I plan everything. I have a career plan and life plan. Breaking up with my boyfriend of my almost five years, is not in my plans. Although I hope that never happens, I do not want to be caught off-guard. In case my boyfriend and I were to breakup for any reason, I have a plan B man.

A Plan B is a backup boyfriend or girlfriend that you have on stand-by in case your current relationship goes south.

[pullquote]A study done by OnePoll.com found that “almost 50 per cent of women in relationships have a ‘Plan B’.”[/pullquote]

Many may argue that if  I am in a happy and healthy relationship then there is no way that I could have a backup boyfriend. Since I am a planner and my boyfriend is very spontaneous, I do not want to have no perspective significant other if we were to break-up in the future. My boyfriend is the only guy I have seriously dated. I have a great relationship that I plan to be in for the rest of my life, but in case my life plan with my current relationship does not work out, I don’t want to suddenly be transplanted into a world of dating that I have little experience in.

The OnePoll.com study also “found [that the] Plan B is likely to be someone whom [the person] has known for around seven years.” This person is also likely an old friend from school, just like my Plan B man.

My backup guy is a close friend whom I have known since 7th grade. We have similar goals and interests, but could just never make the timing work. We both know and have agreed that if we are single around 28 and not dating anyone, we will get married and share our life together. I do care for my Plan B guy, but not in the same way I love my boyfriend. I like my Plan B guy like a brother and friend who I could probably grow to love if we were to get together. But I no longer talk to my plan B guy out of respect for my boyfriend and myself. Because, I love my boyfriend more than anyone else on Earth; I want to be with him forever, and I do not want to be with anyone else. Plan B guy is my safety net in case my relationship crumbles.

planbbw

Plan B is also not someone most people would run to right after a serious break-up. Most people know that they would date around a bit first. But we all know the world of dating is pretty terrible and that when you are ready for a serious commitment again, Plan B will be there with open arms.

“Incredibly 12 percent [of the women in the study] went as far as to admit their feelings were ‘stronger’ for Plan B,” found OnePoll.com.

Let me clear something up, I do not have those “I’m in love” feelings for my Plan B man, and any women that does is doing an injustice to her Plan A man, her Plan B man, and herself.

If you have a Plan B boyfriend or girlfriend, you are not necessarily a horrible person; you may just be someone who likes to have plans and safety nets. Having a Plan B man is a way for people to feel like they have some control over the unpredictability of love and life.

But if you are paying more attention to your Plan B man than your Plan A man, you need to rethink your relationship status, be honest about your feelings and maybe make Plan B your new Plan A. For me though, my Plan A is all I ever want to be with and I hope I never have to call my Plan B man for anything ever again.