can men ever just be friends with women?

[GraceAnais]

i know it's a cliche, but still a question i'd like some feedback on! as a woman i know that we can just be mates with the opposite sex, but i'm not sure whether it works the same for men. as my male friend said, 'yeah men can just be mates with a woman; as long as she's ugly.' any views?

[GraceAnais]

Thanks for so much feedback guys. love these discussions as they really get me thinking. plus when i'm drunk and get onto one of those 'meaning of life' questions i'll nick all your ideas (!!!)

it's such an interesting topic; which i feel is often down to the individual. some people can be friends others can't. i have to say i don't know how impressed i'd be if i had a boyfriend with a really close female friend though. i'm not the jealous type but it would always play on my mind!!

mimififi; loved what you said bout all you'll have at the end is ' a shared lifetime' i never thought about marriage like that. i come from a broken home myself and know few 'happy' marriages that have gone the distance!! many fake marriages pretending to be happy though!!! deep down i really hope i find that one person and make it last. what you said about missing your husband really helped to restore my faith in marriage. forget money and success; if you have someone who loves you and you love them, your probably one of the luckiest people there are. i can only hope to aspire to as much.

[shiznit]

Hey GraceAnais, thanks for posting such a thought provoking question, lots to think about there, some great replies don't you think x x