It’s Wednesday, the day when we talk marriage! And today we’re going to talk about why you have to initiate sex–if you want your husband to feel important.
That means that today I am going to totally tick a bunch of you off. I understand that, and believe me when I say that this is not my intention. It’s just that I think sex is such a vital part of marriage, and it’s something that we women often get totally wrong.
Now, if you’re not a lady–if you’re a guy who has arrived at this page because you’re upset that your wife never initiates sex, I understand. You’ll likely appreciate these two resources: A post I wrote for guys to show their wives on why sex is important; and my 31 Days to Great Sex, a great way to start talking more about intimacy, and to rev up your sex life! It isn’t just 31 days of sex tricks; it helps ease into things by focusing on communication, having fun, flirting, and all kinds of great stuff before it even gets to making sex great. And it’s helped a ton of couples!
Okay, back to you, ladies: Let me start with some personal history that might make this pill a little easier to swallow. When Keith and I were first married, we used to get into a lot of fights about one thing: He wanted me to want him, and I never really understood what he meant.
He would say, “I just want you to want me!” and I would yell back, “But I do want you! I want you as my husband! I want you to be happy! I want you with me always!” etc. etc. etc.
What he really wanted was just for me to jump him. He wanted me to initiate sex.
And I couldn’t do that, because it felt somehow like lying. I really didn’t particularly want to make love. Sure I’d do it if he started it, but it wasn’t like I was sitting there, jets ready to go, just waiting to take off. I would much rather watch a movie, or read a book, or cuddle, or just about anything. I was frequently tired. I was still new at this so it didn’t always work all that well. And I was so, so tired of him wanting it all the time.
What I only understood later was how intrinsic to a man’s self-esteem is the idea that his wife actually desires him sexually.
Most men really struggle with questions like, “Am I good enough?”, or “Does she really love me?”. What they want to know, more than anything, is that we think they are the best.
It’s not really so surprising. Remember all the books talking about how important respect is to a guy? Even more important than love? A man needs to feel like we are glad we married him not because we love him, but because we’ve looked around, and we’ve honestly concluded that he is the perfect one for us. We appreciate who he is and what he does.
Tied up in all of that is his sexuality.
It’s hard for him to believe that you’re proud of him, and that you’re happy to be married to him, if you don’t also want him sexually–if you never initiate sex.
If you don’t want him like that, then you really don’t think he can take on the world. You really don’t think he’s a capable guy, a strong guy, an amazing guy. You just want to be married to somebody, but you don’t actually respect him anymore.
It’s men’s ultimate self-esteem issue. And the best way to address it is if we, every now and then, actually initiate.
That may be the last thing you want to do, for a host of reasons. You may be tired. You may be angry at him because he doesn’t really pay attention to you, so why should you pay attention to him? You may be tired of sex because it just doesn’t work well for you, and he gets all the fun.
Let me suggest that if you start initiating sex, a lot of those issues will diminish in importance.
Let’s take just one: whether or not it feels good for you. The nice thing is that if you initiate making love, you get to set the tone and the direction for what you do! Perhaps one of the reasons it hasn’t felt that good is because he’s been rushing things. If you initiate, you can figure out what you want him to do. You can do it yourself! You can control things a little better. So why not jump in with the express purpose of figuring out what’s nice for you?
Or, conversely, if you’re tired of the stress of making sure that sex is nice for you (because many couples get locked into this quest to make sure that she reaches orgasm, for instance, and then it becomes too goal oriented for you to enjoy), you can initiate sex so that he can feel good. You can throw yourself into making sure that he enjoys it and giving him a gift. And he’ll feel ten feet tall. When sex becomes about him feeling good, but you’re the one who initiated it, it’s okay. When he initiates sex and you don’t enjoy it as much, he can feel like a failure. It’s just a different dynamic.
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What about the other problems? Let’s say that you feel as if he is distant, and you’re a little ticked at him.
Part of the reason that he might feel distant, though, is because he feels as if you don’t want him sexually.
Truly, we need to understand how important this is to most men. They marry thinking that we will want them all the time, and when real life intrudes and it doesn’t work out that way, they have nowhere to go but to retreat. I’m not saying it’s right; I’m just saying that’s what a lot of men do. So if you’re feeling distant, why not take that first step to repairing the rift?
Men really don’t want to be married to someone who will comply when they suggest sex. They want to be married to someone who is actually enthusiastic about it. I know it’s hard to be enthusiastic sometimes, but I think we can talk ourselves into it. Make it a priority to think about sex in a positive light throughout the day. Try to figure out what you’d enjoy doing. Touch him throughout the day. And then, when the kids are in bed, you be the one to lead him to the bedroom.
Try to remember the last five times you made love.
If you didn’t initiate sex at least one of the last five times you made love, you’ve likely got a problem.
So why not rectify that by deciding that tonight is going to be different? Just try for a month being the one to initiate sex every now and then, and see if, at the end of that month, you both feel differently about the relationship. I’m pretty sure you’ll both have a lot more goodwill towards the marriage, and things will be better!
And if you’re wondering how to initiate sex, because you feel awkward or it makes you nervous, have no fear! I’ve got 10 great tips right here.
UPDATE: Now, one caveat: I know a lot of women who would actually love to have this problem. They DO initiate, but their husbands reject them (Like the first commenter!). You’ve got a slightly different problem: your husband doesn’t have a high libido. For various reasons, men’s libidos are diminishing in our society. In many marriages it’s actually HER who has the higher sex drive. If that’s the case, then excuse this post and my emphasis on women in a different situation than the one you find yourselves in. And read this one instead!
