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Topic : Is This Normal?

Number of Replies: 1134
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Created on : Friday, July 01, 2005, 05:19:40 pm
Author : dataimport
Your partner asked you to do WHAT? Some things are taboo. Some things are common but just not discussed. Where does your sex life fit in?

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June 1, 2006, 6:55 am PDT

obsessed with baby, gives me no attention !

Hi, I have been having an issue with my daughters father. we arent married, but have been together for 7 years, my daughter is 14 months old. He pays no attention to me anymore, and is always talking, playing and devoting all his time to my daughter. He works a shift that only allows me to see him for a half an hour a day, and when we do have some time off together he totally ignores me and almost makes it like a competition for my daughters affection. He hardly talks to me, we dont touch kiss or have sex that ofter. Im always the one who wants to have sex !   

   

Im angry, b/c its like i dont even exist anymore.... does anyone know whats goin on???  

   

Please Help !!  

   

   

 
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June 1, 2006, 9:37 pm PDT

Is This Normal?

Quote From: zsazsa001

   Well I can not believe I  am posting  on a message board about something so personal.I will start witha bit of back ground ,My husband & I  have been married for  23 yrs.we have 4 kids, 3 still living at home.We love each other very much.  

   I do not know where to begin with this problem,as I do not believe in pity parties as they say.But I had went through a couple of life altering experiences.The first is a friend of ours he tried to rape me,with out going into details it was the most horrid thing I;ve been through,I went for therapy,and I thought I dealt with it the best I could,shortly after that I got Breast Cancer,so I had a dbl. masectomny, w/ later on getting implants.this all happened with in 6 months of each other.  

     So this brings me to my problems,I am unable to touch my husband in any way (I know this is caused  because of  the friend who tried to rape  me)I had never been like that before ,I do not know what to do ,my husband is so understanding about this,but at times he feels lonely,it just when he wants me to touch him I have flash backs of the rape.I feel like am I crazy why is this happening to me.?How do I get those memories out of my head.?that brings me to another problem  I can not let my husband see my breasts since my cancer,I feel Like a freak,he has  never let me feel like a freak,he has always been there for me in everyway.I want to be intimate with my husband ,& if thats not enough I have a pinched nerve in my back so when we try have sex I am in  alot of pain ,and it now causes my husband to feel so rejected,it breaks my heart .We had always had a very good sex life until all this happened.I do not know what I am looking for on a message board maybe for someone to tell me that they have been through this ,and that I am not crazy,that in time it will get better.I think one of the toughest things about this,is I am a very positive person,and I never have let anything get me down,but somehow this is controling a very intimite part of my life.Does anyone have any sugestions? > My husband & I still have sex ,but I think my husband is at the point where he gives up,we talk about this,and I think ok lets try I will be ok ,the last thing I want is to make my husband feel I do not want him,he is so kind,loving,& most of all a very patient man,but how much can a man handle?Thanks for letting me tell my story.  

Zsazsa - first and foremost your story touched my heart hun.  I have not been through everything you have, but have some understanding about the rape and the pain you are dealing with because of that.  I won't go into all the details of what I have been through, but just know I have also been the victim of a man's violence more than once.  Know this - please know this - what happened was NOT your fault in any way whatsoever. You are NOT crazy and in time it does get better - if you use that time in a positive way.  To me, and this is just my opinion, it sounds like you need more time with a counselor.  You are clearly still having problems because of the atrocities that were perpetrated on you and that is affecting your marriage negatively.  I think you need continue counseling and further that you and your hubby need to talk about this together with a professional.  I don't mean to say that he has a problem, but rather that talking about it together with a mediator may better help him understand your fears and concerns - so that eventually you can go back to the level of comfortable intimacy you once enjoyed.  It comes through very clearly in your words that you want that and I am sure your hubby does also and if he is as committed to the marriage as your words say he is, he will be willing to do whatever necessary to help make that happen.   

