Sex & Vulnerability: How Much Is Too Much And What Are The Risks?

So, this article went up on The Frisky today and my head exploded.

 

We were fucking, he pulled out of me, and I saw his sperm on my pubic hair. ”You just came inside me?” I said, panicked. “Why didn’t you tell me first?” I hadn’t consented to him doing that. And I wouldn’t have consented to it had he announced he was going to come instead of just silently going ahead and doing it.

“Aren’t you on the pill?” he replied by way of response.

“No, I’m not on the pill,” I said.

He looked at me pained. “I just came inside a girl who is not on the pill?”

“Yeah, you did. Why didn’t you ask me if I was on it if you were going to come inside me? I thought you were going to pull out.”

“I just assumed you would be on it.”

Okay. What is this fuckery?

I’ll only briefly touch on the kink aspect to this story. Whether two people are engaging in kink or good o’ missionary vanilla sex, there are always risks involved with going home with someone you don’t know very well. Hell, there’s risks all around at various stages of a relationship. I have a friend who went home with a guy she met on Match. They were having sex and – out of nowhere – he slapped her across the face. It wasn’t as harsh as it sounds. He was obviously testing the waters since they had discussed their mutual interest in kink. Her initial reaction was shock and then anger. The guy quickly apologized and said he thought she had said she had experience with that and liked it. There was not another date.

Since I’ve made my opinions of first date sex quite clear, it should come as no surprise to any of you that I’ve had sex on a first date. I have been lucky that I have never experienced anything like what my friend or Jessica experienced. I could go on about my insight and intuition and all that, but nothing is ever fail-proof. I have been lucky. When I have delved into kinkier activities, it has always been with someone I have been dating – casually or seriously – for a significant amount of time. I mentioned the Too Many Cocks guy, yes? I made it quite clear that I had no intention of fulfilling whatever desire he had with someone I barely knew. There was no second date.

Communication is a key part of sex and intimacy. You can never take it upon yourself to believe that you know exactly what a person’s boundaries are or that you and they are on the same page. You need to ask and you need to listen and you need to respect said boundaries. That applies to hook ups on the first date or ones that happen after dating several months. I’ve frequently questioned Jessica’s actual experience level with BDSM and kink. To me, it sounds like she was with someone who had more experience than she did. You can never assume that you and your partner have even close to similar sexual histories. These things need to be talked about before you try something new.

And at some point in the evening as the pain he was inflicting on me hurt worse and worse, I used his safeword: “Pineapple!” He stopped spanking me, like he should have. We did other things. But later on that night, he started smacking my butt again. I felt so sensitive there that I wasn’t enjoying it — it wasn’t “good pain.” Come to find out the next day when I looked in a mirror, I had a constellation of small bruises all over my ass: three on one butt check and one on another. Because of the position he had been holding me in, this man most certainly saw those bruises. My safewording should have been the indicator to ease up the

Jessica is demonizing this guy, and after reading the piece a few times, I’m not sure why. Initially I read this and felt the guy was disregarding her stated boundaries. Then I read it again. And again. When she asked him to stop, he stopped. They engaged in a brief exchange about their individual definitions and uses for a safeword, and that’s somehow construed as violating her. That was a conversation they should have had before they even took their clothes off. Then she stayed overnight because..wait for it…she wanted to have sex with him? What the whating what?  It was written as though the guy was trying to somehow coerce her, and I’m not sure that’s what actually happened.

For the people who will say things like, “This is why you don’t have sex on a first date!!” I’ll just say this: I think it’s precious that you think that renting space on the moral high ground means anything to anyone other than you.

Now for the other issue concerning birth control. I was really livid as I read the exchange Jessica had with this guy after he ejaculated inside of her. I do not agree – at all – that it’s the man’s job to ask if a woman is on The Pill. I think both people are supposed to take a breath and exchange some vital information such as testing history, relationship status, who has condoms and what other birth control methods are being used. While the guy was an ass – and an obvious idiot – I don’t think it’s fair to paint him as The Bad Guy in this particular part of the situation. I’m actually shocked that an adult male would make any assumptions about birth control given the possible consequences. Guys, allow me to clear something up: regardless of whether a woman says she can’t get pregnant or it’s a safe time or whatever, wrap it up. While she may genuinely believe these things, nothing is 100%. Don’t use any opportunity to go without a condom. And definitely don’t blame the woman should something actually happen. You were there, too. Not every woman is out to trap you so they can get a piece of your $150K a year salary.

Then, of course, there’s the STD factor, which I know a lot of people are going to address, so I won’t bother.

Finally, there’s the question of why she ever revealed any of this at all. The issues of boundaries once again rears its head. No, she’s not brave or raw or honest. That’s something else women need to stop. Writing this was foolish. Now that I’m getting work writing for other sites, I realize how popular and in demand the personal essay/narrative type pieces are. You can write such stories and self-edit and still offer a take away value without making yourself so vulnerable.  I wish we’d stop encouraging women to reveal so much before they’re truly emotionally mature enough to handle the possible fall out.

The biggest issue for me concerning this post – and frankly most posts that women bloggers write about their love and sex lives – is the total lack of accountability in the outcome. Yes, a lot of them acknowledge that they made mistakes. But then, just as quickly, they remind the reader of how awful the guy is. You know. Just in case they forgot. It’s almost always 100% exclusively the guy’s fault in every aspect. If a woman has a rocky dating history or struggles to keep a guy interested, it’s never because she makes bad choices. It’s because the men “tripped her up.” While we have all, at one time or another, willfully chosen to ignore red flags, there’s only so many times you can do that before your judgment comes in to question. One commonality that I notice in all of these articles is the air of experience these women try to convey, yet at the same time by sharing so much they actually reveal how inexperienced they really are.

I’m so tired of this passive role so many women are willing to take when it comes to their love lives. Everything appears to happen to them, implying that they don’t have any control or say in how things work out. They’re victims of men, yet they’re still empowered and self-sufficient and refuse to settle and have standards, dammit.

Sorry, but you ladies simply can’t keep trying to have it both ways, if for no other reason than you’re inevitably going to lose out on the very thing you claim to want. If everybody keeps passing you by and getting closer and closer to their goal while you sit there struggling, it’s not fate or destiny. It’s you.

 

 

SHAMELESS PLUG: Check out an essay I wrote for The Gloss. I’m actually quite proud of, as it discusses how my opinions of being single vs. being married have evolved over the past year. Like it, Tweet it & comment..please?

Can You Be Single And Still “Be Alive?”

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Is He Keeping Their Relationship a Secret?

