relationship questions?

October 31, 2008 1:20 PM

What are some good relationship-themed 'question of the day'-type questions that don't make too many assumptions about the audience's gender/status/sexual orientation/etc?

I need to come up with a daily poll/question to help encourage discussion on a website related to relationships (any type of relationship, not necessarily romantic relationships), but I'm having a difficult time coming up with questions that are broad enough to be interesting to most people and not just a specific subset of people. Any suggestions?

posted by logic vs love to human relations (4 comments total)

Gifts--when, how much, when charming, when creepy

Contact--how often to talk on phone, how often to talk online, what to do if they suck on the phone/chat, who calls whom and is it reciprocated

Ending--how to tell it's over, when should you back off, what to do when they say they don't want to talk/spend time

Fights--is it fair to complain to others about fights, should you fight in front of other people, how much space should you give each other

Birthdays--do you remember birthdays, what's appropriate acknowledgment, what kind of party to have, what about people who hate birthday parties
posted by sondrialiac at 1:34 PM on October 31, 2008

do you spend more time cultivating the relationships chosen for you (parents, kids) or those you chose for yourself (partner, friends)
posted by nadawi at 1:46 PM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Friends - is it important to maintain separate friends, what happens to mutual friends when you break up, what about opposite-gender friends (single or not)?
posted by Solon and Thanks at 2:58 PM on October 31, 2008

How do you handle spending, saving, and financial decision-making in your relationships? How does having access to money - or not having it - affect the power dynamics between you and those you love?

What do you think are the most useful relationship skills a person can have, and why? Where might those skills best be learned?

Have you ever had the opportunity to repair a long-standing rift in your relationship with a loved one? If so, how did you do it? Was the issue finally laid to rest, or did it crop up again later?

How do you address difficult topics with your loved ones?

What are your top ten tips for maintaining happy, healthy, thriving relationships?

Do you have a difficult time setting boundaries or standing up for yourself in relationships? If so, in what situations do you have the most difficulty?

If you are religious or spiritually inclined, how has this affected your relationships? Have differing religions or spiritual beliefs ever been an issue with your loved ones?

What political issues do you care about, and how do you deal with differing politics amongst your loved ones?

Have you ever dealt with a "culture clash" in an important relationship? If so, how did you handle it?

I'm deliberately writing these questions in open-ended form, since you specified that your purpose was to encourage discussion, but of course they could also be modified or amended to make them more specific.

This is one of my favorite topics, so I could go on and on!
posted by velvet winter at 6:06 PM on October 31, 2008