what women think about sex | The Whole Parent

Okay so let's crush a few of the stereotypes. Or, are we talking about college boys (men) here? Let's quickly scan the list and see what pops out for debate. Frequent and strong sexual desire and thoughts should be natural and normal for all people in long-term relationships. (Boy: Yep. / Man: Not by a long shot.) Most married couples are having sex at least three times a week, if not more. (Boy, never been married: YES. / Man: married twice, divorced twice: um, yeah, next myth.) Women go into sex expecting and wanting the focus to be on their pleasure. (Boy: That's where the focus should be, right? / Man: hyper-focus on anyone is a turn-off, let's have a little play with our sex, shall we?) Men who focus on a woman's pleasure (read: enjoy giving oral sex) are few and far between, but I myself happen to be one of those rare ones (note how every male client I have met thinks this). Actually, the Dr. said she thinks it's more like 80% of men think this. (Boy: I'm eager to learn, eager to please: Yes. / Man: I do love it, but it's only part of the fun: a qualified YES.) I must last as long as I can and be in full control of myself at all times. (Boy: because anything less is premature ejaculation. / Man: losing control is part of the fun and turn-on for men and women: NO.) Also, I should engage in a lot of foreplay, all the time, because women want this. (Boy: Women have longer warmup cycles: YES. / Man: sometimes, sometimes a quickie is what's in order.) Women orgasm from intercourse alone pretty frequently. (Boy: Even I've heard this is false, hence all the focus on oral sex: Not really. / Man: Old ideas die hard: NO.) The women I dated in high school/college/my 20's who I had lots of crazy sex with are still doing that with the men they married. (Boy: and all women love to have sex, right: Sure. / Man: but we're not in our 20's and sex takes planning and effort if you're even able to talk them into it: No.) My wife makes up excuses not to have sex, and other women just go with the flow and are happy to feel desired. (Boy: everyone is having more sex than me: YES. / Man: well there does seem to be some connection between clean dishes and sexual desire, but there's a lot more to the equation: NO.) After the baby, most women get their sex drive back reasonably quickly. (Boy: I'm guessing at this because I've never been with a woman who's had a baby: Okay. / Man: Um, I don't have any data to determine "reasonably quickly" so I'm going to ask the experts on Google: No.) Watching porn does nothing to hurt our sex life or relationship. (Boy: It makes me a better lover: Agreed. / Man: it depends on the relationship: Porn is not the problem, the relationship might be. NO. Porn, in general, is not harmful to healthy relationships.) Here's a review of Don Jon review that goes into porn addiction and the pros and cons of porn in general. So those are my answers. And while I'm no sex expert or marriage counselor, I have enough sense to know that this list was generated from clinical observations. At least the people in question were working on their relationship. So they are a long way from the possible "norm" caveman mentality. But somehow, a few of these "truths" feel like back "myths" that need to be busted. Or that have been busted and passed on a long time ago, but maybe are still tossed around in clinical settings for what's going on. Let's start with Porn. Porn is like a drug or alcohol. Some people can use it and not abuse it or suffer the fallout of addiction and withdrawal. To say that porn is harmful to marriages is simply not true. It's like an old wives' tale that women have been using to hammer us men for quite some time. And what about the couples that like to watch porn together? Or porn that is used when the wife is disabled or unable/unwilling to be intimate? Is that killing the marriage, or is that a way for the man to still have some sexual fun without leaving the marriage? Porn is not the issue. The relationship and perhaps the couple's relationship to porn or their own sexuality that could be a problem. It's up for discussion, but it cannot be written off as evil or corrupting. It's simply porn. Some do and some don't. Frequent and Passionate Sex throughout our lifetimes as a married couple. Um, yeah, on what planet? Planet Libido? Sex and sexual desire takes work on both partner's roles. And both men and women can experience highs and lows of sexual desire. In a long-term relationship, a lot of factors begin to come into play. Stress and exhaustion are the two top killers or sexual desire. And add a little depression on either partner to that mix and you quickly see, sex is a negotiation and dance. It's not a given. The recent studies showing how women in monogamous relationships tend to lose sexual desire are like old news. We've