It is possible to establish and to maintain platonic opposite sex friendships whether or not sexual attraction is a factor. Such friendships, if maintained, offer a lot of fun and insight to opposite sex interactions without the pressure or the distraction of a physical component.
Why Do Opposite Sex Friendships Occur?
Opposite sex friendships occur because two people like each other, but they’ve ruled out a relationship. By establishing a friendship instead of a relationship, they are not declaring that they have a partner in reserve if all else fails; they are simply enjoying the company of a compatible person. Despite popular fiction, opposite sex friendships rarely develop into relationships.
Once a window of opportunity passes, but two people still like each other, friendship is the next logical step. Don’t let stereotypical social expectations spoil an opposite sex friendship, and don’t let a boyfriend or a girl friend do it either. If an opposite sex friend is also a roommate, one has an economic interest in preserving peace as well.
Don’t Let a Relationship Interfere
Do not be not be apologetic or defensive about an opposite sex friend, but don’t be secretive either. Let a date meet such a friend, but don’t throw them together. If a boyfriend, for example, is secure, he may not like the male friend, but he won’t protest unless he’s given a reason. Reasons include comparing the two, showing preference, or using the male friend as a pawn to elicit a boyfriend’s attention and/or jealousy.
People have a right to associate with whomever they please, and a partner must not ever tell another whom to see or not to see. If he says the relationship is platonic, believe him. Always be cordial and welcoming to the friend. Remember that people do not love each other because they want to control and to change them. They love each other because of who they are and how they feel when they’re with them.
Celebrate Friends of the Opposite Sex
Friendships, regardless of gender, are simply an extension of personality. Some men who maintain platonic friendships with women have warm relationships with their mothers and sisters. Women who befriend men often grew up with friendly brothers and caring fathers. Both instances equate partners who tend to treat their lovers as equals simply because they understand the opposite sex better and consequently like and respect all genders.
