I’d like to address a bit of a double-standard I’ve come across
when it comes to friendships-vs-relationships-of-the-romantic-variety.
First of all, I do think that especially for young people, a
friendship is a more important thing than a relationship. We all know that we
probably won’t marry the person we go on our first date with, but we may well
still be in contact with our best friend from school. Also, we all need a group
of friends to support us, whoever they may be, more than we need to be in a
romantic relationship.
I’ve noticed, however, that it’s a lot easier, or perhaps I
should say more socially acceptable, to break up with a boy/girlfriend than it
is to break up with a friend, and this is a priority I can’t understand.
I like to think that if I ever found myself in an unhappy
or, God forbid, abusive relationship with a boyfriend, I would be able to break
up with him (though I can’t imagine how hard that must be for people). I’m also
certain that my friends, family, and even anyone who knew I’d broken up with
him would be understanding. They wouldn’t want me to stay with someone who was
hurting me, or who simply wasn’t “the one”.
Why is it so hard, then, to end a friendship? You can’t really
“dump” a friend, or if you did, you would be pretty harshly judged for doing
so. Often a girl might be in a friendship that is physically or emotionally
abusive (or both) but can’t extricate herself from it—or when she does, people
see her in a different way and assume it’s she who has the problem if she just “ditched”
or “stopped talking to” someone.
Comments are thrown around by misunderstanding friends and
strangers that “girls will be girls” and “that was a bit dramatic”—when really,
the termination of an abusive or unhappy relationship is in order to remove oneself from
drama.
I’m referring to girls here from experience, because I know that girls
often feel judged and are usually worried about what others might think, but it
occurs to me that it might be even worse for boys. It’s sort of more acceptable,
I think, for girls to dislike other girls than for boys. Who knows? There might
be tons of boys in friendships that make them unhappy. Perhaps someone might
enlighten me.
Friendships of all shapes and sizes end naturally all the
time: someone moves away, starts a new job or school, or people just develop
different interests, and drift apart. Any ending is sad, but often necessary as
it paves the way for a new chapter in one’s life. When someone ends a
friendship deliberately, all I ask is that you don’t judge them. Treat it with
the same seriousness and sensitivity you would give a romantic break-up:
understand there was a good reason, have the grace not to talk or gossip about
it to them or anyone else, and realise that the only person who knows the ins
and outs of a friendship is the person in it.
I really like this post. Well written. :) ending a friendship is hard, either deliberately or by distancing yourself. An ending is an ending.
ReplyDeletelipstickandlightening.blogspot.ie
I'm so grateful for the comment as I was really worried hadn't explained myself properly!
DeleteI've found from experience that clinging onto friendships that mightn't be all that healthy is a very bad idea. Even if you're just constantly worrying about them, it's bad. So clean breaks can be good.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Being in a negative relationship of any kind can bring a lot of unnecessary hardship! It's a classic example of taking very difficult steps which will, eventually, make your life easier.
Delete*another quick point*
ReplyDeleteI've been through this and it's not healthy at all. I think it may be the mindset that you make lifelong friends as a teen, but guys you're in a relationship with will ''come and go'' which makes boyfriends look pretty disposable. This post is spot on x
Include as many quick points as you like, I love reading them!
DeleteI think that idea probably comes from something I agree with, which is that, especially when you're a younger teen, it's much more important to have a group of friends to support you than it is to be in a romantic relationship.
But yes, that doesn't mean the friends will last forever and the boy/girlfriend won't! You're just as likely to marry/spend your life with your childhood sweetheart as you are to remain close to your childhood friend, in my opinion. It's the same thing, really.