Wow. We’re going to be honest with you. We were totally shocked when you asked us this question, but you went there, and well…we’re there now. Clearly, Ask Our Staff and the General Readership have entered a new stage in the relationship. It’s ok though. We were going to ask you where things stood next week anyway. So thank you for jumping on that. It really showed a lot of confidence and commitment on your part, and we appreciate that. Now, we can feel perfectly comfortable discussing issues related to scatology. We received a question from a reader who wanted to know when (or if!) it was ok to…let things out in front of the significant other.

We’ve all been there before. She’s fast asleep, and you’ve woken up with the urge to let one loose. If it’s SBD*, hopefully she’ll sleep right through it, but what happens if it makes a sound? She might wake up and accuse you of…doing something totally natural!

Look, if you think you’re going to be dating for the long haul, then you shouldn’t be afraid to let loose at some point when you’re at the girlfriend/boyfriend phase in which there might be some sharing of beds. This shit’s gonna come up eventually (terrible pun, we know), and we’d rather you broach the subject preemptively then find yourself walking into the bathroom holding your nose right after she’s christened your toilet for the first time. So tonight, just let it go, deal with the odor, laugh it off (admit it – flatulence will always be funny), and we promise that you will feel the biggest burden lifted off your chest. Chances are strong that she’ll even confess to holding some back herself – it is a bodily function after all.

One caveat: there are some cases where men and women see the bodily functions threshold (which also might include urinating with the door open) as a no-fly zone or a deal breaker. If that’s the case, then it’s time to communicate about boundaries and to discuss what everyone prefers down the road.

Here’s a female who basically agrees with us. This one says never! And our good friends at Yelp have a debate that includes strategies and tips.

Let the debate commence in the comments section below!

*silent but deadly