What Constitutes Cheating On Someone?
MIAMI (CBS4) – By now, almost everyone has heard about the scandal that erupted around Congressman Anthony Weiner sending lewd pictures of himself via Twitter. But a bigger question is now being asked over whether or not sexting or, "twexting," via phone or social networking is actually cheating.
For Elizabeth Estrada, the debate is something she knows about firsthand. Elizabeth found out her boyfriend was on the phone and Facebook talking and texting with another woman. He left his phone and computer out and got caught.
"So he left it on the counter, what did you do?" CBS4's Ted Scouten asked Elizabeth. "I looked through it. I had something telling me to look; so I wanted to look and I looked and the proof was there," said Estrada.
But is it cheating?
"I think it's a breach of trust," said Russell Newman. "And everything you took in your vows, you're going against"
"The problem is deceit," said Nova Southeastern University Family Therapist Dr. Shelley Green.
Green said couples will have to decide if on-line flirtation, sexting, and racy pictures are cheating. But one of the big problems in all this is what comes afterwards and how a couples deal with the betrayal and deception.
"When people are spending the whole time spying on each other, checking e-mails and checking phones and checking texting then it becomes about that rather than pursing a quality relationship," Green said.
Some advice from the experts: if you send a text message or if you go onto Facebook and write something on there that you don't' want anyone else to see, be warned, it could come back to haunt you. A good rule of thumb; if you don't want your mom to read it, don't put it on line.
