I have a random question. Is it cheating to go out with other women while in a relationship if there isn't physical contact?

How about if it isn't actually seeing another women, but talking with them online?

The next paragraph should bring in some context.

I am currently in a relationship with a woman I really care for, but my parents dont really accept her and think I should look for someone else while I'm dating her. I told my parents doing that would be cheating (I just figured its cheating), but then my parents pretty responded saying that I shouldn't go out and just sleep with random women or make out with other women, but browsing and going out on dates with another woman is fine as long as there isnt any physical contact. So in their eyes, its not cheating as long as there isnt physical contact. Plus they think because I'm still young (22 years old) and not married, I shouldn't get tied down to one girl and explore my options. I havent considered doing this because I care too much for my girlfriend. I was just curious as to what people thought about this and if people considered it to be cheating?

At 22, I don't see why it matters if your parents accept her or not. If you really care for her, keep that in mind.

It's whatever you and her decide is cheating. I wouldn't exactly call browsing inherently cheating, but if it gets to doing things with others behind a S.O.'s back with the intent that she doesn't find out or maintaining dishonesty... that leans toward cheating.

If you're in a mutually exclusive relationship, it's cheating. Otherwise you're free to date whoever you chose. Having said that, I must admit that I'm inclined to agree with your parents.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts

Bingo! That's it exactly. If you feel the need to lie or hide something, then it's probably something ya shouldn't be doing. That's when it becomes a problem. When you lie about it.

well said.

I agree with this and I think your girlfriend would as well.

I also don't think 22 is too young to be in a serious relationship...it's too young to get married maybe.

Simple...ask her. She will tell ya!

Pal....let me remind you that you're in a relationship....going out on a date with another girl is cheating....there is absolutely no need for it since you are in a relationship mode with your girl.....Come on now...am sure you're old enough to know what's good for you and make right decisions...

What does your girlfriend think?

This is the single most important thing.

All right brother...I am just gonna say it....


You ain't gonna be getting naked with your parents...they love you and you love them and that kind of respect is a good thing.

But, you gotta make your own mistakes. This should be about what your heart tells you is the right thing to do as a good man.

Not your buddies opinions.
Not our opinions.

If you are doing something dirty...you will know it.
All I can give you is what my Dad told me...

"Be a good man today....tommorrow, be a better man"

If you can be trusted with small things, you can as well be trusted with bigger things. Point is - as long as you do not keep your eyes on only one girl it is considered as being unfaithful, ergo it is cheating.

Ok let me tell my story...

Met a guy on here, we live some 6000 miles away but tried to make things out, but after 5 months of constant communication I discovered something - he has been hanging out with his female friend and later I've noticed that he hasn't coming online that much anymore. When I confronted him, he admitted that he was hanging out with this girl, it is because he was LONELY. And he tried to justify that it wasn't cheating, rather he did it for us otherwise he will end up killing himself because he is depressed and lonely. So I was very willing to break up with him even if he didn't want to let me go. I have no time dealing with some selfish parasites.

Now tell me what have you learned from here.
Just so you know, being young is not an excuse that you can cheat or whatever you call it, because trust is earned my friend. Peace out.

There use to be this thing called courting. It may have predated dating.

That's too far... It's okay and natural for people to just look at others. Unfaithfulness and cheating is going behind someone's back and doing what a couple decides is off-limits with others. It's dishonesty.

If certain things have been deemed okay by both and everyone is honest about their intentions and actions, it's not cheating nor is it unfaithful.

I was talking about "looking" while having desire in the heart - this is plain adultery, is what the Bible says. Just stating.

I really had to think on this one.

As a parent I can understand the feeling of not likeing someone my twenty something son's occassionally dated. It didn't happen opften but sometimes your gut just say this person has disacter written all over them and you hope your kid will loose interest. It is not that you want your child to experiment at anyone elses expense but you know from the long view of experience that all young matches are not made in heaven.

When my sons were just dating I told them to keep their options open and not make promises they were not dead sure they really wanted to make. And that if a young woman was hoping, hinting, or even pressureing them to make committments they were not ready for recognise that genuine love does not put self first, equal yes but not above or behind yasa yada yada.

And I told them that sex was ALWAYS going to complicate things as would a lot of romantic gestures that they might at some later time want to back away from so easy does it.

Sometimes they felt like I was being really straight laced and rained on their parade so to speak but now on the back side of their 30's they are telling me the advice was sound and the times they didn't they wished they had.

All that said when they were in their early twenties they met their wives and evenually ramped up the dating to "courting", married, and happily have marriages and families that are thriving.

It sounds like you have your own moral compass working in this "relationship process" and if you have a feeling of caring and loyalty to this young woman I hope you "stand your ground" and ignore "suggestions" to play the field. Honor as a man is an internal thing t5hat you know in your soul if you are betraying or not.

I will say that if you are having to ask if something is "cheating" you may also have some gut level reservations about this match. And if you do then as a man you do the honorable thing and clearly state to the Young Lady involved taht she must clearly understand you are still deciding where your feelings are about her and NOT to get ahead of herself or you.

Just because someone reaches a conclusion about you does not mean you have to reach the same conculsion about them or even at the same time. Example just because she might want you to be exclusive to her, and she to you, you don't have to until you WANT to UNLESS you lead her to believe that the committment is mutual.

All this does not mean that it is impossible for you to genuinely love her and or that your parents are, maybe, crossing a line that doesn't reflect complimentaly to them if they are encourageing t you to betray promises, even implied ones, you have made in an ADULT relationship because they don't like here for whatever reason they might have. Parents are not infaliable. The "weaning" of yourself out of your adult children's lives is not always a perfectly smooth road. I am not a big fan of telling parents to "Back Off" especially in any kind of dramatic way but if you can say something gentle to say "thanks for loving me enough to give me your advice with the input but I have to make up my own mind on this"

Good luck to all involved.

Again, it's whatever boundaries a couple sets up.

For me, if my man was looking online and checking out other women because his Mummy and daddy didn't like me.

He wouldn't be my man anymore, I wouldn't so much see it as cheating, but I would think that he wasn't a strong enough man to stand up for me and to really love me.