How Do I Date My “Friend With Benefits” (FWB) and Still Stay Friends?

How Do I Interact With My “Friend with Benefits” and Still Remain Friends

A friends-with-benefits (FWB) relationship is one where two partners in their friendship consensually agree to have sex together without any of the accompanying traits binding a couple together in a usual dating relationship. This includes regular communication, dining out as a couple, gifting, or sometimes even acknowledging the status of the relationship to other friends.

A FWB Relationship is Supposed to Be A Casual Situation With No Strings Attached

Acknowledging the nature of a FWB relationship is not the done thing because the relationship is one of convenience. It does not have a social component that permits dating behavior such as “double dates” or meet-the-family events. The relationship is rather kept under wraps and discrete.

It is Essential in a FWB Relationship to Not Have Any Sort of Dating Behavior with Your Partner to Maintain The Necessary FWB Boundaries The casual nature of the relationship has no room for any sort of romantic feelings or expectations. Public displays of affection are generally not experienced if the casual sexual foundation and deliberate lack of commitment are to survive.

Partners in a FWB Situation Should Avoid Falling in Love or Even Flirting To Sustain FWB Relationship Over the Long Term, the Partners Must Be Intentional About Preserving the Requisite Boundaries

The boundaries which must be observed define the nature of a FWB relationship–that of detachment and a casual approach to the sexual nature of the arrangement. By not maintaining the boundaries, the relationship is not a true FWB arrangement. By overstepping those boundaries, it is possible to damage the friendship. The parties are in a jinxed-if-we do, jinxed-if-we-don’t situation where not attending to the health of the relationship can damage the foundation of the basic friendship just as paying attention to the friendship can jeopardize the casual sexual bond between the friends.

Is the Relationship Ultimately Satisfying for the Parties?

Maintaining a FWB relationship can be extremely hard under good circumstances. Observing the boundaries might mean that the friendship stays casual but offers little in the way of nurture within a sexual context. That may in turn end up being a cold, meaningless relationship involving sex. The parties must decide on the front end if that type of relationship will be satisfying in and of itself. Staying friends can be difficult, indeed, in that scenario. In order to preserve the friendship the parties may have to decide what is ultmately best for the parties in the long run. A decision will have to be made to salvage the friendship and redefine the rules of the relationship, or to let the relationship go and chalk it up to experience. Because good friends are hard to find in the modern world, this decision should not be taken lightly. The parties must think long and hard before making irrevocable decisions.