What Do You Want People To Know About Making Open Relationships Work?

Let's get open about being open.

So, you're poly / non-monogamous / in or have been in open relationships and you've found that lots of people maybe don't ~ get ~ that.

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Some people might not understand your open relationship, or even question it, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

People assume an open relationship will lead to sure-fire disaster for everyone involved — but in reality, open relationships can be loving, fulfilling, and no more or less complicated than any other relationship.

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There are so many misconceptions flying around out there. Like, for example, that an open relationship must be filled with possessiveness and jealousy.

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A lot of the time, these stereotypes simply aren't true.

What do you want people to know about what it's really like to be in an open relationship?

When people question your situation — or its legitimacy or value — what do you say to help them understand?

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And when it comes to sexual health — do you regularly check in with each other about safe sex among various partners involved?

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And how do you approach that conversation so that everyone feels safe and secure?

Are there any red flags or huge no-no's you look out for in an open relationship?

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For any first-timers out there who want to get their feet wet in the non-monogamous dating pool.

Have you and your partners set boundaries or rules, or are you figuring it out as you go along?

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We want to hear from you! Share your advice for making an open relationship the best it can be for the chance to be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed post.

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Shed some light on common misconceptions or just drop some words of wisdom. And don't be afraid to share some of your failures or mistakes too — that's where the learning happens.

Do you think you've learned things about relationships (or life or love or anything else) from being in an open relationship that being in monogamous situations can't or doesn't teach?

Tell us (in a few sentences to a paragraph) in the comments below, or, if you’d like to remain anonymous, use the Google form below.