Marriage 101

An open marriage is the term often used to describe a marriage relationship where the husband and wife have no reservations about one another being sexually involved with other people. Although it is slippery by definition, open marriage is generally considered a committed marital relationship between two people who, under a set of mutually-agreed upon rules, engage in sexual encounters with various partners other than their spouse. This could mean going to a club to pick up sexual partners or simply the freedom to experiment at will.
Open Marriage on Tyra Banks Show Part 1

Open Marriage on Tyra Banks Show Part 2

According to Alex Caroline Robboy, a Philadelphia-based sex and marriage therapist who has counseled numerous couples in open marriage, some successful, some not. In her opinion, a marriage as “open” is really just giving an excuse to something that couples are already doing, including marriages in which one partner is having an affair and the other knows, but looks the other way. If you look cross-culturally and over time, said Robboy, most people do not remain faithful to one partner for the duration of their marriages, in addition, it is incredibly destructive for couples to experiment with open marriage in response to problems or boredom in their sex life.. I do agree with her for this statement. However, I can not accept her opinion that to experiment with open marriage, you have to be in an extremely healthy relationship. If you have a harmonious marriage relationship, there seem no reason that you still need the stimuli outside the marriage.

To be honest, I’m completely close-minded when it comes to the concept of open marriage. When I think about open marriage, I can only conjure a stereotype: deeply unsatisfied adults, most likely going through a mid-life crisis, pathetically searching for hot sex as a solution. I object it because it is not good for a steady marriage life. The dangers of an open marriage are plenty, and here are a few of the most common possibilities: Married couples who exist in an open marriage open the door for extreme cases of jealousy. No mater how open your mind is, jealousy is the nature of human beings. Regardless of the result of open marriage, there is still a social stigma that applies. Open marriage may not be acceptable to family members, friends, and even co-workers, if they know. Depending on the ages of the children, open marriages can have permanent psychological damage. Many married couples who have open marriages enjoy picking up strange women/men at clubs and bars for a one night stand of sexual intimacy. The dangers here are the same as with any casual sex experience; if you don’t know the person with whom you are having sex, the danger of violence is very real.

As for the idea of open marriage, maybe I have become out-of-dated and do not understand the rules of playing games nowadays. However, I will stick to my faith in love and marriage, protecting my happiness like a bird for its nest.