So how many gory details about yourself do you owe the person you’re dating? This is a question that every couple should deeply ponder about headed for the long term.
Personally, I do think we can all agree that we owe partners pertinent medical information and accurate details about our current relationship status. Yet despite whatever unhealthy behaviour we might observe around us or hear about in pop culture, we don’t owe anyone minute-to-minute knowledge of our whereabouts or a list of every member of the opposite sex with whom we’ve interacted.
This activity of confessions should only be done in discrete moderation and moderate discretion. Depending on the couple's relationship and mutual understanding about the level of honesty that's considered bearable and reasonable- they should be able to categorize the aspects of their partners past that should be laid bare.
This may vary from offering our partners extensive reports on our shortcomings, and the backstory of how we became what we are now. Another topic of concern might be a brief update on the exes we are still friends with or background on the breakups that broke our hearts and chipped away strips of our souls.
At the moment you share your true self with someone who matters, you also pose several unspoken follow-up questions: What do they think of you now? Can they still love you regardless of the facts of your past? No relationship is possible without that brave, gut-wrenching moment when you wait for their answer. There is no shortcut, and there is no guarantee. But the relief you feel when that silence ends makes your baggage feel just a bit lighter.
Most people are still undecided on how much of their interior lives they owe their partners. But we all know that a functional relationship is difficult without offering some understanding of who we truly are.