Re- I Am Almost Sick Of Monotony

YOurissue makes me wonder if Romeo and Juliet had been able to run off and get married, whether he (or she) would be writing a similar letter 17 years later.

You two do have something very special. And if everyone were like both of you, there would be no need for the HPV vaccine.

But it is also understandable that given the prospect of having sex with only one person for the entirety of your life, no matter how delectable your partner or how deep your love, you might feel an intense desire to have a sexually profligate time, at least for a little while.

There are few who conduct themselves with more rectitude than the Amish. But even they understand that a lifetime of virtue can be hard to bear, and some allow their children a period of wildness called rumspringa.

During it, teenagers leave the community and wear fashionable clothes, drink, sand smoke, take drugs and have premarital sex. Once this is out of their system, the majority choose to return to the community and accept its restrictions.

You and your wife have such a good relationship that a few years ago, you were able to deal honestly with each other about the frustrations of committing so young. Since you don’t mention children (which would vastly complicate how you act on your desires), I will put that aside as a consideration.

I am against your unilaterally deciding to cheat, but given your internal struggle now, it is time for another painful discussion about your union.

Perhaps the prospect of proposing a temporary separation or experimenting with an open marriage will make you realise you don’t want to risk capsizing your relationship.

But if you continue to feel trapped and miserable, and she agrees to change the rules of your marriage, if only for a while, you two need to think hard about setting some boundaries for carrying this off, i.e., living apart and not dating people your spouse knows.