Much Ado About Nothing...

Splitz

New member
I'm new here, I was looking for somewhere to post about my situation with people who would look past the poly and at the situation. Only a few of my friends know that my husband and I have a semi-open relationship. Here is the background on that.

H and I have been married for coming up on 14 years, we got together when I was a teenager and he was 15 years older than me. Throughout our relationship he's always said he likes the thrill of new women, and that I agreed that I rather know about it than he lie to me so he could sleep with others but only one time and I had to know about it beforehand. That never really resulted in much, he made out with a couple of women a couple of times but nothing much. Each time I was crazy jealous and generally became and insane bitch and it resulted in difficulty in our marriage. So we thought maybe a threesome would solve that, so we tried it with a friend and it went badly, I feel into a depression and our relationship hit one of it's lowest lows. We recovered and about 3 years ago we tried again, with another friend. This went really well and it last a few months, and naturally petered out. During the first 10 years of our relationship I wasn't allowed to play with anyone but him. But after the second threesome he agreed that it wasn't fair and allowed me to start seeing people. Since then I've met with two lovers and he was perfectly fine after each and our relationship, although has gone through ups and downs they haven't been because of any additional relationships.

Now to the current situation. I met a girl, S, and she was really nice we were quickly becoming friends. She is in the process of a sexual re-awakening. Although I wasn't sure I wanted to my husband convinced me to link them up as a potential new partner. I was really struggling with it, as after I linked them up she basically stopped talking to me. She was still saying she wanted to have both of us, but she wasn't engaging with me. And the truth was, I wasn't really interested in her sexually, but I know how much my husband wanted it so I was trying. The thing is, as we've got to know her more and more, I'm completely and utterly without desire to have a relationship with her. I hate to use the word repulsed, but sexually I am repulsed like the thought of having a threesome just makes me panic that I'm going to hate it and be stuck in it.

I don't want H to be with her either, but I've already agreed I can. H is made because I've been really bitchy about it and basically killing his buzz. Now I've told him just go have sex with her, but our original "rules" apply. No sleeping together, one time only and call me when you're done. H says I'm being unreasonable, because he didn't make me only have one time only or lots of rules (I really don't think my three rules are a lot). He's making me feel like my feelings are crazy, that I'm being unreasonable and that my sense of regret for even starting this is mean spirited and selfish. I don't know I guess I was just hoping for some perspective and since all of my friends would be so stuck on "you have sex with other people!" that they'd never get to actual point...am I being a unreasonable?
 
All of this drama and there's really one one issue.
we got together when I was a teenager....
How can you possibly even know who you are separate from your husband, let alone in your marriage, when you have had no time to explore the world on your own? Establishing stable, substantial and loving relationships with others requires a stable, substantial and loving relationship with oneself. You're describing advanced codependency, which always flourishes when the participants have a limited grasp of who they are as individuals. Polyamory only works when the individuals are self-possessed and have a strong sense of themselves.
 
Hi, Splitz,

This sounds like quite a convoluted and painful situation for so many reasons, but for now, let me address just two of them.

H and I have been married for coming up on 14 years, we got together when I was a teenager and he was 15 years older than me.

Besides the vast age-gap and inherent power differential that existed in your relationship from the start, due to your youth and relative inexperience in comparison to your husband (which was touched on by Karen/Angelina, above), I just want you to review the language you've used in your post. In particular, consider the following examples:

Throughout our relationship he's always said he likes the thrill of new women


During the first 10 years of our relationship I wasn't allowed to play with anyone but him.

Although I wasn't sure I wanted to my husband convinced me to link them up as a potential new partner.

I was really struggling with it... but I know how much my husband wanted it so I was trying.

I'm completely and utterly without desire to have a relationship with her... sexually I am repulsed like the thought of having a threesome just makes me panic that I'm going to hate it and be stuck in it.

I don't want H to be with her either, but I've already agreed I can.

H is mad(e) because I've been really bitchy about it and basically killing his buzz.

He's making me feel like my feelings are crazy, that I'm being unreasonable and that my sense of regret for even starting this is mean spirited and selfish.


Arguably, the terms "abusive relationship", "controlling" and "narcissistic" are bandied around on forums like this too often and lightly, these days... however, if you reflect upon what you've said above, you can surely see that the dynamic of your relationship - specifically, H's attitude towards you - may easily come across as any one of those things.

At best, your husband appears to treat you in a rather paternalistic and domineering fashion, and I'm not sure he has YOUR best interests at heart here.

Anyone who truly loves you will not want you to feel repulsed or panicked by a potential sexual encounter/partner, or try to coerce or push you into conducting a relationship with someone you're simply not physically attracted to merely so that HE can experience a "buzz" or "thrill" of someone new - and then get mad at you for reneging, and try to paint you as crazy and unreasonable for having negative feelings about that situation. (The mark of a narcissist under most circumstances.)