  

I cannot speak to your body image issues since you were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer because that has not happened to me.   All I can say about that is I hope the treatment was fully successful and I hope you get the 5 years cancer free and have a long and happy life.  I guess this is another issue that you need to address with a counselor, again part of which should be done with your husband.   My impression from your words is that your hubby loves and desires you very much regardless of what you have been through.   

  

Congrats on 23  years of marriage and 4 children!!  Congrats on coming through the adversity you have faced recently - you are a brave and strong woman!!  I want to be very helpful to you, but not sure how to be.  Know that someone has read your story and is hoping things will turn out well for you and your marriage.  Be safe and take care Zsazsa and please please continue to get counseling for what you have been through - if the first counselor you choose doesn't help, then keep trying.  Find someone who is right for you and your husband - I can tell you want to get better - so put the effort into it hun.  You deserve to find some peace as regards what that monster did to you and also about the illness that changed your body.  Roxy 

  

  

 
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June 1, 2006, 9:57 pm PDT

Is This Normal?

Quote From: lexisjade

Hi, I have been having an issue with my daughters father. we arent married, but have been together for 7 years, my daughter is 14 months old. He pays no attention to me anymore, and is always talking, playing and devoting all his time to my daughter. He works a shift that only allows me to see him for a half an hour a day, and when we do have some time off together he totally ignores me and almost makes it like a competition for my daughters affection. He hardly talks to me, we dont touch kiss or have sex that ofter. Im always the one who wants to have sex !   

   

Im angry, b/c its like i dont even exist anymore.... does anyone know whats goin on???  

   

Please Help !!  

   

   

Lexis - congrats on your beautiful daughter!!  I would like to help, so here is what I thought after reading what you wrote: 

  

My first thought was actually a question.  Why is it y'all have been together for 7 years and had a child and not married?  Is that a mutual choice or is one of you averse to making the big commitment?  I don't ask that question from some holier than thou stance - I know there are plenty of people who live together and raise families without the marriage cert and have a lifetime of happiness.  I just wonder though if that is the case here, or if one of you wants to be committed and the other doesn't.  ??   

  

Darn, have to start the next paragraph with a question also.  Did you have any intimacy (and I don't mean sex, although that is part of it - but you mentioned not talking, kissing and touching and those are very important - I know in my marriage it is a rare 15 mins that my hubby and I don't connect in some small way physically or just with a look) issues before your daughter was born?  Did this all come about during the pregnancy?  Immediately after she arrived?  Did it develop slowly as she has gotten a little older?  Or has it always been there and you just notice it more now?   

  

You asked for help and if anyone knows what's going on.  I am not sure I can answer very well without more info (and maybe not even then, I am definitely no Dr Phil lol).  My general read is this is about way more than him just wanting to compete with you for your daughter's attention.  He has disengaged from you in every possible way.  From what you said, it sounds like y'all are roommates who happen to have a child in common.  I know that isn't fulfilling for either of you and probably not the healthiest environment for your beloved daughter.   

  

I hope you will respond with more info and maybe I can give some advice that is pertinent.  My first thought was that one of you definitely need to find a way to change your hours, both to have more time as a family and also so you can find some time to be a couple and reconnect.  I am just not sure how helpful that advice can be without knowing more about where y'all were before your daughter arrived.  I am not trying to be nosy - please only share as much as is comfortable for  you.  I want to help if I can and it just feels like I need to know more to do so.  Take care Lexis.  :)  Roxy 

 
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June 2, 2006, 8:34 am PDT

How do you knwo what is 'goin on'?

Quote From: lexisjade

Hi, I have been having an issue with my daughters father. we arent married, but have been together for 7 years, my daughter is 14 months old. He pays no attention to me anymore, and is always talking, playing and devoting all his time to my daughter. He works a shift that only allows me to see him for a half an hour a day, and when we do have some time off together he totally ignores me and almost makes it like a competition for my daughters affection. He hardly talks to me, we dont touch kiss or have sex that ofter. Im always the one who wants to have sex !   