Name: JMS58
Age: 54
State: MA
Question: I have been dating a gentleman for 4 months. He lives about 40 miles away from me. He is 65 yrs old and I am 54 years old and I live with my parents since my divorce. I have been married and divorced once after a 23 year marriage. He has been married and divorced 3 times. When we first started dating we met up 4 times in a neutral location. This was his decision to do this. Whenever we see each other after the 4th time I always drive to his place and stay over. I have mentioned to him 3 or 4 times that I would like it if he would drive up to where I live so we could do something up here and that I would also like for him to meet my parents and friends. Then I would get my car and follow him down to his place. He hemmed and hawed and said maybe the first couple of times. The last time he said why do that? I cant sleep with you at your parents house? This has irked me for a while now. Last night he brought up the subject briefly about going to my friends restaurant that I frequent and meet some of my friends. This remains to be seen. He does treat me very nicely…has done very thoughtful things for me, and we have a great time together. He also calls me to make arrangements for the following weekend on on Wed or Thurs…but the calls are brief. Slowly he is introducing me to his neighbors whom he’s close to. And every now and then he tells me that he doesn’t want to see me this weekend because he needs space. My question here is should these different things that I see as a problem be bothering me at this point? Or should I let them go because its too early in the relationship? Am I thinking too much?

 

I think, by the 4th month mark, if you and he were on the same page then it wouldn’t be so difficult to get him to show more interest in your life outside of him. It seems he is literally and figuratively only willing to go so far for you. So you need to decide whether or not you can accept this or not. I don’t think you’re over-thinking it. I do think that the writing is on the wall and you need to either accept how things are or move on.

The guy has been divorced 3 times. Clearly, he’s not very good at relationships and possibly possesses pretty poor judgment. It’s likely that he’s done with serious and committed relationships. He might not be making much effort to meet your friends and family because he’s not interested in being a part of your life in that capacity. Not yet, at least.  He’s 65 and divorced multiple times. I think saying he’s cautious about getting too serious is an understatement.

Something else to consider is that, with three divorces under his belt, he could also be a tad embarrassed. There’s only so many times you can get away with failing publicly before you learn to lock it all up and keep things on the DL just in case. There’s really only one reason why someone not already in a committed relationship might keep a relationship a semi-secret: fear of judgment. I dated a guy a little while back. During one of my Facebook stalking cruising sessions, I learned that he was engaged. I ended up writing a snarky (but vague with no specifics) tweet about it because, well, he’s an idiot and likes to creep my tweets so I’m happy to comply with interesting content. Within 48 hours I had a scathing email in my inbox telling me I had crossed a line, blah blah. The morally challenged guy had already had a string of successive failed relationships, one right on top of the other with little room between, the last of which was just a couple months before he started dating his fiancee. Seeing as though he had been caught trailing me around the web, I didn’t understand why he was pissed off. Then it struck me that maybe he was afraid this, like all his other relationships, would fail too.  I’m just spit balling here, of course.What do I know?

In any case, especially as someone who at one time publicly documented her every dating failure oblivious to how bad it made me look, it’s not a bad thing to be cautious about such things. I’d love to post Facebook photos that I take on dates. But I don’t, because I don’t want to have to explain why I suddenly stopped posting pics.  When something fails, having to relive it publicly only makes the recovery that much more difficult. I was reading an article yesterday that detailed a woman’s bad date. The whole scenario was identical to several others she has discussed. One or two admissions to failure aren’t so troubling. But if they’re constant, it’s not unreasonable to assume that casual observers might infer that deeper issues are at work that have nothing to do with the other party and everything to do with you.

My point, J, is that this guy just might be hyper-cautious about “going public” so to speak. I think you need to ask him what his true reservations are. It could be that he’s just trying to avoid the harsh judgment and speculation that many of us fear. Or he just doesn’t wish to engage in anything too serious and committed. The only way you’re going to know is if you ask him what’s up.

 

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Sometimes You Have To Give a Guy a Chance

Name: TcV
Age: 34
State: Missouri
Question: I am trying to understand the intentions of the last guy I dated in order to avoid any potential future mistakes.  I don’t think I made a mistake here, necessarily.  But, feedback would be great.  I have been a serial monogomist for most of my life, and this is my first time in the dating world; I am also a single mother.  I want to play this game right and don’t want to waste my time, or anyone else’s with nonsense behavior.  That said, here goes. I contacted someone on okc, who replied, we emailed quite a lot online while waiting for the day of our date to arrive. This was the first time I felt a connection on any date and was thrilled (I’d been on 10 or so dates prior-mostly all first dates and happening in the span of about 3 months).  We went on 3 more dates in the next week or so and had a blast.  However, I did see some flags: He was already discussing the possibility of a relationship, saying we have such a strong connection we can’t ignore it.  I suspected he was being agreeable during conversation.  He interrupted me often and seemed to be most interested in either a)talking about himself b)talking about us in the future.  c)he has mostly young, pretty female friends and they mostly drink/party together.  This guy is 31.

I went out of town for a few weeks and we continued to email often.  I am beginning to notice lots of disclaimers and some possible contradictions, then later intentional vagueness about where he would be or who with, and repeating things he had told me in the past.

I return and we have one or two dates before having sex.  In the end this relationship was about 2 months and we had sex 3 times.  In this time, he contacts me nearly daily, has dis-activated his okc profile, is pushing to declare us bf/gf, has paid for everything, and is open to spending a little time with my son.  A lot of work for just sex, in my mind.  He is thoughtful, kind, and makes a genuine effort to communicate.

Well, I decided to end this relationship because he became very defensive and angry if I questioned any of the things that seemed like partial truths, or cover-ups regarding his relationship with these girls (not going to list it all here), and it seemed like he was trying to transition the relationship to one where we stayed home exclusively – never going out together.  His excuse was he spent so much time/energy going out with his friends already.  He also made an excuse about why I had never been invited to his home.

Was I obviously dating someone who was trying to establish a booty call while he stayed out scouting new tail other nights of the week?  Do you see what I was seeing?  Or was I being inappropriately pushy way too early on?  After all, he was the one moving us into relationship mode – not me!  I just suspect he was trying to build a false sense of intimacy between us so I could become a sitting duck to be used.  Or is it just totally normal for things to be this way sometimes in a healthy “just dating” relationship?

Either way I know I made the right choice for myself here.  I just find the getting to know you stage to be so hard and would love to learn from this.  Thank you!

 

Hmm. I found myself alternating between which of you I was siding without throughout this. That means that I feel you both contributed to the demise of this relationship.

In general, I find guys who are overly effusive on the fist few dates kind of suspect. I always tell women that it takes time to determine potential compatibility. I feel it’s the same for men. 3 dates and he’s talking about a “strong connection?” Personally, I don’t trust situations that start off that way. As I said to some friends recently, sometimes that intense, gotta have ‘em all the time pull isn’t necessarily a good thing. There’s something to be said for not being “head over heels” right away and building up to that. Flames that burn that bright and strong almost always burn out pretty quickly. Plus, such an intense attraction can cloud your judgment. It could be that this guy was getting defensive because he felt he had been doing everything right and you weren’t appreciating it. Maybe he wasn’t hiding information as much as refusing to give it to you because he’s already given so much, in his mind.

