February is a busy month for people that are newly dating. It's likely the first major holiday that you'll spend as a couple. With this event comes the surprise from your circles of seeing you two for the first time as an official couple. In fact, this may be the first time people that know you will even be aware of you being in a relationship.
"Is that your man for real?"
"How long has this been going on?"
"So are you happy?"
These are the questions that our friends blurt out when that Facebook relationship status changes or you begin posting un-cropped photos of you together. For most couples, the period of newness to your friends puts a certain unnecessary pressure on things. People have questions that probably have never even occurred to you. They may want to know how and when you got together. In fact, that's usually the main question they'll have; especially if you're a private person like I. Some relationships just happen in the sense that they weren't predicated on the conventional cat-and-mouse game of dating. It may be as simple as a friendship evolved into romance. Before you could really have that "what are we doing" conversation, you realized that this person slid into the boyfriend/girlfriend role in your life. Although for those on the outside looking in, the relationship is supposed to have a clear timeline for you to explain.
Introducing your new boo to your circle shouldn't be a big, planned production. The people who truly matter should already know you're dealing with someone and your emotions are involved in one place. For everybody else, your only responsibility is to be clear on where your new boyfriend/girlfriend stands in your life. If it's just a casual situation, then perhaps he or she only needs to meet your work friends or associates you see sporadically. But if your relationship is something that has longevity, then you should be prepared to attach the appropriate the title and be confident in it.
New relationships are at times finicky because you don't really know what's going to happen a month from now, 3 months from now. However when you're dating someone seriously, it should be an established fact that you're off the market. You don't hide what you love. When someone is important to you, it's nearly impossible to be reserved about the positivity they and the relationship bring to your life. Those who are genuinely happy for you will welcome your new guy/girl and celebrate your excitement.
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