I'm just wondering what three things do you base a relationship on? for me the three things are...trust, companionship and communication. For I believe with out that there could not be one. I also believe that you have to be willing to give of yourself and efforts for a relationship to work Sex to me is a tool and should only be thought of only after your fully committed and married.

I think it's unrealistic to expect everyone to wait until marriage before they have sex. What if you never get married? Are you supposed to abstain from sex for the rest of your life? I don't think so. I agree that trust is important, also honesty. Those are the main two for me, if someone is a liar and I can't trust them, there is no future.

I agree with you to a extent well till you came to the sex part... Sex is what helps bond two people together..... To me unless I'm fulfilled in every aspect then the relationship will not begin....

Totally different story if you have been with that person and have fallen in-love and later the sex goes.....

Respect, Trust, & Communication is a must for me....without those there will never be a relationship.....And the sex will complete the bond....

The three most important things in a relationship tend to change over the years.

When I was young it was intimacy, security, and family.

Now that I am older it is still intimacy, security, and family.

Hey wait a minute that is the same thing right? Kind of just now how I define those words has changed some.

I'm with TxsGal, absolutely respect, communication is vital, even if you got the trust, but lots of mis-communication, things will go haywire. And trust, yes.
Wait with sex till you're committed and married? NO WAY would I marry a guy if I hadn't had sex with him! Just think about finding out you're not a good match in the sack AFTER you got married You have any idea how expensive a divorce is?

And you can't say "We didn't consumate the marriage" if your reason for divorce is a mismatch in the sack

I would like to test my future Mr Crystal before the "I do" part, thoroughly,

Well, trust and communication are important for me as welll. I don't have trust issues about cheating and I wouldn't get suspicious about that without good cause but I just don't think that you can have the communication without the trust. I mean, it's about being comfortable talking to each other about anything. I sort of had that with my ex but she did complain about how I supposedly didn't understand her and when I said that I did, that could make her angry, like I was saying things about her that she didn't want to agree with or didn't like or something. I suppose that I felt that she did that as well and it can be a bit annoying to have somebody trying to tell you that they know more about how you really feel about them than you do yourself.

The physical thing is important to me as well and I think that if you're doing it right it helps to build the trust and communication. I'm not worried about a woman turning out to be a crap shag and that's something that you work on together anyway but marrying a woman that I haven't had sex with would be like marrying someone that I don't really know properly as far as I'm concerned.

well if we can make each other laugh and are on the same "wavelength" we should be able to work on commumication. if we are already friends trust will be there...a beginning of that anyway.

so I'd say personalities in sync and attraction - some things- hobbies or w/e in common, similar lifestyle, an introvert

Communication can not be over emphasize, trust and understanding.

right, I agree. Sometimes I think people use communication as a "catchall" but obviously if it's not there, there probably will not be much basis for anything else. Doesn't mean it can't be worked on but I think people tend to use the term without fully explaining what they mean or why it is so important