Thanks to the era of bountiful dating apps, it really isn’t difficult to keep a few people waiting as backups just in case things with your main squeeze don’t work out as planned. There’s even a term for it now – cushioning.
Cushioning means having yourself an insurance while you’re already in a relationship. It essentially implies that you string along some people (cushions) so you’ve got someone, or many others, to fall back to in case you get dumped.
You may be guilty of cushioning even if you don’t realise it sometimes, and truthfully, it’s no different than cheating. If things are serious with a partner and you’re still leading others on, it’s just unfair to everyone and really dishonest of you.
Can’t be in a committed relationship without having one foot out the door? Embrace singlehood then. Save everyone, and yourself, the unnecessary distress.
