Raising the Village: Building Nonmonogamous Families as Parents

Can kids handle knowing their parents are nonmonogamous? How “out” can you be in your life if you have kids, and what are the risks? What does co-parenting look like in a consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) framework? Nonmonogamy has plenty of challenges when it’s adults without children; navigating it while building a family can feel totally overwhelming!

Using data from her 25+ year study of polyamorous families with children, nonmonogamy coach and expert Dr. Eli Sheff shows how growing up with parents who are involved in CNM relationships can impact children. This workshop explores if, when, and how to come out to kids about CNM, how to manage interactions with families of origin, and what to say at school or in kids’ peer groups. You’ll learn:

• What the research actually says about CNM families
• What the advantages and disadvantages are that come with an expanded CNM family, and what strategies have worked for others
• How and when parents should talk to their kids about being in a CNM relationship
• How to manage information about being in a CNM relationship with kids’ schools, activities, and friends as well as your own friends and extended family
• Some of the legal issues facing families with parents in CNM relationships

This workshop welcomes and includes people who are already parents, already actively practicing CNM, and people who are still considering one or both of those things. It’s inclusive of gender, orientation, and neurotypes. Register now to make a lasting investment in the happy, well-adjusted, if unconventional family you’ve longing to create!

There will be a Q&A discussion period with a method for submitting questions or experiences anonymously. This class is virtual and will be recorded, with the link to the recording provided to all registrants. Sliding scale tiers are available, and you may also inquire about sliding scale accommodations at [email protected]. Don’t forget to check out Dr. Eli’s other Practical Polyamory workshops this fall, and make sure to join our mailing list for workshop announcements, Ask a Sexpert, and free sexual and mental wellness resources!

Dr. Eli Sheff is the foremost academic expert on polyamorous families with children, and has more than 25 years’ experience researching consensual nonmonogamies. Dr. Eli has a PhD in sociology and is a Certified Sexuality Educator who has written four books and 30+ academic articles on CNM and BDSM/kinky sex. She serves as a relationship coach, educator, and expert witness. She has appeared on hundreds of podcasts, television shows, and media interviews with outlets from NPR, National Geographic, and the New York Times, to Cosmopolitan and Savage Love. Dr. Eli blogs for Psychology Today and always wants to make friends with dogs.

The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.