I've come across several articles lately which address the sometime contentious scenario of girls spending a lot, or maybe all of their time, with their boyfriend. It seems that several young ladies have taken strong stands for the opinion that, there is nothing wrong with spending more time with one's boyfriend than everyone else. Well, I have a boyfriend, and I beg to differ:

I completely agree and empathize with the writers of these articles who say their boyfriend is their best friend. My boyfriend of 18 months is certainly my best friend; I want to be with him in every situation! He senses when I am upset before I am willing to admit it, and he comforts me better than my girlfriends do (most of the time.) He makes me laugh, etc. etc. I'll stop going on about him before we all want to barf. The point is, yes, girlfriends should be able to depend on their boyfriends for anything and enjoy his company: it's an excellent sign of a healthy relationship. Despite these factors, here are the fundamental reasons why girls should not spend all of their time with their boyfriends:

1. He's Not Your Husband

"Yeah, but he's going to be!" "We're practicing for marriage!" Yes yes, your friends have heard it all before, and we usually want to puke when we hear it. It is certainly admirable to take one's partner seriously; however, at the same time, it seems as though millennials who are in relationships have gotten into the habit of taking them too seriously. Perhaps it is this mentality which makes it increasingly normal to put one's boyfriend above everyone else. No matter how much you love your boyfriend and he loves you, there is no guarantee that he's going to stay until he's made that promise before you, before your family, and before God. Which, yeah, you can get a divorce after that, but I think the point is obvious: He's not your other half yet. You haven't become one with him yet. Looking at it from a biblical perspective, he isn't your spiritual covering yet.

2. Codependency Can Occur

You know that girl in your friend group who sees her boyfriend for hours every day, texts him all day long, calls him multiple times a day, won't shut up about him, and often drops her previous commitments to see him? Those are all signs of infatuation which may or may not be accompanied by genuine love. To the girl who is always with her boyfriend, ask yourself: Do you slack on homework because of him? Do you spend less time with your girlfriends because of him? Do you find yourself running to him first when anything major happens? Because your boyfriend shouldn't be your source of comfort for everything; if you pick up the phone to call him when you're feeling down instead of turning to the cross, that's when the relationship begins to stray away from what it should be. If you get anxious from spending time apart, and I mean anxiety, not the cute feeling of missing someone, he has too firm of a grip on your heart. It's as simple as that. It isn't his fault, either. It is up to ourselves how we choose to consider our significant other in our minds. When we begin to think of him as someone we can't live without versus our boyfriend we hope to marry one day, you are mentally transitioning him onto a pedestal he hasn't earned. You are doing both of you a disservice by placing every moment of your present time in hope for a secure future, with him.

3. Balance Is Everything

Many comments on articles related to this have already pointed that boyfriends come and go, while friends, or the good ones at least, are there for the long-haul. Should something happen to you and your boyfriend, we won't have much motivation to get you ice cream and hug you while you cry if you've ignored us the entirety of your relationship with him. Infatuation is blinding, and spending too much time with the object of one's fascination can cloud judgement. We all need our friends and family to support us, call us out, and sustain us. Go on dates with your boyfriend, and call him at night. But know how to put down the phone when your friends are talking to you.

4. Don't Forget Who You Are

Some girls get so excited by a new man in their life that they quickly eradicate old habits, sacrifice aspirations, or even turn away from what they said they would never forsake in order to better get along with their partner. Because if he is the "man of my dreams," and he is willing to say he wants me, then that must be a sign that I should accordingly adapt, right? Wrong. While partners inevitably change while together, and it is often a good process of refinement, a SO who asks you to change anything about yourself that isn't an unhealthy habit or mindset does not need you, and you don't need him. Forgetting who you are could be as simple as changing your class schedule and slowing down your school progress to spend more time with him. If you find yourself changing because of your partner, ask yourself, "Are these changes making me a godlier person? Or are they simply making someone who my partner will better get along with?"

Boyfriends can be blessing or a nightmare. In this time of life, relationships are exciting because many of them are leading to engagements. Those who have dated before may feel an overwhelming sense of joy when they meet the man who feels different than the others; the man who feels like "the one." However, in all of this joy and "twitterpatedness" as Bambi so elegantly described it, our boyfriends should not receive husband privileges or all of our time.