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I
encourage couples to seek solid
friendships with other couples for the
following reasons:
-
Other couples
better understand what it is like
to
be in a romantic relationship.
-
You can learn
from other couples. Being
with other couples puts your
relationship in perspective.
It makes you appreciate that the
challenges that you face in your
relationship are similar to those
faced by others.
-
It allows you to
interact with members of the
opposite gender along with your
spouse so that there is never a
concern about infidelity (I am a
big supporter of
healthy
friendships with members of the
opposite gender even after
marriage; they enrich your
relationship)
How to find
couples as friends? While
it may seem easy, it is not. The
reason is that you want to find
couples that are similar to you in
more than one way so that you can
really bond with them. Some
obvious places to start are:
-
Reconnect with
old friends who stopped
socializing with you when they got
married but you were single.
-
Start
socializing with your married
friends as couples.
-
Organize family
events with other married people
in the family.
-
Join an online
group to find other couples with
similar hobbies or specific goals.
How to make the
best of relationships with other
couples?
-
While having a
large group is good, but try to
pick two or three couples with
whom you really connect and then
make your relationship (Revive
relationship with an old flame) even
stronger with them, by inviting
them more frequently to informal
meals or to watch a movie together
or go on a hike.
-
Share with them
your story as a couple and
encourage them to share their
secrets for happiness and the
challenges that they face.
Help each other out by sharing
what has worked for you and what
hasn't.
-
Help them out
when needed. For instance,
watch their kids if they want to
get out of a town for a romantic
weekend or go blow the snow if
someone is traveling.
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