Do you have trouble initiating sex? Why? Leave a comment (anonymously if you want to), and let’s talk about it!
Sheila Wray Gregoire has been married for 25 years and happily married for 20! She loves traveling around North America with her hubby in their RV, giving her signature "Girl Talk" about sex and marriage. And she's written 8 books. About sex and marriage. See a theme here? Plus she knits. Even in line at the grocery store.
>I'll be honest- I don't initiate often. I've only been married a few years, but I've found that my husband only seems to want sex once or twice a week. When I try to initiate, I'm usually rejected. It doesn't feel very good… I know I should initiate, but I just feel like I'm bugging him when I try to do little things (kissing/touching, ect) that could lead to sex later.
We're both Christians and have an otherwise healthy relationship. It's not really like there are a lot of complicated factors here. I kind of feel like your husband did in your first few years of marriage- I want to be wanted.
Thank you for giving me the freedom to post this anonymously. đ
It amazes me of how a wife can be offended forever if she is rebuffed one time when she initiates and will never do it again, while it’s ok for her to reject her husband over and over again just because she doesn’t “feel” like doing anything. Women have no idea how much that constant rejection deflates her supposed true love, then they wonder why he has no fire to do anything else in life.
Each person can only speak to their own specific situation. But for the first 5 years of my marriage it was him rejecting me, so for us it wasn’t just that one time. And you can count on one hand the times I have told him no. I did stop initiating due to the rejections. Eventually he began to initiate and we’ve worked through some of it.
Totally agree here…in my relationship, I am 99% the ‘aggressor’ and have lived with the rejections during our 22 years of marriage. When that 1% of the times hit, it is usually when I am distant and reject her to ‘make my point’, which 99% of the time is lost upon her.
Quite frankly…once a week is fine for me, but a second time is not out of the question! So I don’t feel like I put undue pressure on her, but we go a month…maybe two…before we have sex again. I’m sorry…but it makes me feel like a ‘perv’ when I have to ‘ask’ and then be rejected and that is just a big turn-off for me.
We’ve talked about this in the past…seems to get better, then back to the same…so I’ve stopped talking. And now I am distant…discouraged…sometimes short with her…angry that I cant share sex with her. It seems like a waste…47yo w/ 4 kids, certainly many lives affected with a divorce, so not a consideration for me.
An affair? Find a FWB who has the same issue? Honestly not the right solution, but certainly an option. Give the affection and sexual contact to someone who needs / wants it? Cant believe it has to be this hard….
I’m a couple of years older than you and have only been married 15 yrs with two children. Otherwise, we live in parallel universes. I think about this issue constantly and search everywhere looking for answers. When I do find something, like this post, it’s both a comfort and frustration. When I’ve brought up what I’ve found with my wife in the past I feel again like the “perv” you refer to, or feel like I’m pointing out that she is somehow “broken”. Consequentially, when I do come across information, I simply store it in my memory and go back to the frustration of my life. I just have such a hard time understanding why a wife would find initiating intimacy with the man she is supposed to love so unimportant. And that’s how she makes me feel.
Hi Mark,
I do feel for you. Most of the husbands on this site are so….sad. I’m sure your wives have no idea how sad you really are. I’m sure you’re saying “I’ve told her…how could she NOT know?” But I betcha she doesn’t. I’m saying this from personal experience. No matter what my husband said about wanting to be wanted it didn’t make any sense to me. Why would I marry someone I didn’t want? Of course I want him! I’m going to list some reasons your wife doesn’t get it, which may help you…..
1.”Men marry wives not whores”. See men decided that marriage wasn’t supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be like prison. I mean, you guys have to give up SOOOO much. Mainly having multiple sex partners. So some man or men somewhere decided that he’d have FUN with ‘loose’ women before he got married. And he’d LIVE with a “saint of a woman”.Thus “good girl” “bad girl” was born. And only “bad girls” WANT sex.
2. Biology. The experts told us that men & women are wired differently. Especially when it comes to sex. Men have millions of “seeds” and women have these single drop eggs. That subconsciously women have to be more “protective” and that causes some of the sexual hesitation…..
3. Turn on factors. Either she’s turned her sexality off and or nothing is turning her on. Might sound like a myth, but I turned mine off from 15-21. That’s how I prevented being a teen mom. I had enough reasons NOT to have sex. So I didn’t. #1 reason? The men that approached me were losers. Dreamers. Liars. Average.
4. She’s disappointed. If you sold her a bunch of dreams at the beginning and they haven’t come true….she may never say it but she’s disappointed in her choice of a mate. Or worse, she had some dreams that she hasn’t accomplished.and as she’s getting closer & closer to the grave, life is looking dull and stupid.
5. She doesn’t like her body. It matters that you’re “ok” with the changes….but not more than her opinion of herself. And if she doesn’t like looking at herself she certainly doesn’t want anyone else looking.
6.competition. she’s in competition with your fantasies. And she doesn’t think she can win. Even if your fantasies are about her and the great intimacy you’d have..she doesn’t want to look the fool so she won’t try…for a woman it’s very scary. Because pleasing you is so important.
I could come up with more. It’s probably not just one thing either.Most likely a combination of things I’ve listed & others that I didn’t. Until she deals with what’s going on mentally & emotionally you won’t connect sexually. And prodding won’t help. It will make things worse. If she has to hear “why don’t you want me” or any phrases akin to it she’s gonna burst.
