Call me crazy, but relationships between two people are already pretty complicated.
It's hard to imagine that adding a third person into the mix would be any better, especially when there are children involved.
But a family from Texas say they're not only happy, but thriving as a "throuple" - that's a trio of parents, in this case one man and two women.
Three's Company
Adam Lyons lives with his girlfriends Brooke Shedd and Jane Shalakhova.
Each of the women has a son with Lyons, and Shedd is expecting her second child.
Despite their unusual relationship, the three parents say they're "just like any other family," and their children have learned to call both parents "mom."
And yes, the trio share a king-sized bed, but they're happy to say that with two kids to look after and a third on the way, sex is the last thing on their minds.
Boy Meets Girl, And Girl
Lyons met Shedd first, but the couple decided to "open up" their relationship.
While it may seem strange to the rest of us, the three parents say the unusual arrangement is fulfilling in more ways than one.
"I have a relationship with Adam, I have a relationship with Jane. And the three of us have a relationship together," Shedd said in an interview with Today.
"They each provide things for me in the relationship that the other one can't and I think that's why it is so fulfilling."
Shalakhova says that the "throuple" never feel lonely, and managing the kids is a breeze with an extra set of hands, but admits the parents do get jealous of each other.
But again, sex isn't a hot button issue for the trio.
"Jealousy tends to be more around that 'they are going to that restaurant I really want to go to.'"
While these three seem perfectly happy, other parents have a lot to say about this relationship.
Highs and Lows
While the parents are very upbeat about their relationship in interviews, Lyons admits co-parenting with two other people "definitely" has its challenges.
"There are definitely moments where I'm like I'm going outside, I'm going to be downstairs for five minutes on my own, I need a breather from the situation," he revealed.
The trio also homeschool their children, but think the relationship has a mostly positive effect on their young boys.
"Our kids are also more well-rounded, I think, because there are three different styles of parenting that they deal with every day," Shedd explained.
"All of our kids have strict parents and loving parents and cuddly parents and wrestling parents at different times."
But some people are voicing concerns about the relationship.
Different Strokes
One commenter wrote that "this is immoral what you are teaching and promoting."
"This is SICK!" another posted on an interview with the trio. "Can you believe they are clapping at this?"
In spite of the backlash, the "throuple" say they're just like "normal" parents, but with a few more people to share the chores.
And they're not ready to rule out adding even more people to the relationship yet.
"[But] the more people you add to a relationship the more complicated that element gets," Brooke said.
True enough.
What do you make of this unusual family?
[H/T: Mirror, Today, NY Daily News]