As for you, you sound like you might be a tad paranoid. It’s great to be cautious. I highly recommend that. But sometimes you just have to bite your tongue and see how things unfold. Needing to know the answers to every little thing will make you seem like, well, a paranoid nag.

You’re right that this sounds like an awful lot of work just to set up a booty call. My guess is one of two things:

He’s just really awkward and bad at relationships and moves too fast only to screw things up.  The reality is that sometimes one person in the relationship has more experience or is just more confident and they have to take the lead.

OR…

He was still dating other people and trying to keep his worlds separate. If he had a room mate, and he’s trying to keep things organized, that would explain why you weren’t invited back to his place.

Do I think that something with him is off? Yes, I do. Between the partying with female friends, to wanting to stay in to not inviting you to his apartment, something sounds fishy. But…it could be that he has an ex he’s trying to prevent from finding out about his new relationship. Or maybe he’s just really bad at relationships and likes to keep things on the down low. Who knows? My point is that sometimes you have to give a guy a chance. You can’t be looking for monsters around every corner. You should be wary and careful and pay attention. But you also have to have a full read on someone – including a baseline – to determine what’s what. You can’t bail every time something seems off. You saw red flags because I suspect you were looking for them. Trust me, when you look for them, you will almost certainly find them. So stop looking for them, pay attention and file things away until you get a more complete picture.

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Even Men Get Played

Name: Jeff
Age: 45
State: Maryland
Question: This has been an ongoing issue with a woman I’m dating. First the background: When this issue arose we are 4 months into this relationship, we are now at month 6+. Two weeks prior to this issue I had a minor crisis which caused us to spend far more time together than was planned. I walked away from that weekend with a deeper connection as the crisis had a side benefit of bringing us, or at least me closer to her. We have a long distance relationship as she lives about 2 hours from me. Our time together is mostly weekends with the occasional midweek date, extended weekend, etc, etc… We really hit it off, share many common interests, it doesn’t hurt that the sex is good too. How into her am I? I was inspired to do things for her: little gifts that while they didn’t cost much sent a message that I listen to you. Then there was the occasion where I transported fresh roses 3 hours in a car on a hot summer day, hid them, to surprise her with them at bed time, more on that later.

The issue is this: We rented a beach house. As I have kids I can only be there every other weekend, she is there every weekend. The issue that started this trip to the dark side was a shirt that was not mine. Getting into bed one night I opened a night stand drawer to stow my clothing for the night. Opening the drawer I find a shirt that I initially thought was mine left behind from a past weekend. Picking it up I discover that while it is my style it is not my size; XL vs. XXL. Granted this is a share house. While she had been there the weekend before we both were away 2 weeks prior. Upon finding it I asked her about it, not in an accusatory tone but one of puzzlement. Her reply, “You’re here every other weekend, your an XL, the guy who was here last weekend? He’s an XXL!” Unbeknownst to her there was a dozen of roses waiting for her on the headboard as she tells me she is fucking some guy a size bigger when I am not around!. Needless to say this was to use her words, major buzz kill! I was so turned off by this that I rolled over & went to sleep. I thought about packing my bags & going home right then & there. I stayed for a few reasons: Didn’t want to over react, it was 2 A.M., At this point I was awake for about 36 hours & leaving would have been suicidal as I needed sleep. The next day, Saturday, she smoothed things over told me she was “just joking”, (to which I’ve asked, “Who the fuck throws themselves under a bus like that?). While I wanted to believe her my spidey sense was now on alert. Later that day a visitor showed up at the house looking for her & a house mate. He was told she was up stairs in her bedroom, (we had been having sex, she suddenly ended things just as they were getting hot about 5 minutes prior to this guys arrival). This visitor does not call out to her from the first floor. He proceeded to walk up the stairs to our bedroom. To say the least this guy was way too familiar for my liking. I later told her if he does it again I will not be beating feet into the bathroom. That’s code for there will be a confrontation. BTW, he is an XXL & I’ve not hit anyone since high school.

After that weekend without a doubt I was not the same person, or should I say we were not the same couple? Without a doubt I paid greater attention to our surroundings. Let me add that as women go she is a hard woman to date: Life of the party, very flirty, many male friends, a few who are close…closer than I care, to say the least. Up until this point I handled all of this well. If she wanted to take an hour or 2 on a Saturday to golf with one of these guys I had no issue. Space is healthy in a relationship after all.

Paying greater attention to her & perhaps reading into things I learned this: One night while having sex she passionately tells me, “It’s been so long since we hooked up”. It was three weeks. I wanted to puke as I didn’t think I was someone she “hooked up” with. I’ve learned she can be a sneak and she does lies by omission. The male friends I mentioned? There is one who she actually briefly dated. One night after a party I felt the need to tell her that she needs to pay better attention to me as I felt like she was on a date with him. Side note: That night I asked this guy, “How long did you 2 date? He lied & said they never dated. Reading into things there was a moment with a girlfriend of hers where her g/f said to me, “You’re in love with her.” I replied, “Perhaps”. While the g/f said no more there was a look on her face that said, “if you only knew”. Moving forward a month after her “joke” I brought my kids out to the house for a mid week vacation. When I told her we were coming out on Sunday morning to spend the day at the beach as we wanted to make the most out of it she had a fit. She was in a absolute panic telling me how she didn’t want me showing up with kids, causing her housemates to feel like they had to make room for us, etc, etc… I told her I would not impose on her or fellow house mates, was not going to even show up at the house until Sunday night. Nothing mattered, as I said she was in a panic. I agreed not to arrive until late Sunday. Of course that marked the first time I lied to her. Me thought “the lady doth protest too much”. I arrived at the house at 7:30 on Sunday morning under the auspices of needing to get my beach items. I was there for one reason: To check up on her. What I found was that her car was there. Going through the house there was no sign of her. I was in her bedroom, her g/f was there asleep, she was not. Additionally she never goes anywhere without her cell phone. Calling it many times as I walked through our house it did ring many times. There was no answer by her, & no sound of it anywhere within our house.

Over the course of the next week I asked many questions, nailing her down on many issues one being that she was home that night. At first she didn’t recall what time she arrived, (her roommate was quick to declare that she “was home at 12:30″). After a week of her telling me many things I confronted her asking her where she stayed that Saturday night. She has done nothing but lie & claim she was home, clinging to the fact that her “car was home” & she never goes anywhere without her car. She had briefly stated that I lived 2 hours away. I told her that was true when I met her & true now adding I didn’t know we were no longer in an exclusive relationship. When I told her I had parked my car down the street as I knew she would have to pass that way & I saw her drive by she asked me what kind of car it was. Note no, that is impossible because I was home. She also went on to enlist 2 friends to tell me she was home that night, how juvenile! I’ve told her this is not something that someone whispered in my ear, I saw it with my own eyes, you were not here, there was no sign of you having slept in any bed and all of the other beds were taken.

