Episode 22: Part 1: The Parental Unit

This week we have our first guests ever on the podcast, Elisa’s parents, Hartzell and Ramona! We had so much fun chatting with them that we turned it into a two part interview. We talk about what it was like for them as parents to learn that I had cheated on Mike and their thoughts and feelings as they watched us navigate our relationship and deciding to be Polyamorous.

Specific topics include:

• How Elisa’s parent’s (The Parental Unit) felt about Mike when they first met him.

• The Parental Unit’s reaction when they learned Elisa had cheated on Mike.

• The Parental Unit’s initial thoughts about Elisa and Mike being Polyamorous which was mostly negative.

• The difficulties of marriage in general and how most end in divorce.

• Polyamory and Monogamy both have their pitfalls and bright sides. They are two sides of the same coin and there is no right or wrong.

• The Parental Unit slowly started to change their minds about polyamory as they watched us work on creating rules and boundaries for our relationship.

• History of marriage, different kinds of marriages and how they each have pitfalls but can also be very successful.

• They keys to make any kind of relationship successful: communication, honesty, and boundaries.

• Hartzell compares learning that we are polyamorous to how other parent’s must feel when they learn their child is LGTBQ+

• Elisa finally started dating and it all became real. The Parental Unit’s were pleasantly surprised with how it all worked out.

• Is polyamory a choice? Or is it inherent? Is monogamy inherent? Or is monogamy a choice?