An open relationship basically implies that both members can have sex with or date other people, yet they still remain together. This is certainly something that has only developed in recent years – at least in the public eye. It’s a way for people to have fun and commitment at the same time, bringing in the best of both worlds. If an open relationship sounds like the thing for you, here are some tips that may help you establish and maintain it.
Make sure you have an open partner
An open relationship with only one open partner is called cheating – plain and simple. Talk to your partner about what you want to do and see if he or she wants the same. If there is some hesitance, you may start by swinging (having sex with other couples) so that your partner gets the hang of sleeping with other people. Once he or she is used to that concept, thinking about being fully open to things won’t be as difficult.
Pick your new partners wisely
With sex comes risk, and you want to make sure that you are not going to get any diseases from your new partners. Anything that you contract will be passed on to your original, and that is just asking for trouble. Stay as clean as possible, and of course, use protection. The last thing you need is pregnancy from an outside source. It may even be nice to go over your partners with your original one so that you both know who is involved. If there are bad ties with someone, it would be nice to know ahead of time before sleeping with them causes a fight.
Don’t get jealous
If you start to get jealous in an open relationship, it may be time to think about whether or not that is actually what you want. There comes a time when the fun has to fizzle and the commitment takes over. At least, that’s what happens in most cases. If you are getting upset about the other person sleeping around, confront them about it and request that you guys start closing things up a bit. If you are met with great debate, perhaps you guys are no longer on the same wave length and it is time to move on.
Don’t fall in love with any partner
When you’re sleeping around, you have to remember who the #1 person is in your relationship. If you can’t keep that focus in mind, then you might as well dump the person and just sleep around. Even though an open relationship constitutes freedom, there is something to be said for the “relationship” part of the term. That’s there for a reason. You still have to show some commitment to the other person, so never lose sight of that. There is a fine line between being open and being a cheater. Make sure you know where you want to stand.
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