I am also the jealous type so a poly relationship would never be for me (although I am involved with a married man and I have always said I would never do that either, so...). For the people who want it, & like it - I have no problem with a poly household, even if those households don't endure. How many marriages last these days? Add in to that the fact that none of us are static beings, as we grow, we change and so do our needs. So for some, poly may be perfect at a certain time in their life and no longer work at other times.

I admit that I also wonder about the love in those relationships. There are many people that I love, but as gem says only one I have been "in love" with. I can't imagine being able to interact with more than one person at a time at that intensity and depth. Maybe it is because I am very introverted, so I tend to have relationships/friendships with just a few people. It is not that I don't like others or am a snob, but I can only emotionally handle the depth of relationship that I feel with a few people at a time. Maybe extroverts who are energized by interactions with many people have an easier time being poly, because they don't interact in such depth. This is not meant to belittle of demean their relationships - they are just different and have different needs and sources of satisfaction.

The poly households I have observed seem more like families than spouses. (Now I have to admit that I have never personally known anyone in a poly relationship so my observations may not be based in any reality.) Yes, family members love one another, but the love I hold for a sister, or brother, is not the same as the love I hold for a spouse. Again, not better or worse, just different. However, for myself and my partner, I want the love that exists between spouses.