For me, sex is important. There really is no debate about this when I'm participating in intimate relations.
If I'm in a relationship with someone I don't have sex with, then it kind of just feels like a friendship. Not that there is anything wrong with having sex or not having sex with friends.
Hey, intimacy means different things to different people. Sex doesn't define it.
It's not the most important issue in an intimate relationship, but for many, it's up there. Consensual sex is meant to be fun... at, least I've always thought so.
Sex in a relationship is also meant to be about connection. Maybe you connect in other ways, which is great.
But ask yourself, is everybody on the same page about how to connect in this department?
AHH... there in lies the rub.
Some need it more, some need it less, some are indifferent. One thing is clear; everybody needs to be talking about it. (Thank you Salt-N-Pepa!)
And it can feel really good, it's sort of one of the perks about being in love or lust.
Let's chat...
Redditor remco812wanted to talk about sex baby, by asking:
"How important is sex for you in a relationship?"
My last relationship broke down after our sex abated. From daily to every few months is def a sign something is off. It maybe time for a sit down.
Work
sexy breast GIFGiphy"Best metaphor I heard was that sex in a relationship is like plumbing. It's not the reason you buy a house, but if it's broke, you need to work on it right away." ~ MonkeyCube
Months go by...
"It honestly destroyed my last relationship, we lived together and only had sex once ever 2-3 months, we started to bicker at one another, i started to resent her and feel self conscious about myself and we ultimately broke up not soon after. Sucks because i deeply loved that girl, but the lack of physical intimacy made her feel like a roommate after a while." ~ hoodie-weather
things to overcome...
"A large difference in libido can be a hard thing for a relationship to overcome." ~ Ishamoridin
"This! Healthy communication is your best friend here. My wife has always had a sex drive much much higher than mine. In our younger years it wasn't a problem. As we've gotten older, my mind is always willing but sometimes the body just won't play ball. I assure her it's not her."
"I still find her to be the most beautiful woman on the planet and my desire for her hasn't lessened. On the days my body doesn't wanna play we break out some helpful aids. At the end of the day it's up to you and your partner to figure these things out and come up with solutions that work best for you both." ~ rwubmc
All the time...
"It's not that sex is important, it's that having the same sex drive is. If both want to have sex all the time, that's great. If neither want to have sex much at all, that's great. If one wants to have a lot of sex but the other doesn't, that's gonna cause problems. It doesn't ALWAYS cause problems, but a vast majority of the time it will." ~ Srgt_PEANUT
Yummy
Food Dinner GIF by Spirited AwayGiphy"To me sex in a relationship is like food. Can't live without it. Can't have too much of it. Can cook for myself but not all the time. Can live with not-so-good ones but I'd appreciate it if it's good." ~ lan0028456
Food and sex, both necessary. It's good we're talking about sex. It's something too many people are too shy to discuss. The more you know...
Dead
dead seth meyers GIF by Late Night with Seth MeyersGiphy"Very important. It doesn't have to be constant, and it doesn't have to be amazing, but the connection has to be there. I couldn't deal with a Dead Bedroom." ~ user deleted
Let's Cuddle
"I'm in a relationship where I (28f) have a higher drive than my boyfriend (28m), and he's pretty good at making sure I know it's not me its just that he's tired sometimes, and most of the time he'll help me scratch my itch or he'll straight up be like "I'm pretty tired but you can hop on!'"
"Lmao communication is the biggest factor in a healthy sex life. Sometimes I'm satisfied just from cuddling up together even though we're not huge regular cuddlers because it's not always the O that I'm looking for, it's the intimacy and affection." ~ klr8593
downsizing...
"It's pretty important, but our schedule and appetite for it changes frequently. Sometimes we are all over each sometimes we aren't, after several years together we've come to realize it's a changing variable and to not get too bent out of shape if we're on a downswing. Communication about sex is probably the most important part actually." ~ littlelightshow
People Explain Activities They've Added To Their Post-Pandemic Bucket List | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
While we've all been cooped up for the better part of two years, many of us have been dreaming up exciting plans for the future. Maybe it's finally time to s...What's Important?
