What does a boy mean when he says he wants a break?
Uh-oh.
He wants a break, does he? That's not good. Unless it's for any of the following reasons...
1) He is going on a treacherous expedition to the Democratic Republic of Congo to study tropical frogs, and may be killed.
2) He is going to prison.
3) He is going into hiding because he unwittingly offended a flamboyant karate expert, and may be killed.
Excuses that are almost certainly lies include...
1) He wants to concentrate on studying.
2) He wants time to himself.
3) He thinks he has possibly eaten a poisonous crisp, and may be killed.
The 'break' is often an elaborate ruse developed by boys to hoodwink jilted girlfriends into thinking they're not actually being dumped.
There are plenty of other benefits too. Like being free to pursue other girls, while still having the comfy duvet of a relationship to fall back on. These days, the break is so popular that even girls use them too.
Not that every boy who suggests 'time apart' wants to chuck you. It could be the opposite. The break can be used as a pre-emptive strike to fend off an impending chucking. In other words, he's worried you're about to chuck him.
And of course, sometimes it's a genuine attempt to save a relationship - and it must have worked at some point. But more often than not, breaks are just putting off the inevitable. No one likes splitting up. A break tends to be the last throw of the dice before you actually do.
As its name suggests, a break is normally painful. Unless your lad really is a daredevil herpetologist (that means someone who studies tropical frogs - honest, I just looked it up).
Please remember: Kev is not an expert, he is just a boy and sometimes quite a silly boy. The main thing to remember when it comes to lads and relationships is to expect respect as the absolute minimum. Find out more about a Women's Aid campaign of the same name.
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