Having ground rules for open relationships is necessary, especially if there are more than two people involved! It can be really easy to get jealous and to feel jealousy in an open relationship, so having ground rules for open relationships can be helpful. While I'm not good at sharing, I do believe that open relationships can work great for some couples! Have you ever been in an open relationship?
One of the top ground rules for open relationships that should be number one on every list is – do you want to know when your boyfriend or girlfriend is having sex with someone else? Do you want them to tell you every detail? This is an important rule, but one that can be hard to handle!
Jealousy is going to happen, it's a natural feeling, but how are you going to deal with your jealousy? Is it that you are going to storm off and pull your side of the open relationship away? Of course not, a journal is a great way to put all of those feelings in or you can just talk about. Express that you are jealous, but you get why you are jealous.
Girls and guys, you've got to be okay with an open relationship. If both of you are not okay with an open relationship, it isn't going to work. Open relationships are not one-sided, they've got to be mutual, otherwise they don't work and jealousy can overtake your entire relationship.
No matter what type of relationship you are in, you always want to make sure that safe sex is at the front of your mind. This could mean life or death, guys and girls, so if you're having sex outside of your relationship at all, where you know there could be a chance of STDs, use a condom.
Another ground rule for an open relationship all revolves around when the sex is allowed. Are you only allowed to have sex with someone else once a week? Are you allowed to have sex every Saturday? You've got to find something that works for the both of you.
Have you decided where the sex is going to be permitted? Are you going to allow it in a home that you share with your partner? These are things that you need to discuss as a couple, not decide on your own, otherwise it'll never work and could cause friction!
One rule that I think every single open relationship should have is: no sex with mutual friends. It can get really messy and truthfully, it's just bad business. You don't want to mess with friends that hang out with the both of you. What if that friend develops feelings for you? How weird would that be?
Finally, creating boundaries within your open relationship is very important. Do you allow kissing of other people? What about phone calls? These boundaries will save your open relationship rather than make it awkward and make it turn into something else.
So, these are all my ground rules that I'd lay down if I was in an open relationship. What other rules are out there? Have you laid down any of your own?