   

Im angry, b/c its like i dont even exist anymore.... does anyone know whats goin on???  

   

Please Help !!  

   

   

Yours is the easiest question in the world to answer. Ask him. Hopefully he will tell you.

It could be a whole slew of things, and all of us are merely guessing what's going on in his mind.

Ask him!

I'm going to venture with my theory (and this is from personal experience). Maybe, just maybe, your daughter's father is not a touchy-feely guy. He probably doesn't initiate hugging, touching, holding hands, etc. because he was raised to not be that way. Far too many men are raised to be emotionally bereft and touching goes out the window as well. Touching becomes aggressive - especially amongst boys and men. Men don't touch men (Ewwwwww!) and men only touch women to get sex. It's a sick world in which we are raising our sons.

Think about this. He may like to touch. Men actually like being tender and touching, but our upbringing screws all that up. A lot of us are screaming in the inside to be able to touch. Being close to his daughter at this age IS ACCEPTABLE. Society has given him permission to touch someone else in a non-sexual way and it feels good to be able to do it.

Personally, I loved raising my children. As babies, I loved cuddling them. I even took them shopping in a baby hugger. I was closer to them than I was with my wife. (Neither of us was a touchy-feely person.)

Well, that's my theory. The only way you are going to know what's really going on is asking him.

PS - He might not know either. I didn't figure out my issues until long after my kids had grown up. Slow learner I guess.
 
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June 3, 2006, 1:49 am PDT

It's not easy being a guy

All the asking in the world whispered into the ear of a selfish lover will not achieve the level of satisfaction needed by a woman to enjoy a fulfilling sexual experience with anybody whether it's during a short term affair or a long running monogamous relationship such as a marriage. Even with all the good intentions in the world men are not genetically programmed to be instinctively aware of a woman’s sexual needs especially if they are in conflict with his simple need to orgasm in the shortest possible time.

   

  

   

  

However, there are changes that a man can make that will eventually allow him to become a caring and empathetic lover.  But first a change in mind set is needed before he can embark on a serious understanding of how a woman’s body functions and what is the biological role he is expected to play to enable a woman to achieve pleasure.

   

  

There is an art to most things and it is the art of being a competent and confidant lover that a man needs to learn if he is to engage with his partner in something that is to become a wonderful shared experience. But before any of this can happen there needs to be present in a guy the understanding that it does matter that a woman achieves the level of pleasure that she is capable of achieving.

   

  

He needs to understand that although his immediate imperative is to achieve almost instant gratification for himself he also needs to be able to use his other senses to achieve a greater, more meaningful and  longer lasting sexual experience for both himself and his partner.

   

  

   

  

Regrettably a large number of men still rely on Hollywood script writers and those in the broader entertainment industry for their education in forming their attitudes towards women. These traditional sources of information along with passing around ideas within their peer group, often conceived in ignorance of what a woman truly desires, only serve to titillate men and to trivialize their view of women to the point where men have unrealistic expectations of a woman’s ability to achieve orgasm without anything more than what is required for him to achieve the same happy state. To most men, women are a dark mystery beyond their comprehension and ability to understand, not only in the bed room but also in many other aspects of life. Sometimes it’s just too difficult to even try.

   

  

   

  

Learning together is often better within a relationship that lasts longer than a flurried romp, - sometimes that is all there is, but as sexual relationships these days amongst the young seems to be of that type then it is very difficult to move from that behavior to one where there is an ongoing and a genuine desire by a guy to ensure pleasure for his partner.

   

  

There are many factors and situations that inhabit the brains and lives of all people that work against this being an easy path to follow. These include socio-sexual preconditioning, religious dogma that views sex as a procreation based activity only and learned behavior and attitudes that are modeled within the family. Place these and many other factors against the background of a relationship where a woman may treat her partner as if he were merely the senior child in the family and it is not surprising if he receives any suggestions from her related to her sexual needs as an assault on his sexual performance and that this is just another form of criticism that he can well do without. 

