Exploring Today's Relationships

Relationships are viewed much differently today than in the past. At one time the interaction between two people was classified as a friendship, a dating relationship, or a marriage. Now there are different types of friendships, dating is categorized as either "casual dating" or "serious dating", marriages carry labels such as "open" and "swinging." While some view relationships such as "friends with benefits" as a reflections of the decline in our society's sense of morality, others feel these relationships have always existed but were kept behind closed doors.

Friendships are often found to be the most solid and long-lasting of all relationships, even more so than many marriages. A friend was the one individual who could be trusted to keep secrets, the only person who would never judge. These relationships were founded on trust, honesty, mutual respect, and of course a very special kind of love. While sex may have been discussed while confiding in a friend, sexual activity within the friendship was not considered to be the norm. Now we have "friends with benefits", a friendship in which includes sex without the expectation of exclusivity. These relationships have become very popular, particularly with those only interested in casual dating.

Casual dating allows two individuals, who share the same interests, to interact socially without feeling obligated to make commitments. Simply put, the goal of casual daters is to have fun while enjoying the company of someone who is both personable and physically attractive. The purpose of serious dating is quite different. When an individual reaches the point in their life they no longer choose to be alone, they begin looking for commitment and that one person they feel will make their life complete. Although both types of dating can result in long-term relationships, they are more commonly developed through serious dating.

Marriage is thought to be the most important of all relationships. As with dating there are different types of marriages, the most common being one which is monogamous. Another is the "open" marriage. Although each partner is allowed to participate in sex outside the marriage, it is understood the marriage, and the spouse, must always take priority over any outside sexual partner. Some marriages include participation in the "Swinging" lifestyle, another form of open marriage. While an open marriage allows each partner to experiment sexually without the presence of the other, swinging relationships require both partners be present. Even though swinging involves both partners having sex with others, it is not considered to be infidelity as long as both participate.

These are only a few of the different types of relationships we see today.

Throughout my blog are relationship-related articles which are intended to be informative, maybe even a little entertaining as well.

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