DIARY OF A HOTWIFE

THREE MONTHS AGO, I WAS A SUBURBAN MOM IN A MONOGAMOUS RELATIONSHIP. NOW I'M SLEEPING WITH PEOPLE I MEET ONLINEWITH MY HUSBAND'S BLESSING-AND WE'VE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER. DON'T JUDGE US UNTIL YOU'VE READ OUR STORY

- JACQUI OAKLEY

I MET MY HUSBAND in high school and knew almost immediately that we were going to be together. We wanted the same things namely to get out of our small town and never look back-but we were different enough to keep things interesting.

He's calm and analytical. I'm emotional and empathetic. I know that lots of couples reflexively say their partner is their best friend, but in our case it's true. We don't have a large social network, and we don't want one. We've always been happiest in each other's company.

After moving to Toronto for work and school, we spent most of our 20s building our careers (me in mental health, him in finance). We wanted kids-lots of thembut we weren't ready to leave the city. We were living in a condo when we had our first child, then we upsized to a semi after our second. But, when I gave birth to our third, it was clear that we needed more space. It was time to move to the suburbs.

Surprisingly, life remained more or less the same. We barely had time to miss Toronto. I got pregnant again, then the pandemic hit. In lockdown with the kids and our menagerie of pets, we realized we couldn't keep up the pace of juggling a busy household and two careers. I earned a lot less money than my husband, so it made sense that I would put my work on hold.

Suddenly, instead of seeing clients and collaborating with colleagues, I was living solely for my family. My days became a relentless cycle of school pickup and dropoff, taking care of the animals, cleaning the house, prepping meals, homework, playtime, bathtime, bedtime.

Sometimes I'd catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and marvel at what an archetype I'd become-an avatar for stay-athome suburban moms. My long hair is perpetually pulled back in a messy bun.