Is Your Partner Your Best Friend?
One of the most important aspects of any relationship, particularly a marriage, is friendship. When you look at your partner, can you say they are your best friend? Can you confide all your fears to them, talk about them, and perhaps work together to resolve them? There are often times when third parties are our best friends, not our partners.
There’s nothing wrong with having good close friends. In fact, it’s healthy and it can be very good for relationships. What couples shouldn’t be doing is discussing important issues with their friends when the only way to resolve them is by discussing them with their partners. Getting advice on how best to approach issues is fine, so long as you follow up on that advice, but be warned, the advice offered is not necessarily the right advice and it could result in adverse outcomes.
A good close friendship can be seen as an extension of your family. However, remember it is an extension, not a replacement. The best advice for marriage issues can only be found through professional counselors – you can even gain free marriage advice if you really need it. While the advice offered by friends may come from experience, their situation may well have been quite different to yours.
Ultimately, your best friend has to be your partner. If you are having difficulties communicating with your partner, it is time to call in some professional help. Communication is the single most important factor in any successful marriage since it reinforces every component of true friendship. While friendship is important to any marriage, being good friends does not guarantee a successful marriage. However, not being good friends can almost guarantee a failed marriage.
