Regardless of whether you’re monogamous or open in your relationship, it’s important to establish a set of rules for the partnership. This can include everything from sexual boundaries to emotional and social boundaries. These rules can help reduce misunderstandings and protect both partners’ emotional well-being.
The first step to establishing open relationship rules is having a conversation about your mutual agreement and setting clear boundaries. This can be difficult, but it’s crucial to the success of the arrangement. It’s important to discuss sexual boundaries from the beginning of your open relationship, so you and your partner are on the same page about what’s acceptable. For example, if you’re okay with penetrative sex but aren’t comfortable with oral sex, that should be stated early on so there are no surprises down the road.
When discussing sexual boundaries, it’s also important to consider the emotional attachment you feel toward your partner. Are you okay with your partner dating other people? If so, how many people are you okay with and for how long? This will help prevent resentment down the line and allow you and your partner to find an arrangement that fits you both.
In addition to sexual and emotional boundaries, it’s important to create rules around the use of protection, STI testing, who gets invited into the relationship, and more. These rules can be as general or as specific as you and your partner want, but they should be spelled out so there are no misunderstandings. It’s also important to check in regularly and reassess your open relationship agreement as feelings and circumstances change. How to establish open relationship rules