[Mac]

Treat your spouse the way you would want to be treated. I know this sounds like a bunch of hoopla with religious overtones like christ would preach but this is the success to a happy relationship.

cheating is when you do something that makes your partner feel "cheated" out on. You're time, your attention, your emotional physical and spiritual availabilities.

when you are in a relationship be it a swinger or monogomous, there are various boundaries that are predefined or otherwise an unwritten rule of thumb we go by. Would you be offended if your partner watched porn alone? or with you?
Would you be offended if your partner was chatting on line with other women / men?
Wouldn't you be offended if your trust and boundaries were breeched?

once you break someone's trust and "cheat" them of their time, attention, emotional, physical, or spiritual needs then that is defined as cheating.

Think about it for a few minutes and you will see how that falls into play. Regardless of the relationship boundaries (monogomous, swingers, open, etc) there are different rule sets for different relationships but the same will always remain the standard. What is acceptable and what is not in your individual relationships.

Sometimes swingers allow multiple partners, dates, and sex clubs etc. But if the partner in question goes beyond their boundaries such as a date or sex with another partner without following the rule sets such as... spouse knows about it first, or meets the person etc, whatever it may be. The trust has been compromised and it is there for "cheating."

In a monogomous relationship this is already defined usually as you and your partner are only available for each other. When online relationships begin to develop or porn is becoming a issue, or even an affair... all those things break the trust and go outside of the predefined boundaries and is thus considered "cheating" by the other partner in the relationship. Basically what I'm saying is "cheating" is not rocket science. Generally speaking you will already "know" what cheating is because your relationship has those set boundaries. If not then the communication of the needs and wants was not present and even if miscommunicated the relationship was in trouble before it began.

Breach of contract is what I like to call it. The boundaries were set, and the trust was broken. Whatever those boundaries were.... the fact remains that "cheating" was determined by breaching and breaking your partners trust and "cheating" them of their time, attention, emotional, physical, or spiritual needs otherwise reserved for them and not what was allowed to be given to someone else.

That's my buck fifty response about cheating, I hope it serves you well