heypete wrote:
What would most females thoughts be if the male asked for a MMF?
I don't know, heypete. What would most males think if their partner asked for a peanut butter sandwich? :p
Zelda wrote:
I think three or more somes can be a lot of fun, but can potentially ruin your relationship too. You both need to talk about it very openly and discuss everything you can possibly think of before you actually do it.
It requires a lot of trust and patience and like swingcouple said no always means no.
Am I the only one who thinks that these guidelines apply to every relationship in every circumstance? I mean, talking very openly is hardly an unknown relationship strategy. And as far as I know, relationship or not, no always means no unless it has been specifically negotiated to mean something else (during that open discussion mentioned above).
Also, as a personal opinion, I disagree that something like swinging can ruin a relationship. I think that if a relationship is strong and built on a solid foundation, then it can hardly be damaged by swinging. I also think that if a relationship has hidden vulnerabilities, then trust-intensive activities such as swinging will reveal knowledge of those pre-existing vulnerabilities. My views on that are
- every relationship is unique because it only exists as a result of the unique individuals participating in it.
- relationships continue or end based on the behaviour of one or more participants, and the responses of the other participants to that behaviour
- if the participants in a relationship lack sufficient skills to communicate openly and honestly, to behave respectfully and consistently, and to express themselves to each other accurately and early on in an issue, then that relationship is going to end regardless of whether the symptom of its ending is swinging, cheating, or anything else.
- if a relationship is going to end for whatever reason, then it is going to end regardless of which symptom of dysfunction is the final straw
- when a relationship ends, it's a whole lot harder to attribute appropriate responsibility for specific behaviour, and a whole lot easier to blame something like an impersonal concept of "swinging".
For example, I think there is a world of difference between
"When we negotiate our boundaries and rules together, my partner makes promises which he regularly transgresses afterwards (list examples). As a result, I cannot rely on him to behave as he says he will, which means that I do not trust him, and that is unacceptable to me so I will be terminating my relationship with him."
and
"Swinging killed our relationship, which was perfectly good before."
I mean, I think that if the vulnerabilities are already there, then they exist regardless of which specific behaviours reveal them. I think that if the behaviours which reveal the vulnerabilities are avoided, then vulnerabilities are still there, just hidden, so it isn't like this or that thing "ruined" the relationship. I think that behaviours such as swinging do not create vulnerabilities, they increase awareness of those existing vulnerabilities.
Gosh, I guess I had a lot to say about this. Ok, putting the soapbox away now. :)