rolypoly
New member
Hi everyone. I just joined this forum. This is probably the only forum/social media website on which I prefer to stay anonymous. That will tell you a lot about where I'm at in this stage of polyamory in my life.
I'm a woman in my early 30s. I have, what I'm beginning to see, as a disjointed, unclear dating history.
I have had several phases since I was a teenager of coming out as either bi or gay. Or another way to put it is, I have gone through phases of preferring women to men. But, the majority of the people I've dated have been men.
I am also starting to see how I've woven polyamory into my various partnerships, (it's annoying that on a poly forum, the word polyamory is tagged as improperly spelled).
I've introduced the idea of 3-somes to my boyfriends, who of course have never turned down the idea of being with two women. I have encouraged my boyfriend to play with another man.
I was once madly, helplessly in love with a man who lived in another city. He just did it for me. His family lived near me, so whenever he was in town, we would hook up. He was someone who I could be open sexually with, so we talked about and experimented with different things, including "swinging", (which we didn't end up doing). He was either never able to tell me that he loved me or simply just didn't love me. So, he was never jealous when I hooked up with other men while he was out of town. Unfortunately, that relationship was very painful for me because I was so in love with him and he didn't want more.
Two years ago, I met a poly man who introduced me to polyamory. I dated him for only about two months. He was a very manipulative, psychologically disturbed man, so I ended it quickly, but fortunately what I took away from that relationship was the discovery that I ADORE poly!
I dated his good friend at the tail end of our breakup and stayed with him for nearly a year, until his psychological issues emerged as well. *sigh* He dated another woman and another man during the course of our relationship.
I then dated a man who was also poly. When we hooked up, he was sleeping with a queer woman, (who likes sex with men, but has relationships with women). The three of us played, he and I tried a "serious" relationship and she stayed lovers with us both.
Now, I have been single for about 6 months after ending that relationship. It too turned very tumultuous when his deeply disturbing psychological stuff erupted. (I kept her, though )
I recently met a man that I felt an instant, electrifying connection with. I have only experienced this once before, (with the man that didn't love me back). He and I connected very quickly and became friends. On paper, he is the man of my dreams, but I don't know him well.
He recently told me about his 14-year relationship with a man that ended only about a year ago. They opened their relationship up at one point and it didn't go so well, though I'm still vague on any details. He made sure to clarify that just because he lived with a man doesn't mean he's 100% gay. He explained how his sexuality has never been very solid. He's been with women, but the impression I got was that he's mostly attracted to men. I was quite flabbergasted when he said he liked me and was attracted to me, but also not confident dating women, not ready for a relationship, not sure, etc...
So....
I've reached a point where I'm questioning everything. I don't know how to maneuver this part of my life, (relationships) and it still feels painful to me.
I feel completely discouraged from dating at all.
Are crazy men attracted to polyamory for some reason?! Or just to me?! Am I attracted to unavailable men? Or am I simply in a largely uncharted, unsupported territory where "alternative" people gather and therefore, rules and safe, stable boxes don't exist.
I also feel terrified to come out as poly beyond my very small comfort zone of queer, bi, poly friends, largely, actually because I've had so many unsuccessful, tumultuous relationships. If I were in a long-term, committed relationship that was open to others, for example, I would feel much more confident sharing this part of my life. I wouldn't be afraid of the opinions, criticism and advice from straight, conventional people who somehow seem to be able to have stayed with the same person for many years.
So, I'm on this forum to talk to others openly about relationships. I need a space where I can go into the details about how, actually it's not that straightforward because he's poly and....... and be understood!
Thanks!
roly
I'm a woman in my early 30s. I have, what I'm beginning to see, as a disjointed, unclear dating history.
I have had several phases since I was a teenager of coming out as either bi or gay. Or another way to put it is, I have gone through phases of preferring women to men. But, the majority of the people I've dated have been men.
I am also starting to see how I've woven polyamory into my various partnerships, (it's annoying that on a poly forum, the word polyamory is tagged as improperly spelled).
I've introduced the idea of 3-somes to my boyfriends, who of course have never turned down the idea of being with two women. I have encouraged my boyfriend to play with another man.
I was once madly, helplessly in love with a man who lived in another city. He just did it for me. His family lived near me, so whenever he was in town, we would hook up. He was someone who I could be open sexually with, so we talked about and experimented with different things, including "swinging", (which we didn't end up doing). He was either never able to tell me that he loved me or simply just didn't love me. So, he was never jealous when I hooked up with other men while he was out of town. Unfortunately, that relationship was very painful for me because I was so in love with him and he didn't want more.
Two years ago, I met a poly man who introduced me to polyamory. I dated him for only about two months. He was a very manipulative, psychologically disturbed man, so I ended it quickly, but fortunately what I took away from that relationship was the discovery that I ADORE poly!
I dated his good friend at the tail end of our breakup and stayed with him for nearly a year, until his psychological issues emerged as well. *sigh* He dated another woman and another man during the course of our relationship.
I then dated a man who was also poly. When we hooked up, he was sleeping with a queer woman, (who likes sex with men, but has relationships with women). The three of us played, he and I tried a "serious" relationship and she stayed lovers with us both.
Now, I have been single for about 6 months after ending that relationship. It too turned very tumultuous when his deeply disturbing psychological stuff erupted. (I kept her, though )
I recently met a man that I felt an instant, electrifying connection with. I have only experienced this once before, (with the man that didn't love me back). He and I connected very quickly and became friends. On paper, he is the man of my dreams, but I don't know him well.
He recently told me about his 14-year relationship with a man that ended only about a year ago. They opened their relationship up at one point and it didn't go so well, though I'm still vague on any details. He made sure to clarify that just because he lived with a man doesn't mean he's 100% gay. He explained how his sexuality has never been very solid. He's been with women, but the impression I got was that he's mostly attracted to men. I was quite flabbergasted when he said he liked me and was attracted to me, but also not confident dating women, not ready for a relationship, not sure, etc...
So....
I've reached a point where I'm questioning everything. I don't know how to maneuver this part of my life, (relationships) and it still feels painful to me.
I feel completely discouraged from dating at all.
Are crazy men attracted to polyamory for some reason?! Or just to me?! Am I attracted to unavailable men? Or am I simply in a largely uncharted, unsupported territory where "alternative" people gather and therefore, rules and safe, stable boxes don't exist.
I also feel terrified to come out as poly beyond my very small comfort zone of queer, bi, poly friends, largely, actually because I've had so many unsuccessful, tumultuous relationships. If I were in a long-term, committed relationship that was open to others, for example, I would feel much more confident sharing this part of my life. I wouldn't be afraid of the opinions, criticism and advice from straight, conventional people who somehow seem to be able to have stayed with the same person for many years.
So, I'm on this forum to talk to others openly about relationships. I need a space where I can go into the details about how, actually it's not that straightforward because he's poly and....... and be understood!
Thanks!
roly
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