How important are friends? Very!
While important to clarify, friends are very important. Good, supportive friends. Friends are not what dysfunctional folks refer to when they go out without their spouse, to cheat or escape family responsibilities.
Friends are folks that share similiar interests, support you emotionally, like you and support your lifestyle which would include your spouse or significant other.
You may know these people from a community group, Church, Synagogue, or work. Having folks you can share, talk, and laugh with enhances the quality of your life and even your intimate relationships. Regular outings with your friends is totally acceptable even for married folks. The problem is the group that use this opportunity to cheat and act in inappropriate ways. These folks give the concept a bad image and ruin it for many. There needs to be trust in a relationship and those out with their friends should be behaving appropriately not abusing the trust. Going out with friends is done in addition to going out with your spouse or significant other and your responsibilities to your family is priority.
These experiences, enhance our lives and make us more interesting, happy people.
Hi Libia - welcome to the Blogosphere! I love the idea of this Blog and wanted to comment on this topic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. As an only child and with both my parents dead, my friends have become my extended family - my tribe. While my husband and his family are wonderful and have welcomed me completely, my friends fill a different need.
For almost 10 years now, what I call my *core friends*, people I've known since high school and college - we're talking well over 20 years - get together once a month for coffee night. We just sit and talk about whatever for 3 or 4 hours and reconnect, strengthening that important bond.
Of course we're there for each other during emergencies and crises as well - I would not have survived myn parents' deaths without them. And our husbands have become good freidns, so we hang out as couples as often.
I've also found that I have different groups of friends who occasionally intersect. Each group gives me different things - and I think that's wonderful.
I wouldn't trade time with my friends for anything.
Thank you for sharing as you obviously have a healthy relationship with friends, spouse, and family. You set a great example.
ReplyDelete