My husband saying stuff like that to me only made me dig my heels in more. I didn’t initiate when we were dating…ever. Now all of a sudden he’s complaining like something has changed. What? Sounds like he’s been watching too much porn and basing his wants off some chick…who is WORKING. Its a performance….anyway.
I got tired of hearing his mouth. So I dealt with the situation. We had lots of frustrating talks. But I understand him. Just like I want him to “surprise me” he wants the same thing. The more research i did the more I found that men & women are the the same. We’ve been made different through gender expectations. And when a person finds the truth they are free to do anything….including express how much they love, need & WANT their mate!
Good luck!
I agree. U have written that well. How do I know if it can be fixed or if it is something that I can’t change?
Wow.. I’ve felt so alone on this issue till now. I know this is sad, but it’s a relief to know I’m not alone.
After 14 years of marriage and constantly being told “stop it”, “Just stop” or plain “no” or other phrases to that effect, I’m quite literally over it all. I haven’t initiated anything in months now, just to see what the reaction is. And well there isn’t one. Nothing. I’m dumbfounded. I have accepted that it’s a marriage in name only. Oh occasionally I’ll get the odd “I love you”, but I have gotten to the point where I don’t believe it. I’ve even thought about the fact that there is ‘someone else’, and even that strikes no reaction in me. I couldn’t care if she was or wasn’t. I’ve thought about the affair thing too, to share a moment with someone who actually wants me like that. But honestly the hassle and trouble of it all isn’t worth it.
I look forward to working, and take on more overtime than I probably should. I dread the weekends and coming home is now the worst part of my day. Coming home to someone I truly love, but deep down know it’s a one way street – or at least it seems that way – is depressing. Literally. I don’t sleep, I’m irritable, short with the kids at times, forget things “I should have done”, really am lost in a murky cloud of constant negativity. If I knew that this kind of rejection was so common, I’d still be single today.
Hey there friend.. I have been married 16 years and know how you feel. My wife has improved over time with me initiating sex, BUT only 1 time has she ever attacked me… I has been bothering me for a long time and have tried to address this as well.. She just apologizes and says I will try to do better… In conversations I have expressed how important this area is to me to feel loved, accepted, wanted, and then some. I even asked her what was her 1 need? and if I listed to her tell me how important that was to her and I never did a thing about it how would that make our marriage and connection? She began to cry. Well things still have not improved much in that area of her taking the lead and I find more and more with others that is quite normal for a woman. Sex is NOT a #1 priority for 90% of women. SO I began to chase her heart NOT her body. As I entered into her emotionally by being more concerned about what is YOUR #1 need and expectations and such things changed recently. We are connected on a deeper level and SEX is the expression. ONE thing I have learned now. If she is not connected to you emotionally then FORGET IT MAN- Nothing will work? No $$- Flowers- gifts- ect. I tried it- BUT what I did not try was to always put her above my needs– when I did- BOOM– That is the match that lights the flame. Things are much better now these days. It took 16 years and I think we are closer than ever in our marriage. She sees how much of an impact she has to make or break a man…. To all the women out there–What are your thoughts and feedback?
That’s really great, Darren! An amazing insight. And I think women need to understand the flipside. We think that if we do the laundry, keep a nice house, tell him we love him, etc., that will make him feel close. But we have to look at his #1 need, too, and that is for closeness the way that he experiences it. So true!
Thank you for posting this! You are 100% accurate and you are truly a great man for digging in and figuring out how you can make a difference in your relationship.
You hit on the key to winning our hearts – connecting emotionally. Make what’s important to us important to you. When my husband is simply silent when I share things I’m excited about, or worse, criticizes or mocks them, I feel like I can’t trust him with my heart and I certainly can’t open up to him physically with any kind of heartfelt enthusiasm. I want him to value my thoughts and my efforts in taking care of the family and growing as a person and reaching out to help others, but his negativity feels like a stab in the back and makes it so hard for me to get excited about him. So, yes – connect emotionally and let the intimacy become an expression thereof.
my wife and I have been married for 47 years now and in all that time I can only remember my wife initiating sex a few times,i would love her to be a bit more forward in this .but she is not she enjoys sex a lot when we do have it but doeant seem to bother unless I start it.although we did swap with friends a little while ago and she lead from the front on that which upset me very much and still does.we stopped that and now have returned to the same old routine of unless I start we don’t.i look at other women more and more now.how can I change things without hurting her.
jesus. I feel like you wrote this for me! the only difference is the number of kids. you’re not alone.
I don’t think it is an attack on women. But I wish more women would lovingly listen with an open mind with no judgment. Think of all the fears that women have stated about initiating sex…Do you think that men don’t feel those things? Why is it OK in our society that women can be victims but men can never be? I don’t mean to sound angry but sometimes it sounds like women are saying “I’m not ok with feeling these insecurities about initiating but it’s ok if he does”. I mean if sex is going to happen then someone has to initiate. Why should it be so imbalanced? We’ve heard how unbalanced society is not ok. Equal pay, equal opportunity. I.e. women used to not have the right to vote….. and men used to do all the initiating. (Ask out on first date,proposing,sex,etc) they BOTH need to change. If we do all the initiating, how do we feel loved, persued, cherished? ? Women don’t get this because THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING IT.
Another point I would make is that men are even being more courageous making themselves vulnerable. Because usually that makes us less of a man right? It’s not the same for us.
i hit it on the head for me, 44yr old male
Rebuffing your husband causes more problems deep seated in the relationship. That’s a sad state of affairs as both husband and wife should consider their partners feelings.
Nailed it
As a man i can tell you your husband wants sex more than once or twice a week.