"It depends on the relationship. I was married to my wife for 20 years. After 18 she got sick. So for the last two years of her life she was unable to have sex and I was perfectly fine with that. I was more worried about trying to get her healthy. If she had lived for another 10 years and was unable to have sex I wouldn't of cared one bit. She was more important to me than that. The companionship and love we shared overpowered anything else." ~ StraightSho
the oc couple in bed GIFA Quick Favor
"I've been in a relationship where sex happened only 'to do me a favor,' 'because I needed it,' while 'she didn't have a desire to do so.' I'd much rather have sex once every three months with someone who desires me, who wants me, who wants to be close to me rather than sex every day with someone who does it do me a favor." ~ letthisbeanewstart
Priorities....
making love passionate kiss GIFGiphy"Sex in a relationship is like the toilet in your house. It's not the defining feature of your house and it's not the reason you bought your house. It's not something you really think about all that often as long as everything is going as expected, but if it's broken, it is THE most important thing."
"And you can't look past it or prioritize anything else until it's fixed. If both sides are happy then it doesn't matter what your sex life looks like. If something isn't going well, it's going to be an increasingly large elephant in the room until it's fixed." ~ Badloss
I'm pleased...
"It's a fun and adventurous thing in my current relationship. I've never dated someone I felt this comfortable with to explore new things and just enjoy it. Laughing during it is new to me and even though I don't see him often, when I do, intimacy is vital and just fun. I'm pleased." ~ Scareyourfamily
Seconds
"in the beginning it ranked second in importance, now after a few years its close to the bottom. its nice to have but i am also satisfied in every other aspect in the relationship so well i do not find myself missing it. it is just a dessert to a fine a** 4 course dinner." ~ Accomplished_Pause39
For Me
"For me, personally, vital. But that's cause I have a VERY high sex drive and value the physical and emotional of it all, that sex brings extremely highly for me. For other people? It varies. It's not important to have sex/not have sex in a relationship. It IS important that you and your partner's sex drive is roughly equivalent."
"It is beyond important. Take it from someone who was in a relationship where his sex drive did not match his partners for way too long. It only breeds resentment and anger and hurt for both parties." ~ DragonDai
just isn't there anymore...
"It's vital in the first decade or so. But I've been with my partner for 20 years and while I'm madly in love with him, that crazy full-on monkey sex we had in those first years, just isn't there anymore. But it feels natural, weirdly. We still hook up, sure. However, the physical intimacy - kissing, hugging, holding hands, lolling around in bed - as well as the intense companionship is the substance of our connection these days." ~ Jaybetav2
Value
"Very important. And top of it, the quality of sex. If we can have great sex, it means we are happy around each other, we communicate in an assertive way, we are fond of each other, there are commitments about having responsible sex, we value our time together, we can share our vulnerability and have true intimacy. Great sex is beyond the physical part. Is emotionally, mentally satisfying." ~ JCVP79
All the Reasons
Season 5 Flirt GIF by FriendsGiphy"Friendship. Sex. Commitment. Love. I believe you need all four for a fantastic relationship. I've not found a further minimal set. People get divorced even though they love their partner (cheating/lack of commitment)." ~ tim125
reconnection
"Me and my wife went through a long dry spell after our third child. And I mean I can probably count on one hand how many times we did it in 5 years. We have just recently connected again sexually and found we argue a lot less and the household seems happier. So I would say it's quite important at this moment on time." ~ SWWIS
If you're in a sexless relationship, and it's bothering you... it's time to chat with your partner. There is enough here to understand the groundwork. Good luck.
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An unwillingness to learn
"I feel like the classic example is being unable to change your opinion or idea when you are presented with new information."
"You don’t have to set everything you believe in stone."- Rusty_of_Shackleford
"I think a key thing that separates the intelligent from the less intelligent is curiosity and how far you actually go to learn."- TuxedoWolf07
When even they don't know what they're talking about.
"Maybe not unintelligence but ignorance."
"People getting angry when I ask them to explain what they just meant as I want to understand them and not misunderstand."- smokinstuff·
"Getting angry when someone ask them to explain their point."- SuvenPan
Working Julie Andrews GIFGiphyIt's never attractive to gloat
"Obsessively telling everybody how intelligent you are."- terribleUsername18
It's ok to admit defeat every now and then...
"Playing 'last word' in an argument you've lost."- LennonMcCartney65
"Being defensive when corrected instead of just accepting it."- Marthstewart123
"Claiming they are always right but not being able to argument why or have a serious debate about it."- GReatChinook
Drop The Mic GIF by In Real LifeGiphyAre you sure about that?
"Constantly saying 'facts' that are extremely false."
"Gets on my nerves."- Sharkifish
Read the instructions!!!
