Friends With Benefits?

Dear Dee:
What do you think about having ‘friends with benefits'?

Oh my goodness. It's ‘Dear Dee' tangent day. I can already tell. What in the heck is a ‘friend with benefits'?

OK.OK. I know what you mean, but seriously? This type of arrangement is basically ... trashy. Yeah. Trashy. It's two people who really think a lot of each other and wanna ‘get busy' with each other until someone better comes along that they can actually fall in love with or get into a relationship with.

What is good about that? Reserving the romantic aspects of a relationship for someone you're actually romantically involved with and committed to is what separates friendship from romance. So, no. You don't make out with your friends. You don't use them until someone better comes along and you don't belittle yourself that way, either.

Romantic relationships are special. And they deserve to stay special. Having ‘Friends with benefits' spits in the eye of what is sacred and true about romance. Don't ruin that. Value yourself enough to know you deserve real romance, real passion and a real relationship.

Your friends are your friends. And the benefits they come with don't include spit-swapping and movie-theater make out sessions. Seriously.