Many couples who've been together for many years will often look for a way to "spice up" their relationship.
Worried that their relationship has or is getting stale, they look for ways to reignite the flame that lit the fire when they first met.
One idea which is becoming more and more common among couples is to open their relationship up.
Allowing each other to see and have fun with other people, while remaining committed to one another.
For some, this proves just the ticket, as it opens up communication between the two of them, while also letting them meet new people and explore areas they hadn't with their partner.
For others, however, the very notion is a firm no, and the suggestion might even put their relationship in worse jeopardy than it was already in.
Redditor SuchShopping3828 was curious to hear how people would react if their spouses or significant others suggested opening their relationship, leading them to ask:
"Guys & girls, what would be your response if your partner propose open relationship?"
That Ship Has Sailed...
“'Why would you wait a quarter century to suggest this?''
"'Nobody else wants to sleep with us now'."
''Stop it'.”- AtLaw
Did You Have Someone In mind?
"Ask them who they want to f*ck."
"Unfortunately, this has happened to me before."
"Should have ended it there, but I dragged it out a bit longer."- Bobisburnsred
The Door Is That Way
"You are open to leave."- brianmmf
Bye Bye Goodbye GIF by Jimmy ArcaThose Vows Were Not Made In Vain
"My wife has a lot of medical issues, and at one point sex wasn't really an option."
"She told me that I could have an open relationship on my end if I wanted."
"My response was an immediate no."
"I'm married to her."
"I love her."
"There isn't anyone else in this world I'd rather be with than her, and that I would wait as long as she needed or indefinitely if that was the case."
"I am with her, not her vagina."- WardedDruid
Why? Just... Why?
"Cry."- Lil_CupNoodles
Not For Us
"I once asked what my spouse thought of 'open marriages'."
"Yeah... neither of us like that idea."
"It's just not my idea of a good relationship at all."
"I am a one woman guy and always will be."
"If they would like any other man, or men than they can have them, just count me out of it."
"I couldn't ever fathom that."- My_Space_page
Season 9 No GIF by The OfficeGiphyBuh-Bye!
“'Aiiight, imma head out'.”- SunburntGemz
Close, But No Cigar
"I suggested it to my Partner a while back."
"He has a very high sex drive, the medication I need to be on has lowered mine considerably."
"I wanted him to not resent me because I just didn't want sex very much anymore."
"We very much thought about it, even to the point of making up rules and setting standards."
"In the end he came to me and said he didn't want to do it."- bambiisher
That's A Dealbreaker...
"That would be the end of it for me."
"I can totally respect that being how someone wants to live their life, but that isn’t for me."- TapReasonable2678
30 Rock Dealbreaker GIFGiphyUh-Oh...
"Weren’t we already in one?"- St_Vincent-Adultman
Is It Me?
"Probably break it off."
"I understand that monogamy isn't for everyone and I'm not gonna force it on anyone, but personally I'm not interested in an open marriage, and if my husband wanted one, the marriage might be too far gone."
"Even if he's okay staying monogamous, I may spend the rest of the marriage stressing over whether I'm enough, and wondering if he's getting what he wants behind my back."
"If his needs aren't being met, I'd want to have that conversation long before it gets to the point where an open marriage even crosses his mind."- VisualCelery
The End
"I would terminate our relationship, whether it's breaking up or divorce."
"Saves the both of us a whole lot of heartache and drama."- tadadesae
High School Love GIFGiphyBeen There, Done That.
"Tried it once."
"Destroyed the relationship."
"Automatic no from me from now on."- aregularguy92
Seriously? NOW?
"My daughters dad tried this and then proceeded to give me an ultimatum."
"I was about 10 months post partum and my libido hadn't really recovered yet, not to mention I was at the PEAK of my PPD."
"It wasn't a totally dead bedroom but not nearly as often as we used to."
"He kept asking me for a threesome which was great timing considering my self-esteem was already at an all-time low."
"So naturally I refused and told him to never ask me again."
"He then said he either needs an open relationship to satisfy his needs or he wanted to break up."
"Soooo I told him he's not getting my permission to cheat on me and we're done."
