Kids and Polyamory

So, you raise your kids around this?  What are you thinking!  This is a question that comes up more often than not in regards to how my own family works as well as some dear friends.  How can you raise children around an alternative relationship setting?   I can only speak of my own experiences and perspectives, but much thought and reflection go into every person we introduce to our family.  Our approach is similar to how divorcee’s approach dating and bring new people into their children’s lives.  If the relationship is a fun, once in a while thing, this person is treated as a family friend and may come to barbeques or other casual events.  Affection is kept at a minimum to prevent any misunderstandings or concerns from children.  If a relationship progresses, displays of affection are modified to match the seriousness of the relationship.  Outside of my own household (3 core adults), we do not use nick names for parent figures.  This may change if the right individual comes along, but at this time, this is how it works.  Our children are growing up in this setting, so it will always be normal to them.  Future challenges we are taking into considerations, and welcome positive perspectives on, include addressing our children’s friends families (such as a party or sleep over) and legal considerations (guardianship, medical power of attorney, etc).  We are lucky to have a quality school experience where no one asks questions, and in my experience, caring adults are always a plus in any child’s life.  I do wonder about the day my children realize they are in a non-traditional family, but at this time, we continue to live, laugh, and love as any other family does.