'dating' vs. 'friends w/ benefits' vs. 'seeing each other' vs. 'bf/gf'

[petp]

ok i was having this conversation with a girl friend of mine...here is what i take it as;

DATING; we hang out sometimes (ie, a date), but me or the other person can 'date' other people. no biggie, its strictly casual but has the potential for something (see definiton of bf/gf).

FRIENDS W/ BENEFITS; i work 12 hours a day so i dont have time for a real relationship, or dont want to make time for one...so i have a girl whom i am friends with that i just so happen to sleep with. i think this is mutually exclusive. i dont sleep with anyone, but im not 'in love' with the person im sleeping with.

SEEING EACH OTHER; someone please explain, ive yet to figure what this means. and her definiton just confused me.

BF/GF; we've been dating for some time now, are mutually exclusive, AND there are real feelings involved here.

feel free to critique my definitions or add to them.

-peter

[tastyt]

I would say "seeing each other" = "dating."

I would say that "dating" isn't necessarily "stricly casual." Which isn't to say it's serious, either. I think it's best to let the person know pretty much off the bat if you're seeing someone else. Maybe there should be another category somewhere between "dating" and "bf/gf."

Also, "bf/gf" aren't necessarily exclusive; this is where "open relationships," "threesomes," etc. come into play. I would add that any non-exclusive behavior needs to be discussed beforehand and put out in the open. Perhaps the emphasis should be placed instead on "real feelings" being involved.

Lastly, I don't think "friends with benefits" have to be mutually exclusive.