   

  

   

  

A man needs to have a genuine respect for all women that is aside from just wanting to have sex with them. If he is incapable of this then he should at least learn how be technically proficient in giving pleasure to his sexual partner. In any event it must surly be a good thing for both a woman and a man to have enjoyed together the ultimate pleasures that each has given to the other.

   

  

 
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June 3, 2006, 8:29 pm PDT

re to message

 no, i have just been noticing this recently. He has worked this job for a while even while i was pregnant. I am so stressed with his hours at work, but he refuses to do anything about it, and i dont know why he would rather spend most of his time there and not with me and my daughter. We are intimate and were but now that hes workin hes never home. I have asked him, and he always uses the same excuses - that he dont want to talk about it.... we never get anything resolved! He doesnt even help me around the house... no cleaning nothing. Hes even to the point where he doesnt take showers on a daily basis.... i'm goin insane trying to make this work with him and he doesnt seem to care. I am so sad for my daughter b/c she never is able to see mommy and daddy together. We never have time to spend as a family and there is never time to make plans together, his job is making him work 19 days straight with no days off !!! Yet, he refuses to look for another job.... Im so extremely upset.

can anyone help???
 
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June 3, 2006, 10:04 pm PDT

Not sure if I can help...

Quote From: lexisjade

 no, i have just been noticing this recently. He has worked this job for a while even while i was pregnant. I am so stressed with his hours at work, but he refuses to do anything about it, and i dont know why he would rather spend most of his time there and not with me and my daughter. We are intimate and were but now that hes workin hes never home. I have asked him, and he always uses the same excuses - that he dont want to talk about it.... we never get anything resolved! He doesnt even help me around the house... no cleaning nothing. Hes even to the point where he doesnt take showers on a daily basis.... i'm goin insane trying to make this work with him and he doesnt seem to care. I am so sad for my daughter b/c she never is able to see mommy and daddy together. We never have time to spend as a family and there is never time to make plans together, his job is making him work 19 days straight with no days off !!! Yet, he refuses to look for another job.... Im so extremely upset.

can anyone help???
Lexis, but I would like to.  The main impression I get from your post here is HUGE frustration - and I understand why.  Have you directly asked your bf why he is willing to work so much when it detracts from your family's happiness?  Is it possible he feels he is doing what he can to provide for y'all and that you are unnecessarily nagging him for that?  (I am not saying I believe that to be true btw, just wonder if that is how he is justifying his disconnect from you)  Overall though, it seems your bf is apathetic, since you say he won't talk about it, doesn't help around the house, isn't paying attention to his personal hygiene, and won't take the time to talk with you and address the problems.  I don't know why he is being like that - there could be many reasons, one of which is possibly depression (and that is definitely a possibly there - I have zero medical training, so consider that as a total guess on my part).  I am not sure what advice to offer.  I will say this - if I was in a relationship that had deteriorated to the point yours has - I would insist my partner find some time to have a 'get real' talk with me and agree to whatever counseling we both needed.  If he wasn't amenable to that, I would move on.  I totally know how painful the thought of that is, since you have so many years invested in the relationship and share a daughter.  I just think if he isn't willing to do whatever necessary for himself and the two of you as a couple to reconnect - then it will probably be better in the long run to move on and find happiness, first by yourself and maybe eventually with someone else.  This probably isn't what you want to hear and I actually hope it doesn't have to come to that.  I am a strong believer in the nuclear family - but only when that family is happy and productive and connected to each other.   Your daughter cannot benefit, as she gets older, from seeing you unhappy and ignored by her dad IMO.  She may infer that is an acceptable way to be treated by a man and it is just not.  Take care Lexis and keep posting here and I will help as much as I can.  Roxy
 
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June 3, 2006, 10:18 pm PDT

hmmm........

