You might have encountered the concept of a polyamorous relationship before. But you might not necessarily be all too familiar with what it means. What are the polyamorous relationship rules, types, and meanings? These are just a few things that we are going to try to cover as we span in this entire article.
What is Polyamory?
First of all, you are going to want to familiarize yourself with the terminology. What exactly is polyamory, and why is it even a thing? How did it come about? Do people practice this? These might be a few questions that are running through your mind right now. That’s okay.
Polyamory isn’t all that prevalent of a concept. And it’s not something that a lot of people are open to either. It caters to a very niche market. As a result, people can often get a lot of things wrong about what it is. There are a lot of misconceptions floating around right there about polyamory. And it’s time to defeat them all.
So again, what is polyamory? It’s mostly the practice of sustaining multiple relationships at a time. These relationships can be either romantic or sexual. It can occur between both married and non-married couples. It can also incorporate same-sex relations as well. And everyone is fully aware of all the connected relationships within this web.
How Is Polyamory Different From Cheating?
Polyamory and cheating aren’t the same things, even though they are quite similar. Cheating is when you act unfaithfully towards your partner by engaging with a third party. Polyamory is when you open up to your partner about your desire to also be with someone else. This is how both relationship setups are different. With cheating, there is a component of disloyalty and betrayal. With polyamory, there is always honesty and openness.
Again, it can be straightforward to get both of these concepts interchanged. Both ideas involve the act of engaging in multiple relationships. However, there is a substantial difference in the intent and manner. Cheating is frowned upon by a slighted party. True. In polyamory, everyone is okay with the setup. Even though lines can be blurred to outsiders, they’re still very distinct. You have to try to understand it more.
Polyamorous Relationship Rules:
Now, it might be essential to set a few ground rules that you need to follow for you to find success in this kind of relationship. It might seem like such a liberal and free-spirited way to go about having a relationship with someone. However, it’s still important to set certain boundaries. This is, so expectations are managed better between yourselves. It also minimizes the toxic drama that might come up in the relationship. Here are a few rules to follow while in a polyamorous relationship:
- Never get into a sexual or emotional relationship with someone else before discussing it with your partner first. Sure, you have the freedom to be in a relationship with someone outside of your relationship. But you should still respect your partner enough to make them aware of your plans and intentions.
- You always have to commit yourself to your relationships. You shouldn’t get to commit to one and play around with the other. This is not how these relationships work. You have to be able to give the entirety of yourself to your relationships. This is what separates this setup from an open relationship.
- Always practice safe sex whenever the relationship is sexual. You want to be more adventurous and explorative in your sex life. But that doesn’t mean that you get to be reckless about it. You still want to practice safe sex for you to avoid sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies.
- Financial infidelity might end up being a huge issue here. You never want your other partners to feel like you are spending more money on one relationship than the other.
Types Of Polyamorous Relationships:
Of course. There are also going to be different types of polyamorous relationships as well. Here are just a few examples of these types of relationship setups:
- Romantic. This is when the polyamorous relationship has an emotional component. There is a real emotional attachment present between two people.
- Sexual. This is when the relationship is purely physical. Two people are only connected through sheer sexual attraction for one another. Emotions don’t play much of a role here.
Is polyamory illegal?
No. Well, at least not in the United States. However, there are a few legal issues out there surrounding polyamory. It’s not illegal to have multiple partners at a time. However, complications can arise when dealing with the law. For example, a person in this relationship setup might violate a morality clause. What is a morality clause? Some companies have morality clauses that could discriminate against these people.
Child custody is also an issue. Courts and judges might see it unfit for a child to be raised in this kind of setup at home. That’s because it’s just a very taboo kind of structure. Not a lot of people are too familiar with it yet. That could lead to a lot of unfortunate legal ramifications. Adultery is also an issue. If a relationship turns sour, drama can ensue. You can get sued for being an adulterer even though you were open about it at first.
Again, it’s not illegal for you to be in this kind of setup. But could potentially lead to a lot of drama in the long run.
Is polyamory for you?
Is this something that’s meant for you? Well, only you can try that out for yourself. You are the only one who can come up with the correct answer to this question. Love is always going to be a subjective thing. It’s something that you learn about and comes to discover on your own. No one else can tell you how you should go about it. Only you can decide if it’s for you or not.
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