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Post by pinupdragonfly on Sept 3, 2014 5:32:49 GMT
This forum will be filled with questions about the challenges of parenting while poly. But I feel it's important to celebrate the wins in your family also. It may be something as seemingly small as a child choosing more affectionate terms for a newer or non biological partner or something as big as positive recognition from an outsider for the awesome job your family has been doing. Whatever it is, let's celebrate it! It'll help remind us of many of the reasons why poly parenting is beneficial.
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Post by Dani on Sept 3, 2014 16:58:59 GMT
That's a very good idea! Though there are many challenges with any family dynamic (polyamorous or monogamous), it's always important to keep in mind the positives
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Post by pauliamorous on Sept 5, 2014 2:56:42 GMT
Well, in the vein of good parenting I'll share a funny story about how I came out to my parents (or rather, how my parents found out). I had decided, after I realized I was in love with two people, that I didn't feel the need to hide my being polyamorous from my family. However from this family I inherited the inability to start any sentence with the words "oh, by the way...", so I was basically waiting for it to come up in conversation. Funny thing is, the only person who wanted to ask me about my dating life was my 11 year old cousin. When I was at my aunt and uncle's house for Thanksgiving she asked me if I had a girlfriend. Innocently, of course. At that age one has only just entered into the world of hormones and is trying to understand dating. I told her that I had two, but within earshot of her mother (my aunt). She was shocked, but I interpreted it as a surprised and not offended kind of shocked. And then came the only response you can expect from an 11 year old, "wait, so you're cheating on her?" I gave her a brief and age appropriate explanation about how I sometimes fall in love with more than one person at a time, and that both of them knew of each other and that was that. Except sometimes you know that's not where it ends. I could practically feel the room fill up with questions and curiosity that my aunt was too polite express out loud. Word got out to the rest of the family, as word often does, and not a single member of my family has treated me any different or made any comments about it at all. Well, except for a joke or two about me forming a harem, but older members of my family like to tease and aren't always politically correct in their jokes.
Anyways, the parenting win here is that we're a tight-knit family that really does believe love is more important than anything else. If any of my family members hold prejudice they keep it to themselves because familial love is more important.
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Post by pinupdragonfly on Sept 5, 2014 5:32:12 GMT
That is an excellent story. It gives me hope for coming out to my family when it's necessary.
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