been talking about the 7-year itch forever. Did you assume it was just about men? Both partners have to work at staying sexual interested in their partners. Sure, a new partner might seem to offer renewed vigor, and perhaps that's one of the reasons divorce rates have skyrocketed, but to keep in tune and sexually interested in your life-partner is an ever-changing quest. I was all for it, and would've worked at it continuously. My ex-wife and mother of my kids had other ideas. Oral Sex, Vaginal Orgasms, Foreplay Good lord women, we're all in this together. This information is fairly new, but if we're even half interested in pleasing a woman, we're reading about it on the cover of Cosmo in the checkout line. These types of hints and tips are everywhere, not telegraphed, frickin broadcast to all of us, men and women. Fact is, a lot of men and women don't like oral sex. In a divorce recovery class when the topic was brought up (25 men and 25 women) the split was about 25% didn't enjoy it, 25% really loved it, 50% were okay either way. And for all the times we're told to go slow, get into the foreplay, to somehow have this thrown back at us as something we're doing wrong. What? Okay, the big issue here is communication. That's hard. Talking about sex, asking for what you want during sex, that's hard. Why Arent' We Having Sex Again? This is a loaded topic. And yes, in general, the woman is the excuse maker. But that's part of nature's little game. You see it in peacocks every day. Do you think the male peacock is getting frustrated at showing his handsome feathers? No, it's just what he does. He says, "I'm ready. I'm willing. I'm gorgeous. What about you?" And in the human species, we have some of the same rituals. My ready and willing proposal: "I'm honest. I'm fitter than I was a year ago. I'm feeling sexy. How about after we do the dishes together I draw you a nice bath and put the kids to bed." The woman can say, "No thanks." Or, perhaps leave an opening, "I'm not feeling it right now, but the bath does sound nice. Let's finish the dishes, and start there..." There's no right or wrong way to ask about sex. There are plenty of ways to turn off the options immediately. The issue is more about communication. It's fine if the male is more driven by their t-score. And women are more attracted by romance, a clean house, and all the bills being paid. It's just slightly different wiring. But it's not all that different from the caveman who ran out and risked his life for the tribe while hunting down dinner. And the cavewoman prepared the fire, dried the fur bedding, and was ready to cook when the meat was brought home. If there was energy left in the warrior after all that, and the woman was still awake, a little rutting could be a welcome thing. But I have a hard time imagining a caveman being all self-conscious when his woman fell asleep directly after dinner. Sex is a complex dance. We've got to have better communication about it. I'm no fine example. It can be difficult just to say, "Um, can you try this." But it's part of the education we must go through to learn the ways and means of our partner. And life-partners get to know us better than anyone. So we can find all sorts of ways, over time, to turn them on and turn them upside down crazy. IF we're looking for them, and asking about them, and continuing to work on our parts. Perhaps too much of our sex lives have become routine and lazy. And the stereotypical male who gets his and rolls off to go to sleep still exists. I'm sure he's out there. But his days are numbered. As women wake up to their needs and their own power, they're asking for more. Oral, maybe. Frequency, as determined by prior arrangement. Foreplay or animal sex, depending on the situation and available time. Sex is fun to think about. It's more fun to explore. But we often don't get enough time to explore the nuance of making love to the same beautiful person year after year. And if a man or woman gets bored with their partner, or thinks the 20-somethings in porn are more to our taste, the responsibility is on them to either wake up and get to work or leave for greener pastures. It's kind of harsh, but that's the reality these days. Enough with the myths and truths. Let's find out what our partner thinks and wants. Let's ask them. Let's return the favor and tell them our dirty little fantasies, too. Always Love, John McElhenney @wholeparent back to Dating After Divorce related posts: Is It Love We’re After? Why Does Hot Dating Transform Into a Blasé Marriage? The One Word Answer. Building the Perfect Lover: 13 Touch Points On the Path to Relationship We Have So Few Chances to Feel Loved Sexual Power, Sexual Prime, Sexual Freedom After Divorce Sexual Desire: Men & Women, the Chemistry Between Us image: voodoohop no minhocao, circuito fora do eixo, creative commons usage