"We still lived together for a few months for financial reasons but from that point on we were roommates and coparents."
"He STILL gives surprised pikachu face at the fact I'm cold to him."- Ok_Shame_8377
Some people can compartmentalize love, commitment, and sex, allowing them the ability to make open relationships work.
For others, it's a packaged deal, and the only thing that should be open in their relationship is their feelings.
Redditor Nicole9391 wanted to hear about all of the things that send people running when they say hello for the first time, so they asked:
"What is an INSTANT turn off?"
I am always immediately turned off by people who don't listen.
Shut Up!
Fuck You Season 4 GIF by FriendsGiphy"When someone talks bad about their friends."
MarcelineVampQn
"Don’t talk about anyone behind their backs. If you are curious about something that’s okay but don’t say bad things about anyone even if you don’t like them."
wondafresh
'yeahyeahyeah'
"When someone asks you a question and you respond, they interrupt with 'yeahyeahyeah' and continue with their thought without taking anything you've just said into consideration."
"Why do people have a problem with just shutting the hell up and just listening for a second? Is your attention span that short?"
SuumCuique1011
"This is me, but because I have extremely short memory retention and cannot hold a thought for more than 10 seconds. I’m a great listener, but when I want to say something, I NEED to say it and quickly otherwise I’ll lose it and feel annoyed at myself for a few hours till I remember a week later."
DepressedPotato--
Economics
"Thinking people are below them. Not because of character or anything but individuals who just base their judgment on someone's socio economic situation etc. It's a big freaking turn off."
"Don't judge someone based on how much money they have, where they live etc. Judge them based on character."
"So yeah, definitely a**holes are a turn off lol."
TheTorontoExplorer
Be the Change
"Unwillingness to learn or change. Intellectually or emotionally, people who cannot admit that they are wrong or don't know something. And by extension, making sh*t up because they can't say 'I don't know.'"
DifferentShallot8658
"I can’t stand know-it-alls! Especially when you are more knowledgeable/qualified on a topic and nicely explain to them the facts and they brush you off!!! Haughty little sh*ts."
Affectionate-Car-317
Clean Up Corona GIF by Music ChoiceIf you can't have clean undies, just have none.
The Sign
Signs Zodiac GIF by HysteriaGiphy"A 'it’s because of my zodiac' woman."
"Yeah I remember once my friend was trying to guess my Zodiac (I’m an Aries) she swore I was a Leo I said no. Capricorn? No. Oh oh! Sagittarius! I was like yeah! She said I KNEW IT! (With a brief explanation) then I was like nah I'm An Aries.🤣🤣🤣"
JustXTE
Be Open
"Closed-minded people. Which there are a lot of. If you can’t have a nuanced discussion with someone then how can you connect with people? Being able to humor ideas and thoughts intellectually without being overly judge mental is a big turn on. And that doesn’t have to be someone who’s open minded about politics. I appreciate people who let conversations flow despite not sharing all the same opinions."
D_Ubird
Bad Mouth
"Really bad or unclean teeth for me. Once met a really cute girl at a dark bar/club and we went for food after. In the well lit restaurant she looked even better until she smiled and in the light I could see that her teeth were a sickly gray color with a weird film of gunk all over and stuff in the cracks of her teeth as well."
"Literally reminded me of the orcs from LOTR. Pretty sure it was either from bad dental hygiene or drug use, or both but I instantly felt nauseous. A few crooked teeth is normal but when your mouth looks like an anglerfish I'm out."
thestrandedmoose
Don't Breathe
"Poor hygiene in situations where you really shouldn't be displaying it. Sure, we all fart into our sweatpants and occasionally forget to brush the grease out of our hair at home, but going out and public and being gross is, well, gross."
agent-a**butt
Hell No!
No No No GIFGiphy"Smoking cigarettes Or just being rude for no reason. I don’t mind saying something slightly rude to be a joke and maybe it just isn’t funny. But if they are just rude for rudeness sake. Automatic no."
