A sensitive and common issue for women is when they are confronted by the reality that their man has a best girl friend or multiple female friends. Women begin to ask questions such as, is she prettier than me? Is he attracted to her? Does she like him? Do they hangout alone? These seemingly inevitable questions begin to snowball, leaving the woman feeling insecure and afraid.

As a female, I can absolutely understand where these women are coming from. I mean, shouldn't we be enough for our man? Why does he need other close female relationships?

While I can empathize with these women, I am here to conclude that, well, yes. Your boyfriend is allowed to have female friends.

The reality is, we can't expect our man to only have male friendships. It's unreasonable and arguably, a bit unhealthy as well. Women have the capability to offer perspectives and insight in their own creative ways. To have only one sex of the human species in our lives would be impractical and limiting to our growth, and we can't expect our man to be the exception to that.

You might be thinking, well what if they have a romantic history? What if he is clearly attracted to her, and how do I keep from being jealous of his female friends?

I want to emphasize that there are certainly exceptions to when female friends may be appropriate versus inappropriate.

While it is okay for a man in a relationship to have girl friends, it is still his responsibility to communicate his female friendships with his partner and be open about them. It's not to say that he must tell his partner everything about them, but being open enough about the dynamic he has between these friends so that the woman's fearful thoughts may be put at ease. There's nothing more suspicious to a woman in a committed relationship than when her man has a female friend that he often speaks with and spends time with, but yet, never talks about.

In addition, it's critical to acknowledge that even if a woman chooses to accept the female friends of her man, it is unreasonable to assume that she will not still have those same fearful thoughts from time to time. Hence, the importance of communication and creating an environment where intentions are understood and both people are respectful to one another.

If this scenario is something you are currently going through, it is important to remember that you are the one your man is choosing to be with each and every day, and he wouldn't be with you if he wanted someone else. As long as your relationship consists of trust, respect, and communication, do not fret, and enjoy your relationship to its fullest potential.