Is It Appropriate to Discuss Your Relationship with Friends?

For many women, talking about relationships and hashing out the ups and downs of our love lives with friends is an essential bonding experience. It helps us gain perspective on our behaviors and brings us closer to our gal pals. But as a relationship progresses, there comes a point when discussing it with a third party can feel less like harmless dish and more like a violation of trust with your significant other—even if you’re doing so with your BFFs and if you’ve got no mal intent. Perhaps the more committed you become in a relationship and the more you agree to confide emotionally in your partner, the less room there is for this brand of BFF bonding. Or maybe it all depends on who your friends are. What do you think? Is it disrespectful to discuss your relationship with your girlfriends once you’ve passed a certain threshold of commitment? Or is dishing with your besties a necessary outlet?