RunBabyRun
New member
OK, so quick background....my husband, IDRider47 and I opened our marriage a month ago. It was a good, well thought out and talked through decision but the idea was mine. I’ve been thinking about this for months now (see our blog posts if you want more info). I had someone in mind; he didn’t have anyone at that point.
So, my relationship with E (my now boyfriend) has progressed to the point where we slept together for the first time a few days ago. Rider is freaking out. He’s had several meltdowns over the past 2 weeks and I have to admit some of them where not helped by my NRE insensitivity. Rider is seriously considering wanting to close the marriage.
I had originally said that if it wasn’t working for one of us then we would close it. He had originally said that he didn’t think we could unring the bell and that he believed I needed this, where he was content to be mono but poly opened up some interesting opportunities for him.
I love Rider SO much but unfortunately, he was right. I need this. E is not an experiment, he is a real person and I care for him very much. Rider is trying very hard to say and do the “right” things and be poly minded but he is suffering miserably. Everything in his life sucks right now (except our sex life). He can’t sleep, etc...he’s going under.
Rider has talked about closing the marriage, finding a way to survive him being mono and me being poly (this option doesn’t seem to offer relief to his suffering) or ending the marriage. This frightens me. Why end the marriage? Why can’t he believe and accept that I love him and that I want to be married to him? Why does it have to be all or nothing? He asks me why I couldn’t have just been content with our very good marriage....he asks why I can’t be now.....
We did have a very good marriage. The only thing he wanted was more sex. Our sex life was always good but he wanted more. Now we have sex 1-4 times a day and he’s totally sexually fulfilled. So, I ask again.....why can’t he accept that I love and want to be with him and bask in the sex? Nothing has changed between us. I still love him just as much. I still want to be married to him just as much AND we’re having the frequency of sex he wants. The only change is that I have E on the side who I can crash around in the mountains with and who I enjoy having sex with. Don’t get me wrong, E and I are more than FWB but the point is, E takes nothing from Rider except the occasional times when we will want to do things when I would normally have been with Rider.
Rider cannot be everything I need even if I could be everything he needs. I like to crash around in the woods, sweat and be really active; it’s not him. It is E. Why can’t he love me enough to let me have that and be confident enough in my love for him that he can freely give me some time with E.
Rider is really struggling and says I’m being insensitive to him by spending time with E. Rider wants me to choose to stay with him instead since he’s suffering. I told Rider that I was planning to go hiking with E today while he was at work and then I get a text from Rider saying that he’s coming home from work early because he just can’t handle all of this. I had already made plans with E. Now I have to be in the position again of denying myself the time I want and need to nurture this very new relationship and have to cancel on E OR go do what I was planning and want to do with E.
Here’s my dilemma- I need this open marriage thing. Is it selfish? What can I do to help Rider? I have recommended FreeTime’s thread to him because FreeTime suffered so much in a similar situation. I feel like it’s just going to take time and Rider needs to breathe through it (yep, I know, sounds insensitive I know!). It’s only been 3 weeks since E and I started seeing each other and 2 of those weeks I was out of town. This is SOOOO new.
If every time Rider has a rough day I drop everything to come home or I stay home, he won’t be forced to overcome these hurdles. I want and need to help him but I don’t want to prolong the pain. I’m at a loss and I just want the drama to end and for things to be settled.
Please help!!!!!
So, my relationship with E (my now boyfriend) has progressed to the point where we slept together for the first time a few days ago. Rider is freaking out. He’s had several meltdowns over the past 2 weeks and I have to admit some of them where not helped by my NRE insensitivity. Rider is seriously considering wanting to close the marriage.
I had originally said that if it wasn’t working for one of us then we would close it. He had originally said that he didn’t think we could unring the bell and that he believed I needed this, where he was content to be mono but poly opened up some interesting opportunities for him.
I love Rider SO much but unfortunately, he was right. I need this. E is not an experiment, he is a real person and I care for him very much. Rider is trying very hard to say and do the “right” things and be poly minded but he is suffering miserably. Everything in his life sucks right now (except our sex life). He can’t sleep, etc...he’s going under.
Rider has talked about closing the marriage, finding a way to survive him being mono and me being poly (this option doesn’t seem to offer relief to his suffering) or ending the marriage. This frightens me. Why end the marriage? Why can’t he believe and accept that I love him and that I want to be married to him? Why does it have to be all or nothing? He asks me why I couldn’t have just been content with our very good marriage....he asks why I can’t be now.....
We did have a very good marriage. The only thing he wanted was more sex. Our sex life was always good but he wanted more. Now we have sex 1-4 times a day and he’s totally sexually fulfilled. So, I ask again.....why can’t he accept that I love and want to be with him and bask in the sex? Nothing has changed between us. I still love him just as much. I still want to be married to him just as much AND we’re having the frequency of sex he wants. The only change is that I have E on the side who I can crash around in the mountains with and who I enjoy having sex with. Don’t get me wrong, E and I are more than FWB but the point is, E takes nothing from Rider except the occasional times when we will want to do things when I would normally have been with Rider.
Rider cannot be everything I need even if I could be everything he needs. I like to crash around in the woods, sweat and be really active; it’s not him. It is E. Why can’t he love me enough to let me have that and be confident enough in my love for him that he can freely give me some time with E.
Rider is really struggling and says I’m being insensitive to him by spending time with E. Rider wants me to choose to stay with him instead since he’s suffering. I told Rider that I was planning to go hiking with E today while he was at work and then I get a text from Rider saying that he’s coming home from work early because he just can’t handle all of this. I had already made plans with E. Now I have to be in the position again of denying myself the time I want and need to nurture this very new relationship and have to cancel on E OR go do what I was planning and want to do with E.
Here’s my dilemma- I need this open marriage thing. Is it selfish? What can I do to help Rider? I have recommended FreeTime’s thread to him because FreeTime suffered so much in a similar situation. I feel like it’s just going to take time and Rider needs to breathe through it (yep, I know, sounds insensitive I know!). It’s only been 3 weeks since E and I started seeing each other and 2 of those weeks I was out of town. This is SOOOO new.
If every time Rider has a rough day I drop everything to come home or I stay home, he won’t be forced to overcome these hurdles. I want and need to help him but I don’t want to prolong the pain. I’m at a loss and I just want the drama to end and for things to be settled.
Please help!!!!!