Todd, that isn’t necessarily true. In about 25% of Christian marriages the woman has the higher sex drive–and the man seems content with very little sex. There are a number of factors in this, the foremost being pornography, but many women are living in marriages where it’s the husband who won’t have sex, not the wife. And that’s really hard, too.
I’m hoping I speak for many poor boy hubby’s. In my married life experience, I agree with the afformentioned 25% but there’s a reason why this 25% is there. We have been rejected, mostly im-politely, but it still takes an ill-effect on our mind. Therefore, I am apprehensive of initiating because of the constant rejections. I have no self-esteem even though I’m pretty fair build for my age, and very athletic. I’m sorry but each rejection after 10 years, just puts another axe wound in the tree that’s getting ready to fall.
@roughy, this is very much NOT true in my marriage. I have only been married a few months, but I have never ever told my husband no. He rejects me almost nightly. Like the first poster said, I try cuddling or kissing (and lingerie and outright asking) to try to get him in the mood, but he’d rather watch TV (without me) and won’t even come in the bedroom until I fall asleep. He has told me he felt under too much pressure, that he was stressed out, that he’s tired, that he just doesn’t have any honeymoon feelings for me and he thinks at our ages (39 and 33), that once a week (or two) is enough.
I love my husband, and I think he really loves me, and (besides), marriage is a covenant. It just hurts.
I wish my wife was one of these decently in shape, even tossing on some lingerie! (wow, that would be a real treat) 18+ years of marriage women. Well ladies I am one of those decently in shape 35 + years old husbands , 5’10”, 165 lbs that still does situps and pushups daily that would probably get sex only 10% as often as i do if I wasn’t the one to initiate some signal of romance. Frustrating indeed. We have 4 children and she still continues to baffle me on the signs she gives…”It’s my Friday/weekend” she says ..wink wink, “Maybe we can watch a show tonight”…I think ok, wink wink, a show tonight (romance), after we finish watching our show it’s yawn, “well i guess i’ll go to bed hon, love you goodnight.” I just sit there stunned on the couch after she has gone to bed and eventually end up here on this blog hours later looking for help!!!!!!!!!
This is a great post! You nailed it. I guess learning the ‘signs’ would be helpful.
FFH: your wife is saying those things and winking because she is making herself available and waiting for you to make the move. Estrogen is the receptive hormone, making us receptive to your advances. I know you want her to jump you but please take advantage next time she drops hints!
From a guy living iwith apparently the exaCt same woman as Frustrated Husband, I can tell you no it’s not that she’s waiting for our advance. I’ve tried this 1000 times, making “the move” while the movie is on or right before it stats, but no, it’s, “not yet, I’m still relaxing” or “I really want to see this, we can do it later.” But then, when the time would seem to finally arrive, she’s gone, asleep before it’s over even. It’s almost like clock work. She’s flerts when sex isn’t possible but then when it is…. Somehow the mood is gone. Occasionally she’ll just do it because she feel guilty and knows it’s been a while, but frankly, that sex sucks and even though I’m desperate for it, sometimes I’ll turn it down. I often hope that might earn me some points and she’ll initiate sometime in the near future, but no. It just happens again and this time I just begrudgingly take the “get it over with” sex.
Hey… That’s my wife you’re talking about.
Weird how the same thing happens.
I have to be the initiator. 99.9% of the time, she will go along… As a “wifely duty”, but it makes me feel like it’s out of pity.
I compliment her many times a day… I make sure to take care of her needs first if we do have sex… I mix my comments to her between the romantic and a little suggestive. Sometimes she looks very pretty and sometimes she looks super hot. (Even when she doesn’t.)
She is not a romantic person.
IF sex is to occur… let’s get this done.
I like to take a while. Plenty of build up and plenty of relaxing with each other after. But that’s not her.
Sleeps through every movie… not into music… no soft spot for family things… no attachment to anything! Hates all the holidays, which kills me because I love them all. However… she’s a big believer in retail therapy.
26 years of this!
Okay, it wasn’t this bad 26 years ago… but it has been bad for the last 10. I am nearly done with this, but don’t have the courage to change it, yet.
I have made the comment that we need to talk about this and I get the reply that “seems okay to me.”
I’m glad I found this blog, but I don’t know if I can be saved. It feels good to vent though!
Now you know how all men feel then eh!
My husband hasn’t made a move on me for 15 years. I made all the moves and begged for sex. If I complain that we don’t have sex, he blames it on me. Yet he never makes a move. If he don’t blame it on me, then he says he is tired, stomach upset, will anther day. Some women may actually be married to a closet gay man or he may have checked out the relationship and just stringing his wife along or having an affair or he could be a narcissist. There are some who are so arroGant they will not make the first move. It doesn’t matter if he wants the fact he isn’t and when it goes on as long as it had in my marriage, u should consider that he has abandoned u and keeping u for something other than love
Wifedeprived,
It may be foolish to comment like this, but it’s a small relief to know it’s not just a male problem.
Based on how my wife makes ME feel, I think we share a common problem.
I am constantly examining everything I do to be sure I’m not neglecting my wife or her needs in any way. Not just in the intimacy category, but in every category a marriage has. I want to be sure I can always look back on these times and know I did everything I could… no matter what the future holds.
So, for what it’s worth, I would suggest you should not blame your self in this matter. If you’re a warm and caring person, the rest should happen easily.
I’ve not discussed this with a single friend of mine. Just here in anonymity. But I did joke to friend recently that I was thinking about hiring a call girl to take me out back and talk my brains out!