Quote From: benzine

All the asking in the world whispered into the ear of a selfish lover will not achieve the level of satisfaction needed by a woman to enjoy a fulfilling sexual experience with anybody whether it's during a short term affair or a long running monogamous relationship such as a marriage. Even with all the good intentions in the world men are not genetically programmed to be instinctively aware of a woman’s sexual needs especially if they are in conflict with his simple need to orgasm in the shortest possible time.

   

  

   

  

However, there are changes that a man can make that will eventually allow him to become a caring and empathetic lover.  But first a change in mind set is needed before he can embark on a serious understanding of how a woman’s body functions and what is the biological role he is expected to play to enable a woman to achieve pleasure.

   

  

There is an art to most things and it is the art of being a competent and confidant lover that a man needs to learn if he is to engage with his partner in something that is to become a wonderful shared experience. But before any of this can happen there needs to be present in a guy the understanding that it does matter that a woman achieves the level of pleasure that she is capable of achieving.

   

  

He needs to understand that although his immediate imperative is to achieve almost instant gratification for himself he also needs to be able to use his other senses to achieve a greater, more meaningful and  longer lasting sexual experience for both himself and his partner.

   

  

   

  

Regrettably a large number of men still rely on Hollywood script writers and those in the broader entertainment industry for their education in forming their attitudes towards women. These traditional sources of information along with passing around ideas within their peer group, often conceived in ignorance of what a woman truly desires, only serve to titillate men and to trivialize their view of women to the point where men have unrealistic expectations of a woman’s ability to achieve orgasm without anything more than what is required for him to achieve the same happy state. To most men, women are a dark mystery beyond their comprehension and ability to understand, not only in the bed room but also in many other aspects of life. Sometimes it’s just too difficult to even try.

   

  

   

  

Learning together is often better within a relationship that lasts longer than a flurried romp, - sometimes that is all there is, but as sexual relationships these days amongst the young seems to be of that type then it is very difficult to move from that behavior to one where there is an ongoing and a genuine desire by a guy to ensure pleasure for his partner.

   

  

There are many factors and situations that inhabit the brains and lives of all people that work against this being an easy path to follow. These include socio-sexual preconditioning, religious dogma that views sex as a procreation based activity only and learned behavior and attitudes that are modeled within the family. Place these and many other factors against the background of a relationship where a woman may treat her partner as if he were merely the senior child in the family and it is not surprising if he receives any suggestions from her related to her sexual needs as an assault on his sexual performance and that this is just another form of criticism that he can well do without. 

   

  

   

  

A man needs to have a genuine respect for all women that is aside from just wanting to have sex with them. If he is incapable of this then he should at least learn how be technically proficient in giving pleasure to his sexual partner. In any event it must surly be a good thing for both a woman and a man to have enjoyed together the ultimate pleasures that each has given to the other.

   

  

I have to admit to being a little confused by your post Benzine.  I am not sure what point you are addressing.  It IS hard being a man, but it is equally hard being a woman.  I agree with many of your points, most specifically that a man should have respect for all women.  You seem to be saying that men should find out how to really please a woman (for those in monogamous relationships) or women in general (for those playing the field) and not be selfish in the bedroom.  I am not sure if that is the overall gist of your post - but if so, I wholeheartedly agree!  I am lucky that the man I have been with for 13 years, while he may have that biological desire to orgasm quickly, ignores it and ALWAYS makes sure I am satisfied before he orgasms.  He usually tells me afterward about all the times he was almost there, but stopped so he could watch me climax again. We have to 'freeze' sometimes lol.  (this is probably TMI, sorry lol)  Yes - I agree with your last sentence - that IS a good thing and I am so glad I decided to marry the first man with whom I could achieve that level of intimacy.   

  

Still not sure what the point of your post was though lol - and if I totally missed it, would like to see a response.  :)  Roxy 

 
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June 3, 2006, 11:37 pm PDT

What's wrong with me?