"I just started driving for UberXL."
"The amount of people who think they can fit 8 people with all their luggage into a midsize SUV is astonishing."
"You can see which car comes to pick you up and it says fits 5 people."
"If you have a piece of luggage each then it's more like 3 people."
"I had one group sit there and stare me down like they didn't understand."
"I swear some people just have a mental limit for figuring things out and they all find each other and never get anywhere."- predict_irrational
One should always reserve judgment, as one never knows for sure what lurks beneath the surface.
Even if more often and not, you are left with little to nothing which encourages you to see what's there.
Overprotective parents tend to be evasive about discussing the birds and the bees with their kids because they feel it's not up to them to have that conversation.
Remember Carrie White's religious mom who refused to talk about intimacy with her 16-year-old?
We all know how that turned out in the classic Stephen King novel.
Anyway, parents turning down an opportunity to have the uncomfortable convo or having their kids miss out on sex education can lead a child to potentially develop damaging misunderstandings about their body and puberty.
The effects of which were explored when Redditor sparklingshanaya asked:
"What’s a sexual misconception you had for way too long?"
It helps to have an earlier understanding about your body when you're younger.
Sex Education
"As a girl, I had no real idea of where/what the vagina was until I was like 11 or 12. My mom didn't give me a real sex talk, just a puberty/body book that said 'the vagina is between the woman's legs' and just had a full frontal diagram (legs closed) of a woman with an arrow pointing to her pelvic region. I also didn't know a period lasted longer than a day until I got mine at 14, and then wondered why it was still going on the next day."
"When my mom realized how abysmal my sex education was, her solution was to rent a video from the library about it and make me watch it on the big family TV in the living room at like 3pm. Granted— it was a very educational video but I won't ever forget one of the educators (a 50 year old woman) talking about how to give a satisfactory blow job."
– ash-on-fire
Hard Epiphany
"Ok so I grew up in a VERY conservative household. Was not allowed to take sex ed in middle school and they helicoptered in high school. Any internet access they had access to view so I never watched porn/looked at pics. Absolutely nothing. So for a long time I thought penises were shaped like a smaller pringles can. I thought it was just like...a straight up cylinder. Moved out at 17 and googled some things and man I had men's anatomy SO wrong."
– WholeLottaIntrovert
Wrong End Of The Stick
"Friend of mine has a similar background and I just about lost my mind when she said the balls are the END of the penis. Like she had seen those doodles and had it upside down so they just dangle off the end of the shaft lmaooo."
– xchakrumx
Let's get verbal about getting oral.
Satisfy A Woman
"Learn to go down on a woman, like become a master at it. Do this."
– ecallawsamoht
Excuse For Supper
"I second this. Been married for 20 years and it's something I'm happy to do."
"Get involved, people."
"Edit: thanks for the medals and upvotes, people! Be assured that I'll be celebrating tonight."
– AhabVanCleef
Semantics
"Friend of a friend thought it meant kissing. And they were like 19. So glad they found out through a conversation and not through a dude asking for it, or her talking about it. That would've been extremely confusing for everyone."
– SilverWaters793
Pucker Up
"My friend back in middle school thought a blowjob meant to literally blow on it. I still tease her about it to this day."
– Ashurii_desu
Failed Expectations
"Man, I thought I was gonna get so many blow jobs. That’s just not true."
– Studying_Politics
As young adolescents, these Redditors got these terminologies mixed up.
Dirty Talk
"When I was around middle school age I thought that oral sex meant talking dirty :’)"
– strawbrykat
"I used to sext with my girlfriend in high school. When we broke up, she just went crazy and told everyone in our grade that I was great at 'oral sex' (she meant sexting💀) School hasn’t been the same since then."
– Particular-Ad4356
Learning By Example
"I was kind of sheltered growing up, and like most sheltered kids, I learned a lot about sex through porn. I kept seeing 'blowjob' videos, and (i had no idea what a blowjob) assumed it was some kind of sex blooper. Like, something got messed up and the director said 'Oh darn, you blew it! Let’s take it from the top.'”
– Danny_my_boy
I had sex education in sixth grade after my parents gave the school permission for me to attend the special assembly centering on the topic.
But I remember how vague the instructor was. By the time I eventually had my first nocturnal emission, I remember being terrified, yet simultaneously elated. It was very confusing, and I didn't know what happened.
I remember reflecting back to sixth grade and thinking the school must've skipped that part in sex ed.