Harmless Flirting?

by Miss Prim | Published Online on June 05, 2011

Dear Ms. Prim,

My boyfriend always gets angry with me for harmless flirting. A lot of times we’ll be out, and I’ll see some smokin' hot guy. Just being the friendly sort that I am, I’ll sometimes say a few things and play around verbally. I don’t mean anything by it. I’ve been with my boyfriend for a year and have never cheated nor do I intend to. That being the case, I don’t see why he gets all upset over this sort of thing. He says that he doesn’t care if I don’t intend to follow up on it and insists it’s still rude whether or not the flirting goes anywhere. Do you think my boyfriend’s right? Is a little flirtation really such a big deal?

-Pathfinder09

Dear Pathfinder,

Honey, this is a very common issue couples have. To answer your questions, I personally think your boyfriend is wrong and that a little flirtation isn’t a big deal. Hell, I flirt with anything with two legs whether I’m with someone or not. However, what I think isn’t really the main issue here.

What matters is what your boyfriend thinks. Darling, we all have our own standards of what is or isn’t rude. By my standard, I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong. I think flirting is both fun and harmless as long as it doesn’t go further. Of course, I’m not the one you’re dating, sweetheart. Part of being in a relationship is taking the other person’s feelings seriously, and changing your behavior to make them comfortable. If you think your boyfriend is a little uptight, I’d suggest talking to him.

Of course, I’d say this isn’t that big of a deal. Seriously, how important is it for you to hit on guys with your boyfriend around? I think it’s a pretty small sacrifice to just play it a little bit cooler whenever he’s around. A lot of people in relationships have little habits that get on their partners’ nerves. If this is one of those things for him, then maybe it's best to save it for some other time. Relationships are all about negotiation and finding a way to respect one another's feelings.

Yours, as always,

Ask Ms. Prim your burning questions at msprim@igniteisonline.com!

This article appeared in the June 2011 of ignite Magazine.