Needless to say this is a recurring argument between us. Every time we encounter a random male friend of hers I dare not ask who he is or I am greeted with, “So do you think I’m sleeping with him too?” I answer no I do not. I’ve admitted that I do wonder who she spent the night with the night she stayed out. On that note I do know that she spent at least part of that night at a friend’s house. This friend is an engaged couple. They too have a share house with other house mates. I am leery of her friendship with this couple as I find it strange. One night when we were out with this couple there was a conversation where the woman was simply rude & insulting to me. Later discussing it with her I was warned, “Don’t come between me & (insert guys name), I warn you, you will lose.” She refers to the woman as her “sister”. Challenged on that she went on to explain that they are getting married & she has accepted her as her “sister”. This last part has me wondering if she swings with this couple. If this was Utah I would think there is some Big Love going on.

My question is, is this worth saving? Is there anything to save? Should she come clean would I be able to move past it?

Confused!

 

Is there anything to save?

You mean other than your dignity, self-respect and manhood?

You fell for the charming, charismatic woman. She has dumped on you time and again and you’ve taken it. She has no respect for you or probably any man stupid enough to date her. She dallies with guys like you because they give her a sense of power. Put her up against a true Alpha Male and she’d be in your shoes. This girl has a myriad of issues. None of which you’ll ever be able to fix. She’s still living like she’s a twenty something. A summer share? Really? How very Real World circa 1993.

There’s nothing to add to this other than you need to dump her before she manages to suck every ounce of life out of you and continue to drain your bank account. Let her fritter her years away like this. You can be sure it will all eventually catch up to her. Women like this always end up alone or with cuckholdish boyfriends/husbands.

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Beware The Man Who Commits Too Soon – Part Deux

Name: Carina
State: FL
Age:  32
Comment: Hi, Ive been with my boyfriend for 3 months now.  Things are going well and we are getting closer every day.  Ive met some of his friends and vice versa.  As most people, we have facebook accounts and we added each other from month 1.  We traveled together 2 weeks ago to Europe for 10 days but he didn’t upload any pics.  He sent them to me on an online album.  He has very few pictures on facebook but do have 3 pictures from 3 years ago with an ex at restaurants, etc… all had other people in them.  All the pics on his facebook are tags from his friends. He’s in the technology business and has a lot of clients and employees on facebook so 90% of his comments are work related but he does posts daily.  Well, he posts on his tweeter and they upload into facebook automatically.  We haven’t seen each other for 2 weeks because we’ve both been traveling. Question is I’ve been tempted to write on his wall telling him I miss him or commenting on his posts but hes never written on mine so I dont know if I should.  I feel it may be sending the message of “I’m insecure and want everyone to know we r together”.  We speak over the phone several times a day, so is not like facebook is our mean to communicate ever.  But still….  Any feedback?

For additional back story on this situation, read Carina’s first letter so you can follow possible references to the original post.

Since it appears as though he maintains a Facebook page more for work purposes than anything else, and isn’t uploading photos from your trip, that he prefers to keep his private life offline.

I feel it may be sending the message of “I’m insecure and want everyone to know we r together”.

That’s is the message that posting a sentiment like that would send. And let’s be honest, that’s exactly why you would want to post it. If you and he talk all the time, several times a day, there’s no reason for you to post something so personal on his Facebook Wall other than to make your presence known. That’s why most people do it. That’s why they post photos and write cutesy tweets and Like even the most obscure or boring of updates. They want everybody to know that they have someone. Or they want to piss off an ex. Or they just want attention.

You’re bothered that he’s not uploading your trip photos to Facebook. I can understand that. Now, if we didn’t have the first letter and the additional info in there, I’d say you this was a simple case of being insecure. But since we do, I want to follow up on something you said in the first letter. You said he’s met your family. Have you met his? Maybe that’s what the trip to Europe was about. I don’t know. What I do know is that something causing you to be insecure and maybe a little paranoid. What is it?

Is it a bad sign that he’s not posting things on Facebook? Taken at face value, my answer is no. He works in technology and so he’s probably hyper-aware of the privacy issues on Facebook. I find people who are eager to post pictures and updates are usually doing it for the benefit of others or to support some manufactured image they have of themselves and not out of genuine contentment or happiness.

Listen, we all do it to some degree. We Facebook stalk exes, we pour over albums to take a look at their past lovers. We read their tweets. (Or, ahem, their blog.) We keep tabs on past boyfriends or girlfriends or lovers.  It’s hardly atypical these days and it usually isn’t done maliciously. (Unless of course somebody is looking to add a little dramz to their life or tedious relationship.)  Rational people know the lines, and we don’t cross them. We don’t impose ourselves in that person’s life in any way, especially if we know we’re not wanted. We might have private snark/analysis sessions with our friends, but that’s about it. Plus, it’s entertaining to watch the self-obsessed drama queens flame out or take themselves too seriously. It’s all for attention and to add to some creepy mystique or to add some spice to their relationship or to mess with their significant other. I’ve mentioned before that I have male friends who intentionally write on the walls of women who are mutual friends with the women they date. They do it intentionally to get a reaction. Which then compels the woman they’re taunting to check their page that much more often and be on high alert. As I said in an article I wrote for The Good Men Project yesterday, social media does not kill relationships. People kill relationships (TM Crotch Rocket.)

You need to be honest with yourself about a few things. You just wrote a comment about how, when you lived in NYC, you had a hard time finding a guy who wanted a relationship. Maybe you did encounter those guys, but your inability to trust and need to mark your territory pushed them away? When you’re watching what you guy is doing via Facebook because you fear something is off, that’s when it all becomes a problem.

I think you fear that this guy is hiding you away for some reason. Frankly, I think he is. Maybe not hiding you so much as holding off on bringing you in to the fold. You’re concerned that he doesn’t seem eager (or as eager as you) to let everybody know about your relationship. You’re of the mindset that this is a magical love affair and that he should be shouting it from the roof tops. To him, this is just a new relationship, like all the ones he has had before. (And FYI…those relationships never stuck, according to you. ) Maybe he has a recent Ex. Maybe he is cautious about what he shares publicly.Maybe he’s questioning the relationship. Maybe he doesn’t want there to be any public evidence that he’s in a relationship. It’s too early to tell and I don’t know him.

You, on the other hand, are desperate to broadcast this relationship publicly. Not that I don’t understand your anxiety. I do. This guy definitely seems, based on what you’ve shared, to be  slow at incorporating you into his life. This is why I say that committing early, offering you a key to his place, traveling,  meeting your family, etc means nothing . If he’s not making the same effort to introduce you to his world – his public world – something is off. (Also a red flag is if he’s too eager to make the relationship public. That’s for a reason, and it usually isn’t happiness.)

You’re insecure for a reason. Either you’re a naturally insecure person or something about this relationship is setting off some warning bells. It doesn’t make sense that, after all this guy has done and alllll the bragging you have done, that you’re this insecure about Facebook.

I said it last time and I’ll say it again. This guy was way too eager to commit, and likely did so to get laid since you admitted that you told him you don’t have sex without commitment. He committed casually, knowing he could always leave. Which isn’t real commitment.