For me, the romance is about a lot more than sex. Our typical conversations dwell on work, or redecorating, or a new wardrobe, or her last three hour phone call to mother.
I met with my accountant last week and she started talking about the latest Star Wars movie. Next thing I know, we were talking about classic rock, old TV shows, and what our favorite Christmas had been like. I started feeling like I was in love! I wanted to talk to her for the next year or so, but the appointment was over and it was back to reality.
I realized I was fairly well turned on! And there was no discussion about sex. But I was having a good time and I was relaxed.
Again, back to reality. Huge bills to pay, fast food for dinner, back breaking work in the morning, and watching my wife sleep in her chair while I look for something to watch on TV.
Is this my fault? If it is, I’d like an explanation.
I can’t see my own forest due to the trees. I can’t claim to see yours either. Just want you to feel a little better that it sounds like the Mr. is missing a lot.
Might be a strange question, maybe it’s resolved by now….any question as to wether or not he struggles with pornography? I’m a recovering addict and from past experinces when I was watching it I would completely distance myself from my wife out of sheer guilt.
Wanting sex more than 3 times a week sounds more like you men think we women are just some inanimate object to help you release tension. You act like all the hundreds of things that your wives do for you ina day amounts to nothing. You better find other things to enjoy with your wife because when she starts menopause the hirmones changes give her almost no desire for sex. Stop making sex the only way to tell if your wife loves you!
Sorry Cathy, but you need to realise, sometimes you have to make an effort, you know, actual effort, you cannot simply sit back and allow a partner to be the only one making an EFFORT!
The guy could have a low libido, but a likely thing is that if you pull the old switcharoo on him mid-stream (never initiate and then start trying to initiate) he could’ve already handled his own duties in some other way earlier in the day in the anticipation that he had zero chances of initiation happening. Make it more frequent and if it still doesn’t work…maybe his libido really is low, or he’s cheating on you….or you two shouldn’t really be together.
After reading the posts here, I can only say I wish I had your problems. I have been married 8 years, I am not the initiator of sex anymore. The reason I don’t initiate anymore is that every single time I have and its been many times, I have been rejected, he even fell asleep while I was doing it. I must have been exceptionally bad at it is all I can say…. If that’s not an insult than I don’t know what is. The strange thing is that he has a very high sex drive and I don’t, but I understand the need for both to initiate sex but how many times can someone be rejected before they decide its enough. The worst is that he then complains that I don’t initiate sex and that he wants me to do it more, but how can I when I am so scared I will be rejected again.
Why would you be scared? He is your husband. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love you and to be honest, and I know this sounds messed up but by you putting yourself out there and initiating makes him feel wanted and that will boost his ego….when he says no…may make him feel more like a man. I know that sounds bad but it’s true for some men.
Keep initiating, unless he is turning you down constantly?
Lol I can’t believe you think it’s an ego boost to NOT be the initiator and to actually REFUSE sex. It’s like saying he’ll feel like more of a man if his wife earns more money.
My husband does the same thing. He does sometimes go along with my imitation but often says no or that he wants to watch tv, etc. He has complained that I don’t initiate and won’t admit he refuses me. I think he is passive aggressive.
Very true. And how long can this rejection go on without taking a huge toll. In a few days I will have been married 36 years. Sometime about 6 or 8 years ago it all hit the fan. One more rejection pretty much ended it all for me. I have felt like there is NO hope of EVER having a “marriage” and after that one time I finally didn’t even care anymore. I didn’t care if I had a marriage or not, and I didn’t even care to have sex anymore. And my physical ability to perform took a huge drop instantly, I still didn’t really care. That is improving a little but I’m getting too old for it to matter much anyway.
I’m not an expert in any way, but I was married to a man that I loved, but didn’t feel like sex was a priority in our marriage. We were friends and we had two wonderful daughters together, but we just didn’t have that connection. We would talk,but it just really didn’t go anywhere. Since then, I have re-married about 7 years now and I now know and understand that sex is very import in a relationship. Its about all of it, the touch, talking, hold, kissing ,,, everything. Even holding hand when your out together. Its a desire and want that people need. I have leaned to be very open with my needs and wants, we talk openly all the time and yes… I initiate a lot. Men love it. They want to be desired just like we do. My husband and I agreed when we married we would keep the passion alive, because we didn’t have that in our first marriage and know that it was a big issue. We try to have sex daily to every other day, but sometimes we have to wait a few extra days, for obvious reasons. Now I know people are going to say… NO way, I’m to tired, that unrealistic. Well, I’m here to say, it can be done and its wonderful!!! It doesn’t matter is you are a Christian or not. this is your partner, your playmate, your friend, your lover. So, talk to one another openly, ever if you need to drink a few glasses of wine together, and get it all out, both of you!! You needs and wants. Talk often and have sex a lot. You and your man with be happier and closer for it. BTW- We have 3 children combined… So just because you have children doesn’t mean you cant have sex as often. Good luck!!! đ
i am a hard working man, me and my wife have been together since age 15 now in ours 50s, my wife doesnt work, she noever has, but now we are facing hard money times i pay all the bills and her car payment, but she is alwatys down in the dumps, i really love her but, i need sex not just 2 or 3 times amounth. but when we do have sex i feel like she is just doing it for me not because she wants to or that she loves having sex with me. what do i di? im depressed have no one to talk to
