To say that relationships don’t come with a cart full of baggage that mostly has nothing to do with you is an understatement. Especially when that baggage is family. I was chatting with a friend who’s in a relationship with a guy that’s very close to his sister. My first thought was that this a good sign. But after getting several friend in need calls, I have to reconsider. Does closeness to family indicate that you’ve snagged a good man? Or does it simply say that your man isn’t as independent as he should be?

From my experience I’m leaning towards the latter. I don’t know about you but I haven’t encountered many gay men who have oddly close attachments to their sisters. And I’ve dated the male half of twin brother-sister siblings! Don’t get me wrong it’s perfectly fine to be close to family. It’s admirable and shows that you have good priorities. But when your family starts getting involved in your relationship a line needs to be drawn. Either by you or your man.

A relationship at any stage needs space to grow or to continue growing. By injecting your relatives into your life to the extent that your partner feels trapped or obligated (more than the usual family gathering or holiday) to spend time with them you’re slowly creating resentment towards both you and your family. True love conquers all and everyone has some sort of baggage be it family, past relationships, insecurity or whatever but it’s important to keep that baggage in check. Notice when you need to draw the line before your baggage sinks your relationship.

That’s my take. How do you handle excess baggage in your relationship?