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Do You Hear What I Feel?

Name: Tom |  Location: Chicago , IL |Question: I think my relationship is in the dire need of a tune up.  I have been dating the same girl for the last 2 years, and we got into a big fight yesterday about whether or not we want the same thing, she wanting to be more serious, while me maybe wanting to be a little more casual.  However saying how crappy I am feeling right now I think I want her pretty badly too right now.   A little bit of background.  We are both in our late twenties, and met on-line.  We started dating maybe 3 months after I moved to Chicago.  I was dating other people too, but chose her.  I had a job that required heavy travel, and at one time spent 5 months in the Middle East.  I quit that job last year, and got a new one that still required travel but not as much.  While switching jobs I moved in briefly with my girlfriend (the old job provided a hotel for me to live in, so I was essentially homeless), it was great and I moved out after maybe 3 weeks as I found my own apartment.  So it’s almost a year later.  I was in the Middle East again, this time for 3 weeks, and have been traveling a lot the last 2 months, but will be home for a long time now.  We had a very intense talk yesterday about where we are going with our relationship, and what our next steps should be. Meanwhile lots of people we know are getting married, including my brother, and some of our best friends.  I think she wants to take that next step but I’m not really ready yet. I care a lot about her, and think I will be in the future, but I don’t know when.  All of my friends who have been married did so after knowing the other person for a long time, maybe 5 – 7 years plus.  Should I bring this up?  I don’t want to wait 5 years, but maybe like 2 more before making a decision. We are also having problems communicating when we are upset at each other so things gather up and boil over.  It’s all things that can be resolved, you know not getting along with her  friends, my parents being difficult, stuff like that.  Are there any good ways to tell each other when we’re upset at each other?  I feel like complete crap right now, and need to figure out what to do. |Age: 27

 

We are also having problems communicating when we are upset at each other so things gather up and boil over.

Let’s leave all the other stuff to the side for the moment. This? Right here? This is the issue you need to prioritize. This is the thread that, if pulled too hard, will make the whole relationship unravel. There’s nothing more destructive to a relationship than if one or both people can not effectively and maturely express their feelings of hurt, frustration or disappointment. What usually happens is that one person says something hurtful because they are feeling defensive. Then walls come crashing in and it becomes a grudge match.

The key to avoiding such a scene is self-awareness. You have to learn how to identify what exactly it is that you are feeling. If you can’t pin point it, you’ll never be able to communicate what it is that is going on in your head. Anger is usually a cover for something deeper, like hurt. So if you can think of it that way the next time a situation arises, maybe you’ll put more thought in to what you’re about to say. When we feel hurt, it’s easy to just react and not think. We want the other person to feel what we’re feeling. The goal of any intense discussion between you and someone you care about should be to alleviate the pain, not cause more.

The next step is to empathize for your partner. Put yourself in their shoes and try to rationalize why they took the actions they did. Ask yourself why they might feel the way they feel. Here’s an example. Let’s say you work a really stressful job. You work all kinds of hours and deal with demanding superiors. You aren’t home a lot, you’re time isn’t really your own, etc. Your partner starts complaining that they never see you. They want to know where you are and when you’ll be home. Instead of snapping at them or accusing them of grilling you for your whereabouts, think for a moment why they might be doing that. Maybe they miss you. Maybe they’re afraid that the two of you are drifting apart. Usually, it’s fear (with guilt and hurt being a secondary motivators) that drives people to say things in anger. Empathizing for your partner might help quell the frustration, thereby lowering the chances you will say something in the heat of the moment.

Now let’s revisit the other issues. Never underestimate the pressure a woman might feel by her friends and family in regards to her relationship. Between family members asking questions to friends announcing engagements…it can be a really trying time. How long your friends took to settle down is irrelevant, too. That has no basis in your decision, or at least it shouldn’t.

My guess is that the little fights you’re having are all due to her wanting to know where she stands and you feeling pressured. The thing is, you both essentially want the same thing. THAT’S what you need to tell her. She needs to know that. You need to communicate to her how important she is to you and that you, like she, see a real future. Right now, she’s probably questioning that, and her insecurity has to do with not just you and your actions, but those of her friends. I think you’re both probably going on the defensive every time a disagreement arises, and you’re not really  hearing what the other is saying. Instead of going to that place, remind yourself that you and she have the same intentions and want the same things. Listen. Don’t interrupt. Don’t react impulsively. Just listen.  It’s very easy to distinguish between genuine anger and hurt or fear. In those moments, we give ourselves away with out pitch and tone and facial expressions.

If you can do that, you’ll be better able to really hear what she’s saying…and feeling.

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Three-Way to Crazytown

Name: FG | | Location: Jersey City , NJ |Question: Because I know I’ll get ripped apart here, first let me say that I’m not asking for what I should do now.  I’m fairly certain I know the answer to that is to stay far away from this girl. Nor am I asking what you think of me, because I know I had a lot of fault in this as well.  What I’d like to know is what people think the underlying issues were. Insecurity? Self esteem problems? etc. Obviously I have some problems of my own as well.  Although there are many details, I’ll try to keep it short as I can.

I started going out with a girl near the beginning of the year. Things were good. However I did already kind of feel that she was not the one, only a month or so in, but enjoyed spending time with her and sex was great. (I know.. fault #1. I should’ve ended it there) Anyway, I met her friend early in the relationship, then all hungout together once or twice. We hungout once helping the GF with cleaning the apartment because she has back problems. The GF left for appointments, errands, while her friend and I stayed and continued cleaning for hours. This whole time we talked and got to know each other better. Just basic stuff… music, job problems, etc. Nothing happened between us. However a day or so later, or possibly even that night ( i can’t remember) her friend sent me a txt saying something along the lines of : “Hey, it’s xyz and I think you’re cool. Just wanted to let ya know. “I replied saying, you too. …and I deleted the txt, not ever thinking much of it. Just thought that she was glad her friend met someone cool I guess.

After that I did not even realize, but I seemed to be interested in her and looked at her more than I should’ve when she was with us hanging out. I say I didn’t notice because my GF did, and asked about it. I didn’t even really notice I was. I denied anything going on because I didn’t actually realize. Now looking bac
k, I guess I did. Possibly the txt from her got me thinking? Possibly she meant to have that happen by sending the txt, now looking back.

Within about 2 weeks I breakup with the GF for other reasons. (seriously) I was having trouble with personality issues and that she was a bad smoker who said she was quitting but never made any efforts.

She then showed she was trying to make changes. Ended up getting back with her when we hungout a week later. Still over time, when her friend was around she said she noticed me looking at her often or more than I should. She confronted me about it and her friend about it. We both said nothing was going on.

