Trying to explain the benefits of an open relationship to a parent...

.. is like trying to explain that Jesus was just a pot smoking hippie to a born-again Christian. It's IMPOSSIBLE.

My date, from the other night, and I who are seemingly in an "open relationship" talked about trying to explain to our respective parental figures how it it beneficial. My mother was positively unreceptive, to say the very least, and his dad, being a guy and a bit more open minded, was only a tad more accepting to the idea. I've been dating said-guy for one-and-a-half or two months now, and I've known from the start that he's been all-about open relationships and it has not bothered me one bit. We talk about the people we date outside of each other and we know that we're seeing each other because we want to and not because of aforementioned rules.

Now, this is my first time trying one of these out and I'm still not totally sure they're for me, but I'm exploring and trying something new. But for right now, I'm not closing off my options and it's working out. I'm getting-to-know two fantastic gentlemen.

My mother said to me on the phone, "how would you feel if you knew one of them was seeing someone else as well?" I didn't have the heart to tell her I already did, and it doesn't bother me at all!

My mother used the defense, "because it's not normal!" which is completely ridiculous to me because what's normal for one person might not be normal for another. Normality is conformity, and don't they encourage us as kids NOT to conform? And just because something isn't normal doesn't mean it's not good.