Judgement.

Of the small group of friends who know about my relationship woes, there's a wide spectrum of judgement on the situation and corresponding advice. 

"Bastard. Leave him and make him pay out the ass for child support."

"He's a nice guy and he doesn't beat you. What else do you think you're going to get with a kid?"

"Find someone else who'll make you happy. That'll teach him a lesson." (This is the common response.)

"Why create a broken home because you have unrealistic expectations?" (This friend is a hardcore Catholic.) 

I'm a grown woman. I don't need anyone to give me the answers, but it's fascinating to hear what woman in my age group think of unhappiness in marriage. Seems to be divided mainly into two groups - revenge or forbearance. Why does it have to be so black and white? I wish he'd agree to opening up our relationship, but I KNOW he wouldn't go for that and I'm not sure it would even work. I'd dated a few girls prior to marriage and I know that I'm not done exploring that. I have a long list of fantasies that I plan on fulfilling - some of them simple, some of them a little more difficult to pull off - but none of them mesh with the status quo in place right now. *sigh* And on the other hand, how can I so irrevocably change my family life without huge repercussions? How can I punish a child for my selfish wants? And yet.. Things can't continue as they are. It's a maze my mind runs in hundreds of times a day. 

Is an affair the answer? Or would I be making a bad situation worse? I wish I knew the answer.