{"id":26758,"date":"2014-06-23T11:33:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-23T11:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=26758"},"modified":"2014-06-23T11:33:00","modified_gmt":"2014-06-23T11:33:00","slug":"dating-your-bff-can-your-friendship-survive-a-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/06\/dating-your-bff-can-your-friendship-survive-a-relationship\/","title":{"rendered":"Dating your BFF: Can your friendship survive a relationship?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Should you risk it all for something that could be even better?<\/p>\n
Dating<\/a>\u00a0someone with whom you have a strong friendship is a path many people consider walking down. And so, they seek out answers. But, depending where you go,\u00a0advice on love<\/a>\u00a0and friendship can drastically vary.<\/p>\n Some people swear that dating a friend is akin to pooping where you eat: everything just sort of ends up shitty.<\/p>\n Other people dole out advice on\u00a0love<\/a>\u00a0that isn’t quite as gloomy. They not only believe that friends and love do mix, but they also believe that\u00a0at the root of every great romantic relationship is the friendship that keeps it afloat.<\/a><\/p>\n So, how do you know what\u00a0advice on love\u00a0<\/a>to follow? How do you know if dating your best friend is a good idea or one that will only end in heartache? The true answer really depends on how the two of you feel about one another \u2014 some friends imagine that sleeping with each other is like acting out\u00a0Flowers in the Attic.<\/p>\n Others feel differently.<\/strong><\/p>\n Still, there are ways to tell if this path is one that leads to a dead end. Answering three simple questions, for instance, will tell you if dating your best friend is doable, or something that ain’t broke, giving you no reason to fix it.<\/p>\n Do you feel like you have to?<\/strong><\/p>\n There’s a scene from\u00a0My Best Friend\u2019s Wedding\u00a0that shows\u00a0Julia Roberts<\/a>\u00a0confessing to her editor that she and her best friend have a pact to marry each other if both find themselves\u00a0single<\/a>\u00a0when they reach a certain age. Though this scene is fictional, the concept behind it is not: girls and guys all over the world shake hands, pinky swear, or otherwise vow to be each other’s Plan B.<\/p>\n Telling someone to date their best friend because time has marched on without the slightest sound of wedding bells is advice on love that is like going on a camping trip while slathered in honey: it’s just asking for trouble.<\/p>\n Instead, you and your\u00a0best friend should be together<\/a>\u00a0because you want to, not because you feel as though you have to.<\/p>\n Do you want the same future?<\/strong><\/p>\n Another point to consider before crossing the line between noogies and hugs to kisses and\u00a0sex<\/a>\u00a0is your future ideals: do you and your best friend want the same things? You may make the mistake of assuming you do; after all, you’ve been best friends for five years and get along marvelously. Yet, you need to be sure \u2014\u00a0wanting different things can kill a relationship when it doesn’t even mar a friendship.<\/a><\/p>\n For example, if you want children and your best friend never wants to be a parent, you’re not going to be largely affected (heck, you’ll probably even save money by not having to engage in the obligatory spoiling). But, if you want children and you\u2019re significant other does not, you’ll be singing a different tune\u2026and this one is nowhere near as cheery.<\/p>\n