Purr! I’m glad I’m not alone.

Yingtai, I’m the same way. The authority/power relationship is always in place, and that’s how we want and need it. That does not exclude communication about uncomfortable topics or even complaints, but always still respectful and even deferential

Thank you for reminding readers of this possibility. Setting aside time to check in with each other in a power-neutral way is often recommended, so I’m guessing it works really well for a lot of people. I must be the odd one out. :) If I feel like Person X has authority over me, then it is always hard to tell them things they might not like to hear, but I literally don’t know how to do it in a power-neutral way. I can prostrate myself or brat, but polite vanilla doesn’t seem to be an option that’s available to me in those relationships. But definitely everyone should do whatever works best for them!

But I figured I’d chip in my two cents on another communication option in a power exchange relationship. :)