Dear Level
If You Want Your Relationship to Last, Tell Your Moms to Mind Her Business
In the words of Ginuwine: ‘Ain’t none of your friends’ business’
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
Last year, my partner and I hit a rough patch. It’s a time I refer to as The Terrible, God Awful, Very Bad Fourth Year. Miraculously, we survived it, both different and better for the wear we endured. What did not fare well after the roller-coaster dip, though, was our friends’ and families’ feelings about our relationship.
People we allowed to be involved in our relationship over the years — especially during that tumultuous time — developed cross feelings after hearing our complaints about each other. Then, as he and I painstakingly worked through our issues with the help of two talented therapists, our friends and family members were left with their disdain. His people dislike me, and mine can’t stand him.
Compartmentalizing and editing the relationship details you offer your close friends and family doesn’t mean that the most intimate aspects have to be secret. Still, they…