After all, this woman was YOUR "friend" and presumably had nothing whatsoever to do with your husband, until he "convinced" you to hook them up in order to satisfy his own lust for novelty. The fact that she subsequently appears to have dropped you in favour of spending time with HIM says a lot about her character as well as his.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a harsh assessment of your relationship, but honestly, a 30-something year old man who managed to find "love" with a girl still in her teens, yet wasn't satisfied with this arrangement and expressed a need to hook up with other women while "not allowing" you to do likewise, just sounds either very controlling and/or very immature. It's somewhat encouraging to hear H had a change of heart at some point, and "allowed" you to seek lovers of your own, however, you have to realise you are not beholden to his whims, and he does not have the right to coerce you into threesomes or sexual scenarios which you do not genuinely desire.

Read up on consent. You ARE allowed to withdraw consent at any time, even if you've previously agreed to go ahead with a scene or relationship, and NOT be badgered, harangued or made to feel you "owe" him or anyone else sex. Stand your ground. Karen is right that you seem to have lost yourself somewhere in this mix, while deferring to your husband's wishes. Making up a list of "rules" for him is counterproductive. To me, this merely says you're uncomfortable/unhappy with what he wants to do, and it's your way of trying to regain some semblance of control in your marriage.
 
Your consent belongs to you.

If you don't want to share sex in a threesome any more you are allowed to change your mind and not do that. Why would you want to do that with a person who repulses you? Just so hubby gets a threesome?

At this time, your husband is free to sleep with her once as per old agreements WITHOUT you.

At this time, your husband can calmly renegotiate agreements so he can keep on dating her if he likes her. He is doing neither.

He is acting out because he doesn't get his way. (The threesome with you, him and S).

H says I'm being unreasonable, because he didn't make me only have one time only or lots of rules (I really don't think my three rules are a lot).

You are not carbon copies of each other.

He didn't have a problem with previous lovers of yours and didn't need the agreements.
You are repulsed by this woman, and you want the agreements. You DO have a problem with this woman.

He could see you as separate people, these things as separation situations, and stop the "tit for tat" game.

He's making me feel like my feelings are crazy, that I'm being unreasonable and that my sense of regret for even starting this is mean spirited and selfish.

Your feelings belong to you. You are allowed to regret taking up with S, who you now feel repulsed by. It is NOT unreasonable for you to change your mind about sharing sex in a threesome with S.

He's being unreasonable if he wants you to participate in a threesome even if you greatly dislike this woman just so he gets his thrills. If he's coming at this like "you are my spouse, its your job to give me the sex I want" he is wrong. Just because you are married to someone doesn't mean you "owe" them sex or they get use of your body however they want whenever they want it.

I don't know I guess I was just hoping for some perspective and since all of my friends would be so stuck on "you have sex with other people!" that they'd never get to actual point...am I being a unreasonable?

NO. Your consent to participate in things belongs to you. You are allowed to change your mind. That is not being unreasonable. That is being in charge of your own mind and your own body and your own self and your own choices.

How your husband is handling his disappointment that (there isn't gonna be a threesome with him, you and S) is unreasonable.

He's being the Pulp Fiction cartoon + car cartoon + cereal cartoon

http://metro.co.uk/2015/07/01/brill...xual-consent-means-in-everyday-terms-5274497/

I don't think you are being unreasonable. I think he could be tactic hopping to wear you out so you give up and say OK not because you want to do this threesome but because you want his bullying/pestering/whatever to STOP.

My suggestion in the short term? If he says you are being unreasonable, selfish, mean? Agree. (whether it is true or not.) Say something like "Yes. I see that you think I'm being mean." Then remind him he can see her on his own. Then disengage and walk out of the room.

Don't stay stuck in "going nowhere" circle conversations. If he thinks you are being a big ol' meanie? Let him think it for now. Don't get caught up in energy draining conversations. It's not like you are gonna change his mind right then any way if he's acting out.

My suggestion in the long term? Reflect on whether this is the way you to want to be in your marriage. To me? It doesn't sound all that healthy. But getting stuck on this one person, S?

Is like this...

I don't know I guess I was just hoping for some perspective and since all of my friends would be so stuck on "you have sex with other people!" that they'd never get to actual point...

Your friends would get stuck on that one thing and not see the bigger picture.

Don't get stuck on this one S relationship that you don't assess the bigger picture of your marriage and how your husband treats you in it today and has treated you in the past. It's not great sounding. :(

Galagirl
 
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Hello Splitz,

It sounds like H is pushing you into things that make you uncomfortable. He is pushing you into a threesome that you do not feel good about. He is pushing you into a poly/open situation when you do not feel good about it. He is pushing you into helping him hook up with your (ex-?) friend when you don't feel good about it. Over and over he is pushing you into things that you don't feel good about. Is this the way a spouse treats you if they really love you?

I am going to assume that you love H very much and that you have good reasons to want to stay married to him. I'm assuming you're venting and not (yet) telling us about H's good points. I invite you to tell us about his good points. What are your reasons for wanting to stay married to him? Do you want to stay married to him?

He should not do things that affect you without your consent. And he does not have your consent if he just pushes you until you say yes. I hope you will be able to help him see that what he's doing is not okay.

Sincerely,
Kevin T.
 
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