Few months later… At this point the old issues that made me break it off the last time have come back fullswing. I’m having trouble dealing and plan to breakup. The 3 of us all go down the shore. Alcohol’s involved. Somehow they start talking about a 3way. Next thing ya know, that happens. I then feel like the GF does not really care about the relationship if she not only let this happen, but seemed to have even plan it. Over the next two days the friend shows she’s kind of interested now. Looking at me alot, smiling, we exchange a txt or two. We even talk alone about how it would be cool if we could get to know each other. Now kind of confused and unsure of things, of feelings for the friend as well, and knowing the issues that bothered me in the first place about the GF are still here, and because I had already planned to, I break it off with the GF again.

The following week I contact the friend and tell her that I’d like to meet in person and talk about all this. She is hesitant and says she needs to mention it to my ex-GF because she doesn’t want to hurt her. She does and the ex-GF first says go see what he wants. We plan to meet, but that night she calls me and says she can’t meet now, that the ex-GF now said no. They were together at the time, which I was unaware of. She and the ex-GF start fighting, and she storms out. She then calls me from a different location. We talk about the situation briefly and I also explain to her that I did plan on breaking it off with the ex-GF and this did not happen because of her. But looking back, it probably made it alot easier for me to do. We continue to talk about other things for about 2 hours and had a great time talking. We do not meet in person. A few days later she calls me and says she cannot see me because she doesn’t feel it’s right and said she doesn’t know if she may change her mind… that she will keep my number.

During that following week, the ex-GF and her fight on and off, like resentment is now showing from the friend. She keeps telling the ex-GF she does not like me and does not want to be with me, etc. But she finds out that the ex-GF and I are still talking over phone, txt. The friend gets angry that she feels she can’t make her own decision about me, and
why should the ex-gf still talk to me if she can’t as well. They have it out one big final time which gets ugly and are no longer friends.

Two weeks go by and the friend contacts me, saying she’s coming to town to hang with friends and thought we could meetup before or after. So, we plan that. Earlier the day we are supposed to meet, she then says she’s not hanging with the friends, but still wants to meetup. Hmm, convenient. So we do. We have a great time, walk around, hit a few bars, play pool, then end up back at my place, have sex. She stays over. Next morning we go back to her place, hangout the rest of the day.. mall, dinner. During the following two weeks we get together about 5-6 times. Always great. Not always sex either, but a few times. I enjoy spending time with her and feel great around her. She tells me she does not want a serious relationship because she is kind of just getting over the last one. (that ended over a year ago) and because of her new job, does not want to be distracted from it. Although my goal is a serious relationship in the end, I am fine with this… fine to keep hanging out, having fun and see where it goes. During the two weeks she gives alot of mixed signals, like mentioning things to do together far off in the future, eventually coming to say she has liked me on the outside but is now really starting to like me on the inside as well. Always sending a txt to ask how my day went. Calls for no reason, just to talk and say hi. We speak or at least chat online/txt everyday. Even told me that she does “have feelings for me” All this is of course making me feel as though it’s getting a bit more serious. She has also mentioned a few times that she feels horrible about what happened with her old friend (my ex-gf) and also feels like she’s sneaking around and hiding us, from her parents as well. A day or two later, she then tells me she is going to tell her parents about it over the weekend “because she doesn’t really care what they think.”  At this point, I’m starting to feel like she is developing stronger feelings for me, and is prepared to let her parents know. But, she txt me the following day saying she wants to have dinner the next day, and the reason is because she has a few things she needs to say to me.

I now fully expect she will end it… that she spoke to her parents and it went really bad. I mentally prepare myself and even plan out what I will say. Sure enough when I get there, she is visibly upset and anxious. I ask her whats up. We sit down to talk and she starts by saying, “I can’t see you anymore” … that it’s just too much and she feels horrible, about the ex-friend …that it’s also because of how everything happened, how bad she feels about things, and not because of me, or how things have been between us. I ask if she told her parents… no she did not. I tell her what I had planned… that “she’s a great girl, we have a great time together and each time seems better than the last, but if she feels this decision is best for her, then I accept it and I will leave her alone,” give her a hug and kiss on the cheek, wish her well with the new job and to take care of herself. I did not try to talk her into changing her mind. I made sure to not act pissed off. She’s keeps opening her mouth as to say more, but does not. Seemed to be confused and not sure what to say, and just says “same to you” as I walk out. At the time I guess I was hoping she would change her mind and contact me again, so very important to keep cool.

While with the ex-GF, she had told me things that happened in the friends past. Problems with her ex-boyfriend. Drug and alcohol problems she had. I have kept in touch with the ex-GF and recently found out that this friend was in a psychiatric hospital for a bit. That she was/is on medication and was supposed to be seeing a therapist. I do not know if I believe the ex-GF. But the ex-GF did figure out the timeline of how all this happened and feels that the friend actually caused the breakup, or certainly helped it along. She also feels that this was her intention all along, since she had sent me that first txt months before, saying she thinks I’m cool.

The ex-GF did also recently find out about the friend contacting me. She then spoke to her on the phone and the friend admitted everything but called me a piece of s##t. Completely opposite of how she told me she felt about me. Maybe the easy way out, but why lie about anything now? Just easier to get it over with maybe. Or possibly how she really felt. She’s lying to one of us.

I’m no longer speaking to either of them, as myself and the ex-GF also had it out. It’s only been a week since the friend and I stopped seeing each other.

I’m not sure what to think of the friend now. I feel as though she has major self-esteem problems and insecurity… since I know now that she kept going back to the ex-boyfriend even though he treated her very, very bad and doesn’t seem to want to be bothered by her. Why she even contacted me, I don’t know. I guess she felt she was no longer friends with my ex-gf, so why not see what happens. But it seems like the guilt got to her. Maybe also the lying? Also being afraid to tell her parents, because they knew of the situation, …fear of her parents being disappointed?

Not sure. Just wanted to see what people thought. I know.. I’ve heard from friends already, this isn’t a good way to start a relationship anyway… and she sounds kind of jeckyll&hyde-ish. She also was lying to either myself or the ex-gf, when telling each of us how she feels about me. If she did also plan to cause problems with that very first txt, bad news. Also has a long history of deleting contact info of the ex-boyfriend but then reaching out again, saying she misses him, etc… but then fighting the next day with him about his or her belongings that each other may still have. Very high-schoolish. She did that with me actually. When her and the ex-gf fought and she said she was not interested in me, she deleted my number. When she finally contacted me, it was through a friends facebook page (she does not have a FB account)

Crazy story or what?
|Age: 37

Yep. That’s a  CRAZY story.

What’s really, really crazy about all of this is that you’re 37 years old. I expected to reach the end of this letter and see your age listed as 25 or 26. Though I totally called the threeway the minute you brought up the friend. Way to go, brah.

