Strictly Friends

We all have that one guy friend that teeters between the boundaries of friendly and friendlier.  As a girl, it can be difficult keeping him the friend zone without hurting his feelings. If you have a guy friend who needs to stay exactly that, a friend, follow these tips.

First and foremost, tuck your, ahem, assets. He doesn’t need to see those and be tempted by them. We all know guys love that, so it’s better to keep them out of sight, out of mind.

Don’t try to cuddle with him when you watch movies or hold hands going down the street. Those activities are way too couple-y. You want to have close and intimate relationships with all your friends, but boundaries are key. Avoid activities like might seem like a date and keep all flirty behavior to a minimum.

There’s a fine line between what a relationship means to a guy and what it means to a girl. Some people just have flirty personalities, but most of the time, they’re just having fun. When a girl wants something, more times than not, you will know it, and that includes interest in a man. This is where you need to make sure that he knows the flirting is completely platonic or else it needs to stop if you want to keep him in your life.

Your main priority is boundaries. Set them, keep them and enforce them.

Beyond boundaries, there are other ways to show him that he’s just a good friend. Bring up other guys you are interested in or suggest other girls he could date.  He will take the hint while understanding that you care about his well-bring, too.  Make sure that you don’t do it in a way to make him jealous or hurt his feelings.

Introduce him to people as your friend and maybe even try introducing him to new girls. Use phrases like, “You’re like family to me,” or “I know we’re going to be friends forever.”

As I said before, make sure that none of this is taken as a tease or a come-and-get-me sign. Don’t tread on his feelings. You might not feel the same way about him, but put yourself in his shoes. You want to keep him in your life, but not as a lover. Bottom line, let him know that you value his friendship and that’s all you want from him.  So respect his feelings and take him liking you as a compliment, just try to make his interests of love fade.