that I truly believe only comes from a friendship sometimes, a lot of the age-old relationship troubles turn to dust.
Now would be a good time to add that this relationship that I am in is what I consider my first real relationship.
But, I have had the same friendships my whole life.
I am sensing a common theme here with the people I love, but if so, my theory stands correct.
The two are intertwined, you have to grow together or else it does not work.
Now, this is not to say that you must be friends before you date someone.
I do not think this at all and I know a lot of happy couples who made it official after a short time of knowing each other.
But I do think that in a lot of ways they see themselves as friends as well, as they go on as a couple.
A lot of times this is hard for people to do, see their significant other as a friend or someone they would like to be friends with when you just love them so much.
Especially in the realm of sex too, it is not common to have sex with friends.
But I really do think that when you aim for this quality in your relationship, it answers a lot of the hardships and confusion of why you love someone so much but you either have nothing in common or it just is not right no matter how hard you try.
Even on the sex note, why not be as comfortable as you can be in a very vulnerable state?
It really comes down to seeing it as a friendship at the end of the day.
I am a very lucky girl.
I will acknowledge that.
I do think that once you have an experience like this or start to think about savoring your friendship with your partner, it is hard to go back.
I am not saying break up with your significant other just because you do not think you are close enough friends.
I do say to think about your friendship and what that means to you.
Because it has meant a lot to me.