What I’d like to know is what people think the underlying issues were. Insecurity? Self esteem problems? etc

I have no idea what her possible issues are. What I do know is that you shouldn’t trust your ex-girlfriend to tell you the truth. Maybe she is. Maybe she isn’t. But she has reason and motive to paint this “friend” of hers as a lunatic. It’s called good old fashioned jealousy. These two were never actually friends. They were frenemies. There was always underlying problems between them, as well as a latent resentment and competitiveness. So don’t fret about being the catalyst that broke these two up. If it wasn’t you it was going to be somebody.Your ex-GF just is not to be trusted. She’s revealing sensitive information about her “friend.” Plus….SHE WENT FOR THE THREEWAY AND POSSIBLY SET IT UP! Hello? She basically pushed the girl’s vagina in your direction. She’s what we all loving refer to as “batshit  crazy.” Stay away from her. You don’t want to be that guy with the story of the wacko ex who won’t leave him alone. Women hear tales like that and immediately wonder what it was the guy might have done to create such chaos in his life. There’s ALWAYS two sides to that coin. The red flags are almost always there. That you chose to ignore them makes you suspect.

The friend of the GF sounds unstable and erratic. So now that’s two women you’ve been drawn to and dated and slept with that had overt “crazy” tendencies. The difference is, I think the friend might actually be in need of treatment and therapy. You can’t really hold her actions against her if she’s not in full control of her impulses. If she gets the proper treatment and medication, she very well might be able to be the girlfriend you want her to be. You’re obviously still entranced with her to some degree, so why not reach out to her as a friend and suggest she get some help? She’s clearly suffering, and what she could really use right now is someone who has her back, who isn’t looking for something in return. She shouldn’t be demonized or ostracized, especially by a “friend.” You seem to care about her, so look out for her. Not because you want to get laid or because you have your own issues involving co-dependency, but because she’s a human being.

The real issue here, for me, is what drew you to these women in the first place. Because you’re just going to do this again.What is it about women like this that you find attractive? Do you just like the wounded birds or feel you can somehow fix them?Maybe you’re just extremely empathetic? I don’t know. But you do seem to have a high threshold for women who display less then healthy tendencies. It’s okay to be a care taker of sorts, as long as you understand that not everybody can be saved. People spend their whole lives trying to fix people who are can not be healed. Be sure to figure out why you stayed in this situation as long as you did or risk repeating it over and over.

I’m always curious about men who go on about the “crazy” women in their lives, yet still manage to engage them and have sex with them. Yes, I know, we all know the stories about “crazy girl sex.” It’s wild, it’s uninhibited, wooo hoo!  THREEWAY! I swear that some of you guys who mock the “crazy” girls are such hypocrites. You don’t even get that the mere fact that you indulge these women speaks volumes about you. And frankly, I find it a little disingenuous of those guys who openly mock these women but who have frequent trysts with these women behind closed doors. Psst…guess what? That means…wait for it…you’re “crazy,” too. Get over yourselves, ya big drama queens.

And for the record? Never, EVER partake in a threeway with your girlfriend and one of her friends. If that’s something you want to do, find a third party elsewhere. A situation like that is chock full of possible drama.  Go to a bar or an adult/poly/swinger party to find a third. My girlfriends are like my sisters. I couldn’t possibly imagine one of them going down on me. (Sorry, J.) But a petite little brunette, possibly Latina or Mediterranean,  with C-cups that we meet at a bar? Yeah. That’s possible. As long as I wouldn’t have to see her again. And this might not be what Emily Post suggests, but I’d make it clear that they leave right after the sex.  No cuddling or hanging out. No real names exchanged. Get a hotel room so they can’t Google your address. (As you can tell, I’ve thought this through. ;) ) If you choose a friend, then things will always seem weird afterwards. You don’t want to end up in a serious relationship with someone and end up double dating and befriending the friend’s boyfriend knowing you had her, too.

 

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Is Cheating As Black & White As We Think?

this is a difficult one for many of us. I think ‘yes’ I could definitely forgive this… I have been on the snooping end before. A girl that I though we were mutually head over heels in love – due to circumstances we were on and off – (yes I was married at the time) I was set to get a divorce and do EVERYTHING I could to make a world and marriage with her. She got cold feet on some things. So we continued dating in total over 3 years. I did have many suspicions come up – I did snoop into her journal. And I found she was having an emotional affair with a co worker (also married) that she would have left me instantly for… she also had been seeing an ex on and off that was the ‘one’ that was her obsession. In between all that – I am nor sure how many other guys she may have had some involvement with. It absolutely crushed me. It’s 3 years later now and she plagues my mind. Do I feel bad I snooped? Partly. But since I was considering blowing up my family for her = I think I was justified. No different that a married woman hiring a PI to follow her husband she suspects right? So – if a girl snooped on me because I gave her reason to suspect me – if I had nothing to hide and I loved her – I would open it all up to her and forgive her. If she found things about me I hid – well although I may be angry she snooped – she in my opinion was within her right… Been there. – Eamon

 

I have a hard time understanding posts such as yours. If you were cheating on your wife for years, and the other woman was willing to have a long term affair with a married man, how can you either of you have an expectation of trust in the other person? I’d assume that snooping and would be par for the course, and that neither of you are capable of making a true commitment to each other. Does a man who is willing to “blow up his family” for his mistress deserve the level of consideration you desire? – Vox

 

Bring up the subject of cheating and everybody expresses distaste. They insist they would “never” take up with a cheater.

If they cheat on them, they’ll cheat on you.

Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater

Are these sayings always true?

I’m in no way advocating cheating. I’m also not saying I don’t understand why some people find it offensive and wrong.

What I’m asking is…

Is it as avoidable as we all think? And are we really so above it?

Nobody likes the idea of being The Other Man or Woman. But, as they say,you can’t control who you love.  Sure, it’s always recommended that you wait for the person to be free of the constraints of their relationship before you begin any sort of physical relationship. But there are a lot of things we’re not “supposed” to do, that we do anyway.

Now, here comes the part that might be a bit unpopular…

When you get older, when dating becomes tougher, would you really walk away from someone that – with the exception of the fact that they’re taken – seems ideal for you? Is there ever a situation where getting involved with someone who is already spoken for won’t lead to being the cheatee?

Like I said, I totally understand why some people find the whole topic to be black and white.

But is it?

 

 

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She Snooped….Now What?

Name: birdie | | Location: New York , NY |Question: Here is the back story:
I traveled around Europe after getting laid off and met up with a childhood friend who was nothing more than that: a friend. He was going through a divorce so things were tough emotionally for him. We slept together during my trip then I went back home to reality. He continuously emailed me saying he cared about me and couldn’t believe how hard it was to see me go and then tells me he loves me 2 weeks later. Long story short, I moved to be with him and snooped more out of curiosity than suspicion. I sought and found he was talking to 2 other people with the same intensity … all that was different was the name to whom it was written. Several months later (not knowing that info at the time), I’m here and things are good and he hasn’t reconnected with the other people as far as I know.

