Exactly. I have 4 kids. We would have loved to have a couple more.

My partner is 10 years younger than I am, and people frequently think we’re the same age, or that he’s the older one. He is distinctly Not. Amused. when they think he’s older than I am!

I took my 16 year old in for a haircut the other day. When he was done, the girl (she couldn’t have been more than 19 herself) called over and asked me if I wanted to see how my little brother’s new haircut looked. I almost did a happy dance right there.

There’s a story here...

Moral of the story: don’t skimp on the home inspection.

My first house was a tiny house from the 1920's that had been remodeled and added on to several times, so it was in 3 distinct sections. As a (20 year old) new homeowner, I had no clue what I was doing, and my husband was even worse, having lived in apartments his whole life.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh? :/

Speaking as someone who has been on and off benefits for a long time (low-income housing, Medicaid, and food stamps), it is nearly impossible to get ahead if you are receiving these benefits. If you make more money, you have to tell them within 10 days, and they lower your food stamps and raise your rent for the next…

This is a BIG part of poverty, especially in smaller towns. When the only available job is fast food or retail, and you don’t have a car to drive to the good jobs in the next big town, well... you raise your family on what little you can make in the crappy job you can get, and those fast food places and big box stores…

Sounds like a Republican, yeah.

As a poor person, I would like to applaud this comment.

As a mom of 4, 2 of whom are special needs... oh, boy, do I hear this! Keeping track of doctor/therapist/dentist/play group/food allergies/everything else nearly drove me to tears on occasion. I bless the person who added alarms and a calender to cell phones, because I never would have known what I was doing without…

I’ve done this and so have my partners. It’s not always as easy as it sounds. The problem is, you have to fit their parameters for physical health, and something as simple as having a slightly elevated heart rate or clotting a little too well can make them tell you that you can’t come back again.

As a total aside, can I just say that I love your username?!

“I meet a lot of cool people, and when I’m out living my life I never have to wonder whether I’m being ‘too flirty’ with another person and betraying my partner. It basically gives me the freedom to interact with people however I choose.”

In our case, it was me who had the jealousy problem and my husband who was a-ok with everything. I was very insecure for a long time, and I had to put a lot of effort into getting past it. I was terrified that he would leave me, even though I was the one doing most of the dating. Logical? Not at all. Real and painful?…

My husband has, on several occasions, had other guys confront him in just this manner. My other-husband has been congratulated on “gettin’ him some married pussy”. Once by the same person!

With respect to your last paragraph,  I’m reminded of my neighbour when I lived in low-income housing... She complained about “lazy welfare queens” and how people supposedly have kids just to keep getting that sweet, sweet gubmint money, and all the typical Republican nonsense (and she always voted straight…

What holds me back from running for office? 2 main things.

Thank you for this article. Being openly poly can be difficult, especially if you have kids. Nosy Nellies everywhere seem to think poly parents are awful, terrible people, but in reality, we’re no better or worse than any other group of people.