Zordon56
Just Flow
"Not having their own opinion always going with the flow Like I understand sometimes but always going with flow might just make you a boring person."
nahhomi
"I'm a go with the flow kind of person because I like very few things, dislike only a handful of things, and everything else I'm just indifferent towards. It's hard to have an actual opinion comparing two things you couldn't be bothered to care about one way or another."
"When I do have a preference, sure I'll put my two cents in, but I don't see the point when I don't care."
ShortManRob
What have we learned?
First impressions are everything!
Anything you'd like to add to the list? Let us know in the comment below.
Curious to hear from strangers online about their developmental growth, Redditor 1234kyou_ asked:
"What did you swear in your childhood you would never do, but ended up doing anyways?"
Some hobbies that delighted us as kids never really go away as these Redditors have experienced.
The "Bird Creep"
"Birdwatching. I used to think it was the lamest way someone could spend their time when I was a kid. How could anyone just sit around and look at birds? What are you, some kind of bird creep? ... 20 years later and I'm obsessed with birds. Love hearing their songs and seeing all the beautiful colors."
– Koala-teas
Unfilled Dream
"Give up drawing."
"I actually broke my own heart when I recently found a school project we did back when I was a kid. We had to write a letter for our future selves and mine starts with: 'Hey, did you become an artist already? I really hope you did not become a boring adult with a boring job who gave up on his dreams and passions.'"
"Well, sorry little me, but I kinda did."
– Aesma_
Tending To One's Garden
"Gardening. We had a large garden. We raised and preserved what we grew. It was me and my sister's job to care for this garden. This was back when whipping your child was acceptable punishment. I was whipped sooo many times, because I hated that I had to grew and preserved vegetables I did not like. I hated it! Swore I'd never have a garden. Never do THAT to my kids. Then I had kids. A switch flipped in my head. I had to have a garden! I never made my kids take care of it. Gardening was my 'me' time. But being little kids, they wanted to be with mom and 'help' with the garden. I 'gave' them an area and they were allowed to grow whatever they wanted. If it was a fruit or vegetables , they had to eat it. As a result, they both love gardening and neither are picky eaters."
– Eogh21
When it comes to keeping it in the family, it's not always the goal.
Like Father...
"I have become my father."
– jer1303
Like Mother...
"I have become my mom.... even the voice is similar."
– rogue1206
Dad's Cynicism
"I've taken on a lot more of my dad's cynicism than I would like, but mostly I have my mom's wonder and carefreeness."
"But my dad is rich and mom is poor."
"He does not share the wealth he just shares 'you should've done X like this'. But his advice is the level of 'tear down the sign punch them in the face and say you're looking at your new employee'. I've also never heard a single dad joke from him."
– BugTester350
Posthumous Disapproval
"When I was touring houses to buy before the pandemic, my mother's spirit must have possessed me because I opened my mouth and her voice said 'i don't know, i don't think I could live in a house without both a coat closet and a linen closet.'"
– TJtherock
Adulting is hard.
The Financial Hole
"Get into debt I can't pay off."
– lilviviv
Potty-Mouth
"I said I wouldn’t curse unless a nuke was dropped on my house. That was a f'king lie."
– -notjosh-
Can't Wait, Don't Hate
"Have sex before marriage. Thank f'k I never made good on that one since I'm 41 and have never been married."
– squid1891
I'm a pretty fussy eater. Always have been.
I grew up in a Japanese family where regularly eating natto was a thing.
Natto is a Japanese dish made from Bacillus subtilis-fermented soybeans. It's known to have magical health benefits but the smell is overwhelmingly powerful, and the nutty taste leaves little to be desired.
Many people not used to eating exotic foods can't stand the flavor and slimy, sticky texture–let alone the pungent aroma.
I swore as a child that would be the one food I would never eat again after having a bad experience.
And yet, here I am as an adult, eating it for breakfast 2-3 times a week after truly understanding the health benefits.
Natto–which is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals– helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels, reduces blood pressure, and can prevent heart disease. Some studies have suggested it can prevent certain cancers.
Once I trained myself to get used to flavor and smell, I actually crave it now.
It's definitely an acquired taste, but it's crazy to know that we are all capable of liking or appreciating something previously thought of as repulsive once we set our mind to it.