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Man Upset GF Is Going On Dates After He Suggested An Open Relationship As Nobody Else Wants Him
Man in a red shirt sitting on a couch looking stressed and frustrated, relating to boyfriend opens relationship gets no dates.

Man Upset GF Is Going On Dates After He Suggested An Open Relationship As Nobody Else Wants Him

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What constitutes cheating depends on how a couple defines their relationship. Reddit user throwawayPandaaBear and her boyfriend, for example, agreed that while they were exclusive, they could date and enjoy physical intimacy with other people as well.

An important part of the deal was that they wouldn’t discuss these extracurricular activities.

However, after not having much success with other women, the Redditor’s partner — who, by the way, was the one to propose the unorthodox arrangement — went snooping through her phone to find out if she was seeing a lot of guys.

This immediately led to a heated confrontation that exposed not only double standards but also the real reason he wanted to “open” their relationship in the first place.

RELATED:

    If a couple wants their open relationship to work, they have to be able to talk clearly and honestly

    Couple lying in bed kissing closely, representing themes of boyfriend open relationship and relationship dynamics.

    Image credits: Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo)

    Because, as this story shows, things can get so messy, it can feel impossible to fix

    Text excerpt about a boyfriend who opens relationship but gets no dates, describing a 3-year healthy partnership.

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    Text excerpt describing a boyfriend opening the relationship but getting no dates while discussing dating other people.

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    Text about signing up on a dating app, exploring open relationship dynamics, and experiences with non-committal dating.

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    Text describing a boyfriend who opens the relationship but ends up with no dates due to misunderstandings and jealousy.

    A frustrated man sitting on a couch with hands on his head, reflecting on boyfriend opens relationship with no dates.

    Image credits: MKU018 / envato (not the actual photo)

    Text excerpt describing a boyfriend who opens the relationship but ends up with no dates as no one else is interested.

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    Text describing a person reflecting on their boyfriend opening the relationship but getting no dates and feeling conflicted.

    Image credits: throwawaypandaabear

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    Monogamy isn’t for everyone

    Some people find that they are happier in open or non-monogamous relationships, where they can have more than one romantic and/or sexual partner. A YouGov poll of more than 23,000 Americans discovered that a quarter (25%) of US adults would be interested in having an open relationship themselves.

    Men (32%) were more likely than women (19%) to say they would be interested in a non-monogamous relationship. This was also true among married couples: 30% of husbands would be interested, while fewer wives (21%) feel similarly.

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    Millennials were more likely than any other generation to express interest in having an open relationship, and by a notable margin, too. Four in ten (41%) Millennials would be interested, followed by Generation Z (29%), Generation X (23%), and Baby Boomers (12%).

    However, the overwhelming majority, or about two-thirds (68%) of Americans, said they would not be interested in having an open relationship.

    But it sounds like this woman’s boyfriend tried to manipulate the situation

    Image credits: Curated Lifestyle / unsplash (not the actual photo)

    John Kim, LMFT, who is also known as The Angry Therapist, thinks there is definitely a fantasy component to an open relationship.

    “The idea that you can connect sexually to someone outside of your relationship may sound like a lottery ticket, especially if you have been with the same person since college,” he writes.

    “Yes, it is completely natural and normal to desire and be attracted to other people. That doesn’t mean you want to build a relationship with them.”

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    According to The Angry Therapist, in some cases, it can even be a possible solution to re-spark your relationship or prevent infidelity.

    But for an open relationship to succeed, it requires a tremendous amount of trust in both yourself and your partner.

    “Two people have to not only be on the same page but must truly be honest with themselves,” he says. “They have to ask themselves if they have the ability, the inner capacity, to be completely okay with their partner having sex with others, to not just handle it but to not allow it to interfere with them loving their partner as much or even more with this new agreement. If you feel intimidated or less than because your partner experienced an orgasm with someone else, then you probably shouldn’t open your relationship.”

    And judging from the post, the Redditor’s boyfriend wasn’t ready for that. He was just selfishly thinking about what he could get out of it.

    People who read about their fight said the woman should just break up with her insecure boyfriend

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    Reddit conversation about boyfriend opens relationship but ends up getting no dates and causes emotional confusion and break up.

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    Online forum conversation about boyfriend opens relationship but gets no dates, with supportive and encouraging comments.

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    Comment comparing a boyfriend opening the relationship to a monkey swinging, advising to dump him without hesitation.

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    Text comment on a discussion forum, advising to break up with boyfriend after opening relationship but getting no dates.

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    Poll Question

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    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, Senior Writer

    Read more »

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Read less »
    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, Senior Writer

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    What do you think ?
    KatSaidWhat
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I only read this for the schadenfreude. Every time a guy wants this, they're already planning on cheating. And then it goes pear shaped and they come crying back. Meantime she is now dating others. And it ends in a break up. When will people learn to value what they have or break it up before putting them in a position like this.

    person (i think)
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have to say though…. I would rather this than sneaking around. I feel like it gives you more time to emotionally extract yourself

    Load More Replies...
    FreeTheUnicorn
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Break up. Open relationships require trust and communication, even more so than closed ones. Opening this one just exposed the issues that were already there

    The_Nicest_Misanthrope
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Same thing happens every time in these open relationships. Man wants it, thinking he's God's gift to women, then backtracks when he realises nobody wants to f**k him and acts like the woman is a s**t, inevitably ending up single and blue-balled. So satisfying.

    Load More Comments
    KatSaidWhat
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I only read this for the schadenfreude. Every time a guy wants this, they're already planning on cheating. And then it goes pear shaped and they come crying back. Meantime she is now dating others. And it ends in a break up. When will people learn to value what they have or break it up before putting them in a position like this.

    person (i think)
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have to say though…. I would rather this than sneaking around. I feel like it gives you more time to emotionally extract yourself

    Load More Replies...
    FreeTheUnicorn
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Break up. Open relationships require trust and communication, even more so than closed ones. Opening this one just exposed the issues that were already there

    The_Nicest_Misanthrope
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Same thing happens every time in these open relationships. Man wants it, thinking he's God's gift to women, then backtracks when he realises nobody wants to f**k him and acts like the woman is a s**t, inevitably ending up single and blue-balled. So satisfying.

    Load More Comments
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