Remember how easy it was to make friends on the playground in third grade? As adults we go through many social changes and meeting and keeping friends can be difficult due to situations out of our control or the changing landscape of our lives.

Life Transition Coach, Diane Dennis, had advice for finding and keeping new couple friends.

Reasons For Difficulties in making or keeping couple friends

1. Life Transitions
a. Moving
b. Changing jobs
c. Remarriage
d. Kids leaving home

* The Goal with socializing is to enhance your relationship, not drive it apart

2. The Health of Your Marriage: How Tolerant and Trusting Are You?

a. Do you have trust issues (are you watching your wife flirting with the guy?)
b. Are you trustworthy?
      b. Do you share the same values and opinions?
      c. If not do you respect the other’s different opinion?
      d. Are you two socially compatible? (examples)

3. Emotionally Charged Topics: How Well Do You Navigate?

a. Politics
b. Religion
c. Economy—who to blame!
d. Gay marriage
e. Global warming—is it a conspiracy

How to Find Couple Friends:

a. Engaging in Hobbies Together
b. Dog Parks
c. Work
d. Political Party Gatherings
e. Social Networking Online
f. Sports
g.Neighborhood associations

Land Mines to Avoid:

a. Unhealthy boundaries : more than friends?
b. Triangles : odd man out
c. Disrespecting your Partner’s opinion
d. Sharing private information
e. Ignoring your partner while with the other couple

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