Can a SO Be Your Everything?

Dear Rodger—

My BF thinks it’s weird that I don’t have any close girlfriends. I had several when I was in college but now I find it so hard to keep up with the job and the relationship and maintaining contact with my family. I don’t have the time or energy left to maintain close friendships too but my BF insists that some of the stuff I want to talk to him about would be better talked about with close girlfriends, especially things about celebrities I read about in the tabloids and want to gossip with somebody about. Is he right, am I weird?

Girl with Too Much to Say


Dear Girl with Too Much to Say ~

The question isn’t if you're weird. The question is if your babbling about celebrity gossip is annoying your BF to the point that it’s an issue. Sounds like it is.

Two options come to mind.

One is that your BF accepts the fact that one of a SO’s roles is at least to act like he/she is listening to the other person’s mindless babble. In my 25+ years with Tom, I’ve certainly listened to my share (the mere mention of the word “England” pushes a button in Tom that causes him to drone on & on about British royalty from some ancient century involving Edward I & Charles the II & Henry the Who Gives a Rat’s Ass—sorry Tombo, love ya!).

The second option is that you get involved in some Internet social-networking community that’s interested in celebrity gossip. That way, you can develop some virtual girlfriends who demand far less care & feeding than real ones . . . while not annoying your BF.

Rodger