Does your partner withhold affection in public?
People have very different expectations of how much affection they should show and usually this goes back to the way their family showed or withheld affection. I’m discussing this today on my ‘Love Doc’ slot today at 8:20 AM with Angela and Spence on the Heart Northwest and Wales breakfast show (link here) It doesn’t necessarily spell doom for your relationship if one of you doesn’t like public affection.
But each couple has to agree where they lie on the ‘public affection scale’.
I find the partner who’d like a little affection in public feels it’s like a personal hurt to them that their partner doesn’t show them any. Left unspoken these are the sorts of seemingly small issues that fester - so you need to talk about it.
Explore why one of you doesn’t want to show affection and the other does? Is it your backgrounds? Or does the one who wants affection feel insecure in your love and maybe they want to show the world [your peer group] that you do love them?
TODAY’S TIP: There’s always ways around this type of issue - a little compromise goes far. Try agreeing something like when you first walk into, e.g., a pub where you're meeting friends that you’ll hold hands as you walk in.
Then after your “entrance” together you can agree that you don’t have to demonstrate anymore physical affection. Doesn’t seem too much to ask!
Take care, Pamx