This is Leo. He fell in love with Mary.
Then they fell in love with Kim.
When this couple became a thropple,
not everything was plain sailing.
Mary: I was absolutely terrified of the situation.
With people being quick to judge their unconventional relationship.
Kim: If you want to hide behind a computer and
say negative things about people you don't know that's on you.
Can this poly family convince everyone,
that the positives outweigh the negatives?
Mary's mother: Well, when you guys first got together,
I thought you were all crazy. I thought it would affect kids.
Mary: You brush your teeth I’ll brush your hair.
Lionel: Yeah. Kim: Wipe up your mess bud.
I met Leo when I was 13.
Lionel: We went to a dance and I think I asked her out,
probably like seven times.
Before I got her to go out on a date with me.
Mary: We got married when I was 17.
When high school sweethearts, Mary and Leo got together in their teens,
they wouldn't have predicted the direction their relationship was headed.
Mary: We all have been together since I was 13.
And so I didn't. I don't think I like experienced a ton of things.
When I was younger, I remember at one point time telling my mom
that I was bisexual and my mom was like, no,
you're just bi-curious.
16 years and two children later, newly single mother of two,
Kim joined Leo's CrossFit gym and everything began to change.
Kim: So I was in a nine year relationship with my kids’ dads,
before I started going to CrossFit.
And by going to CrossFit, I got more of a social life.
And then I met Mary and Leo, there at the gym.
Lionel: Turn sideways, guys, right side shuffle,
don't cross your feet bend the knees, bend the knees.
Kim: Leo and I would chat a lot in the mornings after I would
get ready for work after working out.
Lionel: Arm circles forward for five.
Kim and I we sparked a friendship at the gym
and it was just kind of one of those relationships that,
that just kind of sparked into the more than a friendship you know.
Kim: I didn't have a lot of encounters with Mary,
until I started like hanging out with them at their parties.
For Leo and Mary navigating themselves,
into a three person relationship wasn't easy.
Mary: Well, I knew that Leo was like chatting with Kim
and I was terrified because I just assumed
that she was solely going to be attracted my husband.
Her and I had a conversation and
she kind of reassured me that we were going to take a stab at this,
you know, all three of us.
It really helped me feel a lot more comfortable
with her and the intentions and, you know,
believe that like, okay, this could actually work.
Lionel: There’s Paul all that orange and you’re going to Joe.
Mary: It felt like we were jumping both feet in
and going to try and live and survive and not have like a map of how to do this.
Matt: At first I thought it was different.
And now I just take it for granted like like any other relationship.
Megan: I personally I don't need that kind of relationship in my life.
I can tell it brings a lot of happiness to their lives, love always does.
At home there were further areas that needed joining up.
Kim: This is my spot over here. This is where Leo sleeps and Mary sleeps here.
Sometimes we rotate, we change it up a little bit.
Lionel: Yeah depends on how I sleep because I hate sleeping in the middle.
Just because I have bad shoulders.
Kim: I've tried talking them into getting that 12 foot bed.
But they have the argument that we'd probably never actually disperse.
We’d just end up in one corner all squished together.
Lionel: Yeah that’s exactly what … Kim: Because we're very much we like
to cuddle and feel each other and Lionel: Yeah.
Kim: And that kind of thing so.
And with three people vying for each other's love,
it's not surprising there have been instances of jealousy between them.
Kim: We have experienced sexual jealousy,
but it's not just sexual jealousy.
There's just jealousy in general.
Lionel: At the beginning, it was kind of a weird thing because it was
the jealousy was on my part because they were really close to each other.
And I didn't know how to deal with it when I told them
“hey look, this is not what I signed up for.
I didn't think this was going to be it.”
It made me feel like one I was losing my wife at first,
two I didn't have a girlfriend because they were hanging out all the time.
You guys go back Thursday.
Mary: You know Monday, everything was a trial and error.
We're only getting better.
Kim: We've learned that communicating is the best option for us.
Mary: Naturally like I prefer to do the majority of the cooking
and Kim prefers to do the majority of the cleaning.
Lionel: And I just do the majority of like the guy stuff.
The thropple have four children at home with them;
Mary and Leo, son and daughter and Kim's two sons from her previous relationship.
They've been open about their families set up online,
but this has brought them in the firing line for some additional judgment.
Lionel: There's going to be people who judge us
just because it's not the normal right.
But guess what people are starting to do things that are not the normal.
Kim: The majority of it comes from online.
And if you want to hide behind a computer and
say negative things about people you don't know, that's on you.
Lionel: Or a black one, remember if you have a black one.
Child: Blue again?
Mary: I think that was the hardest part for me was to deal with people saying,
that we're going to mess up our kids.
Our kids obviously means so much to us.
We're trying to teach our kids to be open and to love who you want.
And not have to hide anything.
Keagan: I like it better having three parents
because you also have more people to talk to.
Boy: You’re just going to lose. Girl: Here Carson.
Today, some family members are coming over
to visit the thropple and their extended family.
Mary: Lionel’s mum was like the last one to officially know,
I think he was just nervous to tell her.
Lionel: My mom's not dumb.
She knew like that we were having something going on.
But I ... Mary: I don’t think she
realized what it was. Lionel: We're more of a traditional
family. Right so my mom,
like I didn't want to sit down and have that conversation with her,
unless she wanted to.
[Family chattering with each other]
Andrew was there [Inaudible] another kid.
You were a little far with us like [Inaudible]
Oh no Tyler is not coming so. What?
Mary’s mother: Well when you guys first got together I thought
you were all crazy.
Lionel: Got it from my parents. Mary’s mother: I thought this was never
going to work.
This is never going to work because there's going to be jealousies,
there's going to be fighting all this stuff,
so honestly never thought it would work.
Man: Why would you want two? Those two crazy ones?
Mary’s mother: I thought it would affect the kids,
but it doesn't seem to be weird.
I mean all four of them still when I come in grandma, grandma, you know.
Lionel’s mother: They happy, I'm happy
Mary’s mother: There you go. That's the main thing.
That's the main thing. Lionel’s mother: Yeah.
Lionel: I don't have to hide myself and
who I am with my wife or my girlfriend.
They know that I love two different women.
Where there's other men and women that,
cheat on their spouses because they're not happy.
Despite having to overcome jealousies and judgment,
Mary, Leo and Kim have plenty of positives,
keeping that relationship going.
Lionel: The the connection that we have, the three of us have,
is genuine love, you can just tell right?
Mary: We just enjoy three people instead of two.