Many may wonder how our open relationship could possibly make our marriage strong, but it does. This is the most important question of all. The term "open marriage," coined by the late George and Nena O'Neill in their 1972 book of the same name, has been expanded as more couples choose to … The whole point of being in a relationship is to enjoy yourself and your partner in whatever context works for you. Because the goal is to have unconditional love, to get to a place where you love someone so selflessly that your reaction to them being with someone else is to be happy for them as opposed to jealous.” The author of the controversial post about being a girlfriend to a man in an open marriage is back to clarify a few things, and to answer some questions. Some couples say that being in an open relationship acts brings them closer to their original partner because they realize what they have at home and they find that while being in an open relationship is fun at first, the novelty of it wears off and the trust and love at home is what people really want to experience. But here I was, only in my late 30s, having a conversation with my husband about opening up our marriage. Ask yourself if being in an open relationship is something that you even want to do. Do not get into it because you are afraid of being alone if you say no. Here’s how to … “With my ex-girlfriend, I didn’t even sleep with other women because I didn’t have the time, but she did and I was OK with that. I agreed to think about it for a week and let Nick know my decision. Sometimes the way couples envision open relationships isn't the way they go at all. It felt terrific. And secondly, I always pictured people in an open marriage as being much older. Experts say strong open relationships tend to have one thing in common: a mutually agreed upon set of ground rules. "Being in an open marriage is tough. There was a novelty about sleeping with someone new, and about it being someone I knew, and it was a good one in the context of sexual experiences. Especially when I'm having a blast and my husband is struggling." And after a couple days, the idea started to intrigue me. Here's how … Open relationship, ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, monogamish: there are so many words for telling someone that when it comes right down to it, you’re dating someone else. Do not get into it to please your partner. Do not get into it because you are apathetic. I didn’t feel great going home—I cannot emphasize enough that this is not the best way to start an open relationship.