Steve says that the communication demands were too much for them to handle. Yes, there is a big investment of time and energy up front when a married couple transitions to an open marriage. I imagine both are very busy people from what I see of their work, and they are raising two young children, so maybe they underestimated how much time and emotional energy would be required to accomplish what they intended. It's easy to do.
But that's not all of it. Steve writes that the poly path and the emotional intimacy and self-examination required along the way revealed truths that pointed them toward separating as the best course. So it sounds like polyamory didn't kill the marriage, it just revealed flaws and truths that now point them in different directions.
This is one of those situations that makes a good example of why I say that polyamory isn't for sissies. Not that the Pavlinas are sissies, certainly not. I mean that it's not for the faint of heart because growth does indeed happen, and sometimes with it, change that is unpredictable. Still, theirs is a good example of how polyamory can serve to further us on our paths to living an authentic life, even when that involves the pain of ending relationships in order to establish new relationships more suitable to who we are.
In any case, I wish Steve and Erin well as they continue to pursue their own paths to fulfillment and happiness.
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