Jen, I so appreciate you sharing your story. Beautifully articulated. I relate deeply:
- "I just knew that I had a lot of years ahead of me, and I felt grief for the aspects of life and parts of me that felt inaccessible."
- "I am so pleased to say that I, and my husband, have both been able to flourish as people AND as a couple, by expanding our views and openly relating with other partners."
- "I hope [my son] recognizes that parents and spouses (particularly mothers) are more than just those titles — they are whole people, and he can offer that same gift to himself and his spouse, should he have one. I have faith that in the end, he will find value in this challenge."
It's that amazing line, isn't it? "I just knew that I had a lot of years ahead of me, and I felt grief for the aspects of life and parts of me that felt inaccessible." Thank you Lelia for commenting and for shining a light on Jen's honesty!
I have to believe this conversation is the most relatable and so many monogamous couples would benefit from it- ‘I felt grief for the aspects of life and parts of me that felt inaccessible’ combined with wanting the marriage combined with the feelings of guilt. I have been there and tried to articulate the same without success. Kudos to you and your husband for growing together towards your individual truths and desires 💜
"Relatable" is the word that keeps coming up again and again with this one! Thank you for writing so thoughtfully here Ash, I couldn't agree more about Jen's words and the way she captures this very human feeling.
I loved this interview! I related to so much of it, especially this line about her favorite thing about being non-monogamous: “The expansion. The ability to meet myself again and again by allowing myself to experience all that the universe brings to me, that's meant for me.”
Right!! "The ability to meet myself again and again" got me too, and reminds me of this thing I heard of a long time ago: self-expansion theory. (There's even a Wikipedia entry on it- I just Googled!) Thanks so much for joining the convo, Kelsey!
Beautiful interview!! I’m so glad you shared your story, Jen!
Thank YOU for giving me the strength to, Molly!
Thanks Molly!!!
Another phenomenal interview, Tolly! Thank you.
Jen, I so appreciate you sharing your story. Beautifully articulated. I relate deeply:
- "I just knew that I had a lot of years ahead of me, and I felt grief for the aspects of life and parts of me that felt inaccessible."
- "I am so pleased to say that I, and my husband, have both been able to flourish as people AND as a couple, by expanding our views and openly relating with other partners."
- "I hope [my son] recognizes that parents and spouses (particularly mothers) are more than just those titles — they are whole people, and he can offer that same gift to himself and his spouse, should he have one. I have faith that in the end, he will find value in this challenge."
It's that amazing line, isn't it? "I just knew that I had a lot of years ahead of me, and I felt grief for the aspects of life and parts of me that felt inaccessible." Thank you Lelia for commenting and for shining a light on Jen's honesty!
Thank you so much, Lelia!
I have to believe this conversation is the most relatable and so many monogamous couples would benefit from it- ‘I felt grief for the aspects of life and parts of me that felt inaccessible’ combined with wanting the marriage combined with the feelings of guilt. I have been there and tried to articulate the same without success. Kudos to you and your husband for growing together towards your individual truths and desires 💜
"Relatable" is the word that keeps coming up again and again with this one! Thank you for writing so thoughtfully here Ash, I couldn't agree more about Jen's words and the way she captures this very human feeling.
Thank you, Ashley. Your writing is incredible.
That means the most. Thank you so much, Jen 💕
I loved this interview! I related to so much of it, especially this line about her favorite thing about being non-monogamous: “The expansion. The ability to meet myself again and again by allowing myself to experience all that the universe brings to me, that's meant for me.”
Right!! "The ability to meet myself again and again" got me too, and reminds me of this thing I heard of a long time ago: self-expansion theory. (There's even a Wikipedia entry on it- I just Googled!) Thanks so much for joining the convo, Kelsey!
Same -- I'll have to check that theory out :)
Another wonderful Q&A and such relatable responses! I enjoyed this piece so much 😊
Thank you Tanya! In so many ways, your Q&A set the tone for these interviews. I appreciate you more than you know!