On PDAs

No, not the Blackberry type

A few nights ago we were hanging out with a big group of people, and there was a couple who spent the entire night glue to the hip, and often to the lip.  It got me thinking about...well...my thoughts on PDA.  I will say, this was a group of people who all knew each other, so it isn't like these two were sitting in a restaurant groping at each other.

Ok, my thoughts.  I think that when people are constantly sitting on each other, holding hands and kissing/full on making out in public that it is sweet that they feel so in love that they don't care who sees it. A  part of me also sees it as an insecurity in the relationship too.  It is as though they have to communicate frantically look at us!  Look how in love we are!  See?  We're kissing!  We must be so in love!

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Tyler and I have never gotten people's gag reflexes going, nor am I the type of person who would sit there with a disgusted look on my face while two people call each other their "little snuggum-wuggums".  I just think it is a little strange at our age, a ripe old 27 and older, that people are still feeling the need to have a lot of PDA in their life.

I think it is natural to compare your relationship to other people's.  Personally, I feel that my husband and I have a rock solid relationship.  We love each other to bits, we're best friends, and somehow after 7 years and 1 baby, we have managed to keep a passion for each other that has only grown stronger.  My parent's read this blog...I'm not going into any more detail than that!

In my mind, it is about how you feel in the relationship, and not what other people think.  That being said, it is really nice that to this day, I still get tons of comments from people about how they feel that Ty and I have a really special relationship and are a great couple.  We still get the "You guys are so cute!" and I always get told how lucky I am to have a guy as great as Tyler is.  And I have to admit, he is pretty great.

This despite the fact that when we go out with a group of friends, we generally divide and conquer.  Even at our own wedding, we split up and at one point didn't even see each other for about an hour as we visited and chatted with our 400 guests.  This isn't to say that we can't stand to be together; I think it is just that we are secure enough in our relationship that we value our time with friends enough to spend that time apart a bit.  And let's be honest, how nice is it when your husband comes up to you at a crowded party just to give you a kiss and say hello? 

Furthermore, I think it is incredibly important to have time apart from each other. I would not be married to Tyler if he didn't ever have nights out with the guys, or if I couldn't go out with just the girls.  I think it is vital to a relationship to spend a little time apart, be able to talk about each other and miss each other.  We are lucky that we are in a relationship where we both trust each other 100%, and never worry that the other might be getting up to something that he or she shouldn't.  And strangely enough, after a night out apart, we generally find that we want to spend even more time together.

So, back to PDAs.  I say if it feels right, go for it.  But for me, I am more comfortable and feel a lot more special being able to feel my husband's love radiating from across a crowded room.