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Archive for July 1st, 2008

Bedroom Treason

Just a note to ask if there are other married women and men who are happy in their marriage and in their affair at the same time? I am fulfilled at home, in the bed and emotionally, with two men meeting my needs.

It would be great if I had found a guy who could satisfy me both emotionally and sexually, but it just didn’t happen. My partner is also married and feels the same way. We will never leave our spouses, and they are unaware why we don’t hound them for physical intimacy anymore. They are both relieved of the pressure, and there are no more fights or silences.

People stay married for many reasons, and not all problems can be worked out. The four of us are friends, and I sometimes wonder if they would even object. Let’s face it. There are those who just do not like sex! I believed in no sex before marriage, and now I know why my guy was okay with that! He is not gay, but just says it’s not what it’s cracked up to be.

Chastity

Chastity, in one of P.G. Wodehouse’s books, Bertie Wooster quotes something Jeeves told him. “There can be no love where there is not perfect trust.”

When people learn about a spouse’s infidelity, they feel their world has come crashing down. We have never gotten a letter from someone who found out their mate was chronically unfaithful, and they were happy about it. They feel deceived and lied to. There are therapy groups where people talk about D-day, the day they learned of their spouse’s infidelity.

You are explaining things to yourself in a way which justifies you and makes your spouse the problem. But go ahead and try to prove your claim. Tell your husband tonight, and encourage your “partner” to tell his wife.

Wayne and Tamara

No Higher Ground

I have two friends I recently learned were, or are, in a gay relationship. I say “were or are” because one of them, Tom, is saying the relationship was a mistake and over before it started. The other one, Ray, says he walked away from one aspect of their relationship, but is not willing to give Tom up as a friend. Tom says Ray is “a friend I can’t get rid of.”

I discovered the relationship by noticing Ray is extremely possessive of Tom. Ray becomes jealous and angry when Tom is with his straight friends. To look at Tom with those straight friends you would never guess in a million years he is gay. Tom has gone to extreme measures to make sure his friends know nothing about Ray.

Ray keeps a picture of Tom on his desk at work, and he is extremely upset if Tom can’t meet him for lunch. Tom, on the other hand, panics at the thought of his family finding out about Ray. I am not to mention Ray’s name around Tom’s friends or family, which makes me feel extremely disloyal to Ray.

Tom truly wants Ray out of his life, but Ray threatens to out Tom to his friends and family if he breaks off their relationship. I care for both of them, and neither of them will seek professional help. What can I do to help them? Or should I just step away from the whole thing?

Phyllis

Phyllis, no one is on the higher moral ground here. Tom wants you to lie and hide his life from people who care about him and think they know him. Ray is trying to blackmail Tom into a relationship.

Both are seeking, or sought, a relationship they are not entitled to. You would like to champion a cause, but neither Tom nor Ray has a cause to champion. Perhaps their collision will induce some truth and reality into each of their lives. Stay out of it.

Wayne and Tamara

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10 Red Flags In Dating Relationships

When starting a new relationship, many women (and men as well) tend to overlook some behaviors in their new partner that do not bode well for the future. Then, down the road, comes the exclamation ‘If I had only known…’. As a Psychotherapist who has worked with mostly women and a few men in the field of Domestic Violence, during counseling sessions we can always trace back unpleasant and also dangerous character traits to the very start of the relationship.

Here are some ‘Red Flags’ to watch out for in a new partner.

He makes decisions about where to go with little or no input from you.

He belittles your opinion when the two of you are alone and may call you names.

He makes disparaging remarks about you in front of others and may talk about you as if you were not there.

He may be rough during love-making and make you engage in acts you do not like.

He does not want to spend time with your friends or family and insists you socialize with his people.

He will not acknowledge your areas of expertise and may put down what you do in the workplace - ignore any of your accomplishments.

He may openly flirt with other women and then accuse you of being jealous when you object.

He gets angry and loses his temper over trivialities. Stays angry for a long time and attempts to blame all arguments on you.

May hit walls when angry.

One of the main factors is that he comes on very strong in the beginning of your relationship - sweeps you off your feet - and wants an exclusive relationship too quickly. Many women feel flattered at the intensity of the man’s seeming need for an immediate connection and consequently overlook the inappropriateness of it.

*This should not be confused with ‘love at first sight’ where one or both parties feel an instant connection - without any of the aforementioned behaviors.*

There are many other factors that could be listed - but if the man in your life begins displaying the above qualities - realize it will not get better, only worse. He will likely be unwilling to discuss his emotions openly and feel that women are the inferior sex.

If this describes your man, run - do not walk - out of his life. The next step will likely be physical abuse.

About The Author

Terri Arnold, MS (Spicy Grandma) has been a Psychotherapist for over twenty years. She has owned and operated a brick and mortar dating service and has also helped abused women thru individual and group counseling to improve their self esteem, leave their abusive relationships and lead more fulfilling lives. Terri invites you to visit her popular personalized and informative 50 dating community at http://www.spicy-senior-singles.com.

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