I been with my wife for 16 years and we have 3 children together and she has 1 from a previous marriage , my wife suffers from anxiety and depression, having sex with her is a hit or miss. In the begin ing we did it all the time but it died down through the Years. When she doesn’t initiate sex with me or pushes me away it makes me feel like I am not good enough for her anymore , it makes me feel like something Is wrong with me , or is she cheating on me and doesn’t love me anymore. Us men were born with sex in our genes , just the way God made us , I know I could have sex everyday if my wife would let me but their are times she can go weeks without it and makes me feel like I am not good enough for her. So yes for a relationship to last sex has to be in the picture. When my wife does give me sex it makes me feel like she loves me again and makes my day a lot better. I laugh when I hear the stories from girls that say that their husbands don’t want sex? To me that doesn’t sound right , for a guy not wanting sex there has to be something going on that he isn’t telling you , he might be gay or getting it from someone else. Girls keep your man happy whether you want sex or not it changes his world and it’s also good for you as well , guys love a girl initiates it , makes him feel wanted. I just wish my wife would do it more
Wow I would be so amazed if my wife dod that ive been married 13 years to my best friend but never not once has ahe initiated sex ? Now ahe has said you want some baby wich is a turn off but I definitely wont turn it down but do u want some doesn’t do it for me so my mind begins to wonder is she having it with others? Im 98% sure shes not but it puts it in the back of my mind and thats not healthy for me I can only dream of a woman seducing me what a great day that would be
My husband rebuffed me for years, turned out he was having a 3 year affair. If you are not in sync sexually, you are likely not connecting in other areas as well which I knew in my heart but I ignored for the sake of the kids. The other woman confronted me in front of my child after walking into our home. In short ignoring the obvious is only a temporary fix. We divorced. I’m happy and involved with a very kind and loving man. Find someone you are grateful for and who is grateful for you. Good luck
Thanks for clarifying that you are both Christians. That really helps your audience understand the context.
in 2014 my wife and I were having some marital issues after 28 years of marriage. I don’t know how I found this article, but It hit the nail right on the head for me. I had tried and tried to help my wife understand that it wasn’t just sex I wanted. I didn’t want to climb on, orgasm, and climb off. I wanted her to initiate sex on occasion, which to me would say, loud and clear, that she wanted me. If she didn’t and wasn’t enjoying herself, then I found it difficult to enjoy it. Anyway, I sent this article to her in 2014; not sure the month.
Unfortunately she started a sexting affair in March of 2015. I caught on in December of 2015. The stuff hit the fan of course, and I was devastated. I asked her if she had read this article in 2014 and she said she never received it; which was a lie. It was still in her email inbox and had been read.
It has been 3 + years now and I just recently forgave her for the affair. I feel better, but sex is still in the toilet. After I found out about the affair, our sex was out of this world. She would orgasm 2 to 3 times every night (something she never did before). Although I was hurt, I was in sexual heaven. She couldn’t keep her hands off of me. But as the years have passed, we are now right back where we were prior to her affair.
I have decided not to inject myself with testosterone, and I am leaving her alone (precisely what I did before). I don’t care whether she has another affair or not. I have had enough of what I call Mormon sex (yes I live in Utah but I’m not Mormon) 20 minutes of begging, get on, orgasm, get off and go to sleep.
My point? Ladies, please pay attention to this article if you want to improve or even save your marriage. You don’t have to be an animal in the bedroom, but needing your man will make him want you all the more, and not just for sex.
Jay
P.S. I’m no saint, but I am confident that I tried, as hard as I could, to have a happy marriage.
I’m sorry, Jay. I really am. It always angers me when people throw away a good marriage, or ignore a good spouse. I am sorry.
>I don't really initiate either. Because sex hurts for me. Even when we were doing it more often it still hurt. Thankfully my huusband is very understanding but I still know that he would like it more often.
That being said, I'm trying to make time for just the two of us (with no children around) so that we can actually have some ALONE TIME to work on our sex life. It's always been a struggle, since the day we got married but we both want to work on it. The only problem is that our ideas of "working on it" are different.
Things have been getting better but we both just need to make it more of a priority I guess. Because it should be a priority! It's just hard to get back into the swing of things when you've been out of it for so long.
If it hurts you need to see a doctor and make sure things are a ok physically …
It hurts? Have you found out why?
For me I crave intimacy…it doesn’t always mean sex ….why not give him a massage, things like that?
If it physically hurts then please go to the doctor! That can be a sign of some serious problems down there for women or men. I hope everything ends up good for you 2!
>No trouble at all initiating…although I wish he'd initiate more. I think my depression has affected him in that manner, he can't read me anymore or is scared to read me, therefore it's ALWAYS up to me right now and THAT'S frustrating.
But I will say this, in the early days it felt "dirty" to initiate. Like nice girls don't initiate. It took a long long time to get past that.
I feel weird initiating sex. I have only been married for 3 years now, but he wants me to initiate things and it feels weird. He is the first man who ever asked me to initiate sex. Although, he is my longest relationship and he is my first marriage. I just want to know how to make it not feel weird. I think most of the weirdness comes from me feeling self-conscious about the way I look.
>Sheri raises an interesting point–I think many men stop initiating because they're afraid of being shot down, and then they leave it up to us to initiate all the time (which is no fun for us, either). There really needs to be a balance.
Second Anonymous: I TOTALLY hear you. When we were first married, sex hurt for me like crazy. In fact, it hurt really until after my second child was born. I tried all kinds of exercises and relaxation techniques and everything, but it was awful. Maybe I'll write a post about that sometime, because I think it's a more common problem than we know! But if I can give you any encouragement, I'm totally better now!
>I, too, had pain during sex for the first few years of marriage. It got much better after birthing children. AFter 40, it became enjoyable.
