Have you ever felt claustrophobic in a relationship? Or had to tiptoe your way around a sulking partner because you couldn’t go to their friends’ (who you’ve never met) birthday/engagement/baby’s christening? Well a new dating site may offer some reprieve.
Parttimelove.co.uk is for those who want to find love, but don’t want all the pesky commitments like DIY on Saturdays or meeting the parents. In short, it’s dating for busy people.
It doesn’t sit in either of the traditional dating site niches. That is, it’s not a no-strings adult dating site, but nor is it a place where you’d go looking for your one and only or The One. It’s somewhere in the middle. The site says it’s for those who ‘want a genuine emotional relationship but don’t have the time or the circumstances for the typical five-day-a-week demands.’
The founder of the site Helen Croydon says she started the site because that is the sort of relationship she wanted. ‘The thing that has always put me off being in a relationship is that it is all or nothing. One minute you’re single and in total control of your own schedule, arranging brunch with friends and leaving a party at whatever time you like. The next minute, there’s this expectation to integrate someone into every aspect of your life and if you don’t compromise then it’s seen that you’re not serious about them. That made me want to stay single, which is a shame because I wanted to find love like anyone else.’
It certainly won’t appeal if you’re the type who wants to fill most of your cold winter nights with a partner to snuggle with. But as modern life gets more demanding and more varied perhaps we are all have less time to dedicate to coupley things. Perhaps ‘part time love’ could become a new thing? The modern framework for finding love in a modern age. At least that’s what this site is banking on.
As a Dating Coach, I can see the appeal to career highflyers, single parents, those who travel a lot or just people who like their independence. But trouble is, isn’t the main ingredient of a successful relationship ‘compromise’? If you’re not prepared to let someone in more than part-time, how can you really open yourself up to them? Part-time love could also mean short-term love?
Much like a part-time job, those in a part-time relationship might struggle to progress it any further. Real love is all-consuming so part time love to some people might sound like an oxymoron. What do you think? Could you have part time love?
Check it out for yourself HERE
