Open relationships can be a lot of fun and even healthy for those that can handle and understand them. You will find that there are a lot of different people that prefer these to the more monogamous relationships that are seen as common. It is a good idea for you to make sure that you are open and honest about your need for an open relationship right off the bat so that your partner is not misled in any way.
What They Are
Basically, an open relationship is when a person is in more than one relationship at a time, many would call this Swinging. This means more than one sexual partner and sometimes, more than one emotional partner. It is important that every party that is involved understands that they are in an open relationship. A person that is not aware of this can end up getting hurt in the long run because they will consider it cheating.
Safety
Safety is something that is very important with an open relationship. Whenever you are having sex with more than one person regularly condoms are even more important than usual. In addition to physical safety, emotional safety is also important. Make sure that you and your partner are aware of their other partners and that you know where you 2 stand in your relationship with each other. Sometimes an open relationship can lead to sharing partners with each other. This is something that is common but should be discussed first between partners before making any plans.