I tried to be "actively" submissive or initiate for years. Finally, I gave it up to God, yes, I asked, "increase my passion for him!" Only when I let the Holy Spirit take over and remake my sex drive did it happen. Now I naturally have the hots for my husband and he enjoys pleasing me. It may not be a "woman" issue, it may be a spirit issue…
>Dear Shila, I love your blog so much! It is so usefull for me! I do not initiate too often because I am tired, and don't feel so good in my skin (due to some minor health issues – that I am pretty guilty myself…)… but I do want to be loving wife. So now I go tell bedtime story, and enjoy with hubby. Thank you! I need constant support, though, so you please keep up the good work here!
I must grow in this area, really! Poor guy! He married to a normal woman, and he has now some stone besides him!
>i feel like i always initiate and recently it's become a problem. i never used to mind it until i started "comparing" how often he initiates compared to how often i initiate. we have a perfectly healthy sex life it just has a few problems at the onset. after that, it's fantastic. any suggestions? should i just let it go and continue to initiate? i guess another problem is usually by the time he does initiate, i am well on my way to being fast asleep.
>Anonymous #3,
I hear what you're saying about him not initiating enough. Can you talk to him about it? How often does he want to make love? Are there reasons that he's not that interested?
I think it's good that you're intiating, but if you're feeling hurt that he's not, then I would work on spending more time with him in general and getting your friendship/relationship really, really strong. Then just talk to him about it.
I hope that helps! I know it's not much to go with!
>I totally agree!!! I just initiated mid day with our boys in the other room playing in a tent. Hubby was very happy and on top of the world. After he said how much he needs me to want him. How important it is to him. He often says he doesn't need presents he just wants me. Just the other day I asked him what that meant. I don't recall a coherent answer. But me wanting him may truly be the answer. Thank you!!
Of course that’s what he wants! When he married you he committed his entire person to you — all of his goals, desires, hopes — are all rolled into one now as his focus is on pleasing you. Women don’t understand how their response can totally wreck a man’s world. What I’ve read here is absolutely true. When a man is rejected, ignored or treated like a child by his wife, not much else in his life has a whole lot of value or meaning. Women need to understand that most men have focused all that they are in one direction…their wife! He wants to please you, to honor you, to make you happy and for you to respond in kind. And when you reject or ignore what he needs as a husband and a man, he has very little to inspire him in life, because his biggest inspiration is no longer his biggest fan.
Amen to that. Truly I hear you on this.
I’m very crushed, but so is my wife. Thanks for your posts
>I am like the first poster, I have a higher sex drive most the time than my husband, plus he also needs Viagra because of his medications causing problems in that area.
Early on in our marriage before kids and illness etc, I used to initiate more often. I would dress up, put on romantic music, and wait for him to get home from work. I also found adult toys can help you know what feels good to you, so in turn you can teach your husband how to please you as well. Feel free to explore your body, God gave us the gift of sexual pleasure, we can't expect our husbands to please us if we don't know what we like.
You make a great point. If I don’t know what I need and desire. How can I expect my husband to know!
Time for some self discovery.
>I think it depends on the people. In my first marriage I would try to initiate and be "shot down" — there are a million things that I'd rather do than have sex with you (I'd be told!) … finally it would happen maybe once every three months… and sometimes he'd change his mind midstream, leaving me frustrated…. this partially may have been due to medications he had to take but I think there was a lot of mental stuff going on that affected things because initially our sex life was very fulfilling and fun and then (after 13 years) dwindled to next to nothing….
Now, remarried… and in a new relationship for almost four years, hubby is totally different… no, not a sex-crazed dirty old man but he laughs and says that you should "always leave a woman wanting more" — and I guess that's why, when he kisses me good-bye in the morning, that he might sneak in a little caress brushing by the breast or putting "just a little bit of passion" into the good-bye peck, or little suggestive remarks on the mike phone prior to returning home. Having two kids (mine) and working around them and truck driving hours, it is not always possible to be spontaneous, but after a while you begin to find that 4 in the morning works just as well as 10:30 at night! I know you shouldn't "compare" lovers but in this case, there is nothing to compare!!!!
I think it is all about feeling truly and unconditionally loved and cared for — if that's in place, the sparks will fly in the bedroom!!
And if it hurts THAT MUCH definitely go see a medical doctor for an examination. Perhaps there is something that can be done or maybe hubby needs to learn new techniques or a new position or more foreplay so it is "better" for you….
Another Anon poster (for obvious reasons!) – but I do think you are right about men "needing you to want them").
Would you believe my verification word is "SHEER SIN??!"
>My husband and I, only married since July, have recently been dealing with this issue as well. Like some of the previous commenters, I have become the initiator. I bought lingerie and was shot down, I felt like a fool. I'll never try to put on a sexy outfit again. I talked to him about it, trying to be delicate and unaccusing. He seemed to brush it off at the time but I have noticed him giving me more attention the way we've learned that I need. I think it stems back to the 5 love languages. Mine is definitely physical touch but I think his is words of encouragement. Not that there is anything wrong with either, just something we are learning about each other.
