A romantic extramarital love affair? There’s no such thing

In a society that where divorce and cheating partners are becoming more and more common, the idea of a romantic extramarital love affair has been somewhat glamorized by our culture and media. Some husbands, wives, boyfriends or girlfriends who are dissatisfied with their partners may begin to feel that an romantic love affair is somehow needed or justified. But make no mistake about it: there is nothing romantic, necessary or healthy about any kind of affair, and rarely is there any kind of “love” involved in cheating on your significant other.

The myth of a “romantic” extramarital affair has been created by many years of books, movies and other forms of media that make people think the solution to their relationship problems lies in cheating on their spouse or partner . . . but there is no real romance involved in an affair. A truly romantic person doesn’t cheat on their spouse or sweetheart just because they’ve become bored with their love life or they have hit a rocky spot in their relationship. Cheating is wrong, pure and simple, and an extramarital love affair is not appropriate or admirable under any circumstances.

A true old-fashioned romantic person, if they are facing insurmountable relationship problems or if they have fallen in love with another person, will end their relationship before persuing another one. Lying to your significant other and starting an affair behind their back is cowardly, sneaky, unromantic and indefensible. It is better to tell your sweetheart that you wish to end things and do it the honorable way before rushing into another person’s arms and having an affair.

Regardless of how much you think you love this new person in your life or how romantic your feelings for them are, there is nothing at all romantic about an extramarital affair. Whether you are married or just dating, by being part of a romantic relationship you have given your word to your sweetheart to always be faithful to them as long as your relationship remains in tact. By breaking that oath—spoken or unspoken—you have plenty to be ashamed of. It doesn’t matter how bad things are at home . . . you owe it to yourself and your partner to end your relationship before cheating or persuing a love affair.

And remember: there are different types of cheating and affairs, too. There is physical cheating and physical love affairs, and there is emotional cheating and emotional love affairs. A physical affair involves exactly what you think it does, but an emotional affair is much more common . . . yet much less talked about. An emotional affair is when you share confidences, secrets, and feelings with another person that should only be shared with your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend. For an unsuspecting and faithful partner, these kind of affairs can be just as devestating and heartbreaking, make no mistake about it!

So before you embark on an extramarital love affair that you might regret, remember that there is nothing at all romantic about an affair or cheating on your spouse or lover. If you really do consider yourself a romantic person, do the honorable and right thing and break things off with your significant other before starting another relationship, whether physical or emotional.