This is really embarressing to tell people because I've heard the answer many of times from eveyone. For all most a year I have been thinking that you can get pregnant from oral sex. I never had health/sex education class during junoir high or even high school. I starting dating my boyfriend when I wan a senoir. Not knowing anything sexual about my own body or and males or how things really work in general about sex, do you think this is normal for someone who has had no education in it and my parents never talked about it with me, do you think it's normal that I'm the way I am about this matter only because I never learned it before when i should have like everyone else? I ask my boyfriend all the time if I'm pregnant. I get my period and I still think I could be after me periods gone. I have not had sex with my boyfriend, so why am I so paranoid about this? The last thing I want to do is get pregnant. I've tlaked to me doctor, friends, family and even people in a sex store I'm so desprite to get it through my head, but it still hasn't gotten stuck in my head.  

If you have any advice , comments , or questions or just replys , let my know. Thanks 

Jen 

 
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June 4, 2006, 5:47 am PDT

Dazed and Confused{:o)

Quote From: roxy_belle

I have to admit to being a little confused by your post Benzine.  I am not sure what point you are addressing.  It IS hard being a man, but it is equally hard being a woman.  I agree with many of your points, most specifically that a man should have respect for all women.  You seem to be saying that men should find out how to really please a woman (for those in monogamous relationships) or women in general (for those playing the field) and not be selfish in the bedroom.  I am not sure if that is the overall gist of your post - but if so, I wholeheartedly agree!  I am lucky that the man I have been with for 13 years, while he may have that biological desire to orgasm quickly, ignores it and ALWAYS makes sure I am satisfied before he orgasms.  He usually tells me afterward about all the times he was almost there, but stopped so he could watch me climax again. We have to 'freeze' sometimes lol.  (this is probably TMI, sorry lol)  Yes - I agree with your last sentence - that IS a good thing and I am so glad I decided to marry the first man with whom I could achieve that level of intimacy.   

  

Still not sure what the point of your post was though lol - and if I totally missed it, would like to see a response.  :)  Roxy 

Hi Roxy - I read a post from a lady who was concerned that she was unable to experience an orgasm with her partner/husband and even though she tried to show him how he could help her, his reaction was that it wasn’t his responsibility and that it was up to her to take care of her own problem.

   

  

All that I needed to say was written in my first paragraph. Everything else I wrote was just me thinking out loud and finally coming to the conclusion that this was a problem in which I was unable to provide any guidance. I thought that I might have had something hopeful to tell the lady but really I had nothing to say that was of any value to her other than confirming what she was already experiencing. And perhaps giving her some reasons why I believe many guys are the way they are.

   

As I was writing all that I started to feel despondent and overawed by what I grew to see as a fatal flaw in the design of both the male and female of our species in that for a woman to achieve the ultimate pleasure, a man must go completely against is basic instincts.

   

But where does education start in peoples lives so that as they grow and mature they become more in tune with each others needs and desires? How do we become less selfish as people and more attune to the idea of the joy of giving rather than satisfying the need to take and posses?

   

Perhaps I am making all this bigger than it really needs to be perhaps it’s just that some people are better at some things than others. If a woman has a guy in her life that is satisfying in most other respects but is not so good when it comes to making love with her then I guess that is just the way it is in her life. It would be nice if it was better, but who is going to strip away what ever it is that determines his attitudes and behavior  so that he can be re-programmed to become a better lover. Is counseling going to do it or talking with him in a less sexually charged environment than the bedroom just before or just after lovemaking? I don’t know the answers – I thought that I might, but really it was quite arrogant of me to suggest that I know how people, or in this instance, men in particular should behave in the bedroom.

   

I am the way I am and I’m fortunate that I am not like most other men. Over the years I have taken notice of the many things women have shared with me and I am grateful to them for this.

   

 

   

 
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