After my divorce I was dating approximately seven men. It helped a little that two were out of my state. But I never had to explain to any of them where I was, who I was with or even classify or qualify my relationships. There is no difference with women, unless you make a big fat deal out of the "status" of your relationship with them. Mentioning "open relationship" is a mistake, first of all. It translates into "Hi. You are now my new fuuck buddy, thank you very much." So why explain at all?
If you lead them to believe that your relationship is more than casual, then they have every right to expect
more than casual. That's how it works with men
or women. If you keep it clearly casual, there will be no ambiguity. Seeing someone several times a week is more than casual. Always seeing the same woman on busy date nights like Friday and Saturday may seem more than casual. Calling and emailing and texting frequently will seem like more than casual.
If you see a woman and she seems to get really clingy, really fast...you might have to explain that you are not interested in an LTR at the moment but enjoy the time you two spend together....etc.
But if you wish them to keep an open mind, you should keep one too. It's only fair: You may actually meet Miss Right the first time out.
Jennifer