Question is: Can I trust him going forward? He never gave me any reason to doubt his loyalty. He always tells me he loves me and that I’m his life and he wants to marry and have kids with me someday.  I never admitted to snooping but when I test him with questions I know the answer to, he lies to me. Is he doing that purely to protect me and for fear of losing me? He makes me feel like I’m the one who’s crazy sometimes when he’s the one who did wrong. |Age: 29

 

I’m not sure you really have a reason not to trust him. Sure, it would be nice if the words he said to you were to you and only you and that you were the only one on the roster but…how realistic is that? He was engaging multiple women at once. We’re you even exclusive at the time he was sending these emails? If you were, then I understand your concern. But if you weren’t, then the only thing he’s guilty of is keeping his options open. Don’t we all do that from time to time?

You can’t set someone up and then be surprised when they lie. Depending on the question, what did you think he would say? Did you think he would break down and tell you that he was hedging his bets all along? Who would admit to that?

You want him to be honest, yet you’re not being honest about what you did. Don’t you think that’s being a little hypocritical? Why aren’t you being honest? Because you’d lose him. Isn’t it possible that that’s the very reason why he’s not being honest? Isn’t that a possible sign of how much he cares versus he’s untrustworthy?

I’ll admit that there are definitely some red flags here. I’m getting a distinct “I can’t be alone” vibe from him. I don’t know why. I just do. I’m not crazy about situations where one party is expressing deep or intense sentiments early on in the relationship. To me, that feels inauthentic. Could this be a situation where he put the hook out and just reeled in whatever fish to the bait? Absolutely. But…how is that different than most other dating situations? What I mean by that is that someone dating multiple people, with no explicit exclusivity decided, whispering sweet nothings to them isn’t exactly rare or a crime.

I think what really has you concerned is whether or not this man actually wanted to be with you or if he’s just wants a girlfriend. So I think that’s what you have to determine, and the only way to do that is to talk to him.

How can you trust him? I can’t believe I’m going to suggest this, because normally I wouldn’t. But I think the only way you will know where you stand is if you tell this man what you did. You are not going to be able to put this behind you. You’re always going to want to know what those emails and his exchanges with those women were about and if they meant anything to him.

But before you do this:

Something drove you to snoop. What was it? You say it was more out of curiosity than suspicion.  I think curiosity is just the gateway to suspicion. From what you say, there seems to have been a pre-existing level of unsuredness and insecurity surrounding this relationship and this man. We’ve talked before about treating the cause versus just treating the symptom. Determining why you snooped in the first place will bring you closer to treating the cause of your suspicion. If you don’t, then there will just be something else that pops up that will make you insecure. Hopefully you can figure out what the trigger was and can deal with that and you’ll never have to tell this man what you did. But if you can’t do that, then I think you’re only recourse is to tell this man what you did. It could severely set your relationship back, of course. But if he loves you the way he says he does, he’ll get past it.

The shoe will be on the other foot, though. You’re sitting there worried about whether or not you can trust him…and you’re the one who violated his trust and privacy by snooping. So ask yourself if what he may or may not have done any worse than what you did. Maybe you can decide to wipe the slate clean for both of you and simply start fresh without ever having to bring this up.

 

Let’s do  poll…

 

Could You Forgive Someone Who Snooped?

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Is Casual Ever Really Casual?

I can remember reading a story once about a woman who was approaching a man she had recently met for a casual sex hook up. The guy was in a bad place and had much going on and was recently out of a relationship and not in the right head space for that kind of situation, so he declined. The woman took this pretty hard, assuming the guy wasn’t being honest with her and proceeded to lecture him on how he didn’t have to make up excuses and that it was “just sex.”

Before his penis every grazes her vagina, there’s a conversation. There’s hurt feelings. There’s misunderstandings.

We just had a post yesterday about a woman who had a 12 hour “date” with a man that told her he was looking for something casual “but consistent.” Meaning on going, I would think. So they have their date and then go back to his place and have sex multiple times and she leaves about 12 hours later. Before she leaves she asks if that was a one time thing. The guy replied, “I don’t know.”

Not casual.  It rarely is.

I truly believe that when most people set out to have a casual relationship, they have good intentions. They don’t try to use someone. But sometimes that’s exactly what happens. All the discussion in yesterdays post revolved around whether or not the guy knew it would be a one time thing and why wasn’t he honest. Maargen said it best.”He was as honest as he could be in that moment” when the guy told the woman he didn’t know if they’d see each other again.

Lots of people aren’t nice. Just another reason not to fuck them before you know. – Trouble

True. But do you really ever know someone well enough to know how a relationship will turn out? There’s a great line in the movie Blue Valentine that I loved:

How do you trust your feelings when they can just disappear like that? – Cindy, Blue Valentine

How do you trust or know how you’ll feel? You think you’ll be able to handle it. Or you think you’re in the right place mentally to handle such a relationship. But things can and often do change. Sometimes in minutes. Sometimes in weeks. Some people feel guilty. Or empty. Some feel invigorated. We can never predict what feelings will be triggered when we choose to participate in these arrangements.

There are, in fact, social rules.  And, a range of behavior that is objectively socially acceptable.   (By the way, one of those rules is NOT “You must never lie” as C’s comment illustrates very well)   Some people simply refuse to follow the rules.  Why?  Because either they think rules don’t apply to them, or they otherwise feel they’re above rules, or they are simply oblvious.  This is just like the guy in the other post that doesn’t like E-harmony’s rules because it doesn’t let him chat the hot chicks the way he prefers (disregarding of course whether the hot chicks want to chat with him).  Being socially oblivious, by definition, means you don’t know that your behavior is not within the range of normal.  It’s always these same people that are confused and respond to their predicaments by demanding that others change their behavior so as to make their lives better.  – DMN

Casual relationships usually involve dishonesty. They just do. Mainly because we’re usually not being honest with ourselves about what we can offer, what we can handle and what we want. My take on yesterday’s post was that the man that the woman hooked up with had no idea how to navigate a casual relationship. Like, at all. Everybody thinks they do. But it takes many, many mistakes before you really figure it out. I don’t think casual sex comes naturally to everyone.

It takes a few trial and error experiences to learn that it’s good to keep these hook ups contained. It’s not just about the logistics. It’s about turning things on and off. That isn’t something we’re wired to do. We feel what we feel. Like a more serious or traditional relationship, casual situations require communication and setting boundaries.

To review: casual relationships involve communication, expectation management, dishonesty and self-awareness. How is this any different than traditional or “regular” relationships? [Besides the whole monogamy and exclusivity thing, obviously.]

And what about this belief that many of us share that consistent casual sex can get in the way of someone finding a “real ” relationship? I happen to believe that this is true. The operative word, of course, is consistent. We’re back to the shutting on and shutting off thing again. Listen. Flick a light switch a bunch of times, over and over, and you blow a fuse. The circuits just burn out. I think something similar happens to our brains.  They short out. The ends of the circuits get frayed. Between the highs and the lows, it’s hard to stay on an even keel. Especially if you engage in these situations with people you, you know, actually like.

So how do you do it? Do you enjoy casual sex? Avoid it? How do you prevent yourself from getting attached?

 

 

 

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