My partner doesn’t like any of my friends so I spend all my time with him/her. How can I get my partner to like my friends?

Is your partner aware of how you feel about this? It could be just that your partner hasn’t taken the time to get to know your friends.

Key components of a healthy relationship are honesty, communication and compromise. The honeymoon period of a relationship can be very exciting and it is common for new couples to spend most of their time together. This is fine.

Also, many relationships are such that the two people involved are each other’s best friends, and want to spend all their time together. This is fine.

Issues can arise though if your partner is stopping you from spending time with your friends. This could be a sign that he/she is trying to control you (on purpose without even knowing it). If this is the case and you want the relationship to work, you both could consider relationship counseling. Check your Yellow Pages under Social or Community services or ring Youthline (0800 376 633) for a suitable counseling service near you.

You can’t make somebody like somebody else, but a healthy relationship would involve some sort of compromise and healthy communication.