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- Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!agate!dog.ee.lbl.gov!news!nosc!ryptyde!ebrooks
- Newsgroups: alt.polyamory
- Subject: Re: let's have more crossposting!
- From: ebrooks@netlink.cts.com (Eben Rosenberger)
- Message-ID: <0aLqXB6w165w@netlink.cts.com>
- References: <C16sHL.5B2@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu>
- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 09:05:08 PST
- Organization: NetLink Online Communications, San Diego CA
- Lines: 46
-
- > I am fairly new to relationships period. I have never had a
- > girlfriend before and I have entered into a very new area of
- > my life. I found myself getting involved in a poly-such
- > relationship with a female who was currently had a boyfriend.
- > She says that he is a poly-person and that was okay with her.
- > He encouraged her to adopt the same ideas. Her first try at
- > this was with me. As you can see, this leaves a very
- > inexperienced situation. As this is fairly new to me and to
- > a point, also with this other female, I would appreciate any
- > and all advice or information that anyone would be willing to
- > give me which would assist in my not collapsing under strains
- > and pressures of ignorance.
-
- I was in the same boat myself. My first lover already had a lover, but
- he didn't mind that she had me, and I *THOUGHT* I didn't mind that she
- had him. I was wrong. It got ugly real fast.
-
- I strongtly suggest you examine your feelings VERY closely. If there is
- even a shadow of a doubt that you can handle being somebodies secondary
- without yet having been anyones primary, be prepared for things to get
- difficult. I hope I am not assuming much by stating that you probably
- were brought up (like most of us) believing that monogamy was the ideal,
- and without having experienced the other alternative, you may still
- expect--not on a conscious level, but a visceral one--that your lady will
- be "true" to you alone. You may, however, be one of those remarkable
- people who can adapt and adjust to the situation as readily as my first
- lover's lover did (for whom she was also HIS first lover--does this make
- sense?). Also, another question that may arise is this: are you
- comfortable playing with her *at the same time as her primary boyfriend
- is playing with her?* If you are, or could be, then this may be a way to
- dispell a lot of the tension and apprehension invovled in a "zig-zag"
- relationship. You don't necessarily have to touch the other fellow, but
- making the woman the center of attention can be fun as well as relaxing,
- and can enable you to relate to the other man better, which may make your
- part easier.
-
- The core of my advice is this: know yourself, and if you DON'T know
- yourself, GET to know yourself. Find out if you can deal with the
- situation, and then act on that discovery. I hope that your experience
- turns out to be a good one, and I hope you get out of it better than I
- did. After all, we don't need more raving loonies out there.
-
- --
- INTERNET: ebrooks@netlink.cts.com (Eben Rosenberger)
- UUCP: ...!ryptyde!netlink!ebrooks
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