Be A Beyonce. Keep Your Relationship Between You Two

How amazing are Jay-Z and Beyonce? Seriously. They are the greatest. They are both disgustingly talented and attractive, and you can tell they just LOVE each other. I didn’t think I could possibly adore them anymore until they made their baby announcement at the VMAs. So adorable. They are picture perfect.

One of the things I love so much about these two is the fact that, despite their superstardom, they keep their relationship relatively private. I have an unnatural amount of love for Kim Kardashian. I really do. But I think she’s doing herself a disservice by revealing every single detail of her relationship to the viewing public. I think we mortals can learn something from these two ladies.

I am always tempted to call my best friends every time something good or not-so-good (happens to the best of us) occurs over the course of my relationship. Boyfriend brings me flowers or writes me a cute note? A text message must be sent to the ladies! Boyfriend isn’t listening as I’m telling him a story? Ugh! I need to call my friend right now so I can vent. While I love my friends dearly and I value their opinions tremendously, I’ve realized that this knee-jerk behavior isn’t always the best for anyone involved. Even when you’re talking about positive behavior, sometimes it’s good to keep things to yourself. Sure, a few texts about how great he is can be terrific. A few calls when you’re going through a rough patch can be useful. But I’ve learned to shy away from giving my friends the complete play-by-play. You want their advice when it’s really needed, you don’t want them to be actively involved in your relationship.

Right now I’m finding out literally every detail of a friend’s relationship. Some of the details are fine. I find out about all his weird work schedule, his unique talents and his crappy car. That’s fine. I’m a good listener. Some details are not fine. I find out every single time they have a fight. Then I find out every time he does something nice for her. It’s not normal. I feel like I’m on a roller coaster ride. I’m very sensitive! I need stability! As you can tell, I also feel like I’m the third member of this relationship. This is just weird.

With all the Facebook/Twitter/text message/Skype/other forms of technology we have, it’s nice to keep some things private. Because there’s not much room for privacy in the world anymore. Okay, that was something your grandma would say. I know. Look, I am all about posting the occasional Facebook status when my boyfriend does something great. I will also e-mail my friends when I need advice or an opinion. But I’ve learned to try to keep other people out of the day-to-day happenings of my relationship. I don’t want them to feel like they’re in the relationship with us, and I don’t want to feel that way either. It’s not good for myself, my boyfriend, or my friends.

I never used to understand why Jay-Z and Beyonce were so tight-lipped about their relationship. I was dying for information about their romance! But now I get it. As soon as you get everyone you know involved, things become really complicated. For everyone. I think it’s completely fine to let friends, moms, sisters, whomever, in on major details. It’s a mistake to pretend like you’ve got reality show cameras following you around all the time. Leave that to Kimmie K.

Tweet me @lifewithlauren1 or find me at Life with Lauren.