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Consider the risks. Bringing up this subject with your partner could have disastrous consequences for the relationship; if your partner does not like the idea of an open relationship, he or she is likely to feel a sense of rejection and offense at the notion that you’d like to have one. In addition, your partner may feel like he or she has failed to keep you romantically or sexually interested, and this can cause feelings of considerable emotional pain. However, all people are different, and if you feel like your partner may be receptive to the idea then you might want to think about proceeding.
How To Have A Conversation About An Open Relationship
Identify exactly what you’d like your open relationship to be like before you have the conversation. It’s much better to have a specific idea of your ideal type of relationship, rather than just suggesting a “general” open relationship. Open relationships can differ dramatically on their rules for each participant’s behavior, so it is worth considering what style you’d prefer your relationship to be.
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Test your partner’s reaction subtly. Before you launch into a conversation about wanting an open relationship, find an indirect way of discovering your partner’s potential feelings towards it. For example, if you’re aware of a documentary being shown on television about open relationships, you could inadvertently flick onto it while watching TV with your partner in order to initiate a conversation about the subject. By doing this, it makes the conversation appear to be random and unplanned, which means your partner is less likely to suspect you have interest in an open relationship.
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Choose an appropriate time to bring up the issue. Ideally this should be a time when you both are free to talk for a long time and don’t have any immediate plans for the day. Discussing an open relationship could take a long time, as the issue needs to be approached with tact and care and maybe from several angles.
Introduce the topic. How you do this will depend on your relationship, but you should endeavor to reassure your partner that you still care about him or her, and your thoughts about an open relationship aren’t necessarily related to anything he or she has done to make you less interested in your existing relationship. As mentioned, this conversation will have its risks, so only proceed if you have reason to believe your partner will be interested in the idea.
