It’s an issue every sugar dater has to figure out how to handle sooner or later. While it’s true that your love life is no one’s business but yours and your partner’s, the day will eventually come when a friend or loved one finds out you’ve chosen life in the sugar bowl over a traditional dating life. And while some people will naturally be understanding, sugaring is still challenging for some folks to understand.

Maybe a parent or other family member has started to ask really pointed questions about your current relationship. Or maybe you’ve just reached a point in your life where you’re ready to be open with those you love about your approach to sugar dating. Whatever the reason your sugar life is coming up for discussion with loved ones, it’s good to have a plan for how to handle things like a champ. Here are some points to keep in mind.

Be prepared to field some questions.

Although many people are significantly more open-minded than they might have been in the past about non-traditional approaches to dating, most still don’t really understand sugaring. If they know what it is at all, they likely have a lot of misconceptions about how it works or what it entails. So even if the people in your life are super understanding, they’re bound to have a lot of questions.

They’re going to want to know what it actually means that you’re a sugar baby or a sugar daddy. They’ll want to know why you’ve chosen that over a nice, traditional relationship like they likely have. And they’ll probably come up with a million more questions you can’t possibly anticipate, so be ready.

Only share what you’re comfortable with.

While it’s only natural for loved ones to have questions and be super curious when they find out you’re a sugar dater, your love life is still your business first and foremost. Yes, sugar dating is different from what most people are likely used to, but you’re still allowed to pump the brakes on questions that are overly personal or too intrusive.

Just share what you’re comfortable with and politely decline to talk about the things you consider private. And if someone in your life is demanding to know the intimate details of your life in the sugar bowl, but you’re not ready to open up yet, you have the right to decline to talk about it at all. Letting loved ones share in your personal life is a wonderful thing, but ultimately it’s still up to you whether you do it in the first place or not.

Take the experience in stride.

Whether you’re a sugar dater or not, it’s really never easy to have to sit in the hot seat while your parents, siblings, or other loved ones question you about something super personal. And someone is almost certainly going to say or ask something that comes across as really insensitive, judgmental, or intolerant at some point. You’ll probably even feel your blood pressure start to rise when it happens.

But know that there’s really no point in getting offended. First of all, sometimes people misspeak without meaning to, and that just comes with the territory when you’re discussing your personal life with your family. And there may even be people who express blatant disapproval of your choice to sugar date. Don’t let that faze you, though.

Remember, it’s your life, not theirs. Just shrug it off the best you can and go back to living the fabulous life you’ve worked so hard to cultivate for yourself. If the person in question truly loves you, they’ll come around eventually or at least reach a point where they can agree to disagree.

Compile some helpful resources.

Now let’s say you’ve got super supportive friends and family who are by your side in everything you do whether they understand it or not. People like that are likely to simply be curious about sugar dating and dedicated to learning more about how it actually works. In other words, they really want to learn so they discover ways to be even more supportive than they already are.

Some sugar daters maintain anonymous blogs or closed social media accounts where they chronicle their sugar lives for those interested in learning more. If you have anything like that yourself, consider letting your loved ones take a peek at it to get a better read on what your love life is actually all about. You can also gather a list of links and other resources that you feel explain things really well.

Ultimately, talking to family and loved ones about personal choices they may or may not understand is never easy. But it can be really rewarding to let the people that matter most in on something you love about your life. Overcoming the challenges is really about communication, understanding, and patience.