From Mike Hardcastle,
Your Guide to Teen Advice.
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When your boyfriend or girlfriend is of town for the summer of can be very tempting to get together with someone else, to have a "summer fling". You probably have no intention of continuing that "fling" once your significant other returns, you just don't feel like spending those long summer days alone. After all, he/she may be having a "fling" of their own wherever they are. So the big question is; "does a summer romance count as cheating?" The short answer is; "YES". BUT, whether or not a summer romance counts as cheating in your relationship depends on what you and your steady decide in advance.

If you or your steady are going away for this summer it is a good idea to lay down some rules. Decide in advance whether or not you expect each other to stay faithful; then define faithful. Some people feel betrayed by one kiss, while others think spending lots of alone time to with somebody else is cheating. For this reason it is best to discuss what would be considered cheating and whether it is OK to see other people while you're apart. Some couples even decide to break things off completely for the summer, with the intention of getting back together when they go back to school.

Discussing this sort of thing with somebody you care about can be difficult. If you are having trouble bringing up the subject of fidelity during a summer apart, here's some friendly advice on what constitutes cheating to most people.

Definitely Cheating

1. Holding hands and spending a lot of time alone with another person.
2. Saying, "I love you" to somebody else.
3. Kissing.
4. Having oral sex.
5. Having any type of sex.

Borderline Cheating

1. Holding hands and spending a lot of time together in a group.
2. Saying, "I like you", and meaning it as more than a friend. Hugging.
3. Sharing really intimate thoughts and feelings that you have never shared with your steady (also known as emmotional cheating).
4. Talking, or seriously considering, having sex.