RatatouilleStrychnine
New member
I'm interested in exactly what people mean when they say "I love you" to their partner, and whether it means anything different in polyamorous relationships.
Monogamous people sometimes say that part of being in love is preferring your partner to anybody else, which is an aspect which clearly wouldn't apply to polyamorists.
Most polyamorists I know either want or are already in at least one relationship with a permamant, lifelong commitment of some sort. The sort of emotion that draws you to those kind of relationsips seems fairly easy to define as "being in love". Some people in polyamorous relationships will have two or more relationships like that, but what about those other kinds of relationships that we might have? What about those secondary/tertiary/etc relationships that will never reach that type of commitment for whatever reason?
What do you need to feel or know before you tell a partner "I love you"? Is love purely emotional for you, or is there a rational component too?
Monogamous people sometimes say that part of being in love is preferring your partner to anybody else, which is an aspect which clearly wouldn't apply to polyamorists.
Most polyamorists I know either want or are already in at least one relationship with a permamant, lifelong commitment of some sort. The sort of emotion that draws you to those kind of relationsips seems fairly easy to define as "being in love". Some people in polyamorous relationships will have two or more relationships like that, but what about those other kinds of relationships that we might have? What about those secondary/tertiary/etc relationships that will never reach that type of commitment for whatever reason?
What do you need to feel or know before you tell a partner "I love you"? Is love purely emotional for you, or is there a rational component too?