>This has been a very helpful discussion. When we first married, I didn't want it a lot (sexually abused as a child and an adult) and would push him away a lot, which made him feel rejected. But he constantly wanted me, he was all over me. I've gained a LOT of weight through the years & so has he, plus he's on a lot of medications now. I've wondered if it's my weight – that he's just not attracted to me anymore and it turns him off. He's also bitter at me about things in our marriage & won't let it go so that is part of it. He now withholds love, conversation, affection & sex from me, despite my attempts daily to honor and love him. We go literally months without sex now and I am extremely frustrated. I am very uncomfortable initiating sex and he says all I have to do is initiate. Even when I've gotten in bed with no clothes at all which is a blatant hint (I ALWAYS wear pj's!), he just lays there and refuses to touch me. We've had a lot of conversations about this and he now says he isn't going to be "used" for sex and that I should just initiate and he won't refuse. Otherwise, he has no desire and isn't even going to try anymore. Where is he getting satisfied? I don't believe he's having an affair or into porn, but don't understand why he has no sexual desire at all anymore. He's only in his mid 40's and from what I understand, even people in their 80's can and do still enjoy sex! When I pointed out that he used to initiate all the time, he said, "Yes, and you told me to get off you." Basically he's punishing me for the past and he knows now my sex drive has increased & I now want it, so he is withholding it. Not sure what the answer is other than initiating it myself but initiating is extremely difficult for me.
He is probably depressed. When k was depressed, my sex drive went down so far that I didn’t even want to please myself for months. Try to talk to him and ask him how he feels, and what you can do to make him feel better. If my wife just asked me that instead of using me to vent her problems constantly, then I’d feel wonderful and cared for. I can’t speak for your husband, but that is just my guess based on what you have said in your post. Also try to let him know that you want both of you to be able to move forward and reconnect. You don’t just want him or you to have to fix it yourselves. If you made mistakes then acknowledge them and tell him you are changing these issues. Also make sure that you are patient. It may take a few years for things to get completely better, and you both have to understand that you won’t get everything you both need immediately. If you and him are both willing to fix it, then it will get better. If one of you doesn’t want to fix it, then you both are wasting your time. Just try to let him know that you are sad and not angry or blaming him too. You want him to realize that this is hurting you and you want to work to fix it together. Good luck on your marriage!
>I have been married for almost 12 years and I have trouble initiating, and my husband has been asking me to for years. Like Sheri said, it "feels dirty" to me to initiate. I totally have bought into the notion that "nice girls/good girls don't initiate". We also had 3 kids in our first 5 years of marriage and I went through menopause. I've been so tired and moody⌠it's been hard to think about passion with my husband.
I love him dearly, but I had some work to do with me, first. It took three years to get on track with my health and making sure I took care of me (because no one else was going to, and if I wasn't happy NOBODY was happy). Now, what thetravelwife said resonates with me: I am focusing more on my relationship with my husband (the kids can be so consuming, but they have to come after God, my health and my relationship with hubby) and I need to pray that the Holy Spirit remake my sex drive. I agree, it may not be a woman issue, it may be a spirit issue. But I'm curious, Sheri ââ how did you get over the "dirty" feeling about initiating?
Ok Shine, I was only going to be short and to the point and I didn’t want it to sound like one of those Just Do It phrases so it got longer. Now I promise you that I’m not bragging because I have a great marriage because my mom taught me many things and seeing my mom and dad do things made it easier for me when I got married.
I know because I’m a guy women tend to not hear what we say for advice and I’m only relaying something my mom told me. I was raised Baptist and she told me that society has so many things backward such as this good girl thing you talked about. She was told by her mom the same thing because only bad girls ask for sex and you don’t want to be one of those bad girls. She told me that when you are married you are now one with your mate so there is no bad girl, good girl, bad boy, good boy, because being married we need to work as a team and when one of us needs something and the other should help for the benefit of the team. Now for my wife and I anyone who knows us will say that I give more than she does because she was never taught to cook clean and other things because it was her mom her older sister and her so it was her job to mow the lawn take out the trash and the things the sons would of done. My mom taught me how to cook clean and everything she could think of so I would not marry the first girl to do things like this for me, not knowing I would fall in love with my wife. Now we are a car family so we work on our cars and such so I say my wife and I are two gears and with all the things I can do like the house kids and such I have letâs say 20 teeth in my gear and she has 5 teeth in her gear and my teeth fill the gaps that she has and her 5 teeth fills my gaps and I can tell you that those 5 teeth make my life so much fun to be in and we have just had our 23rd anniversary and I feel like I did when we dated in high school! I pray for the best for you and your husband.
>in our pre-marital counselling, initiating was brought up… we both agreed that it is okay for the wife to initiate…
… my husband has a low sex drive.. porn issues.. (doesn't even see problem with Sports Ill swim suit issue… cause they have clothes on)
After we had kids it was almost always me who initiated.. and got shot down many many times… I kept trying .. month after month…it's so hard to be rejected. Long story short, we haven't had sex in 2 years. he told me straight out that he doesn't want sex anymore and that he doesn't love me anymore.
… for many reasons, including reading this post today, I feel God telling me it's time to "step up and try"… so for Christmas I am going to give him a box of condoms and a "sex for a year card"…valid anytime, as many times as he wants from now till Christmas 2011.
I have to trust God in that if my husband refuses me that God will honour my efforts, and I will not appear too disappointed. Praying for you ladies…
>As a single man, I painfully, painfully learned a fundamental rule in dating, and once I embraced it, it served me well: "If she's not interested enough to make the first move, she's not interested at all."
Too bad it took me til 36 to figure it out. Think how much rejection I could have spared myself.
At 38 I finally married (we met on the net, she emailed first!), and lost my much hated virginity on the wedding night. After 8 years and 3 kids I've learned a thing or 2 about sex. In those 8 years, the number of times my attempts at initiation, have led to sex, can be counted on one hand. For all practical purposes, my old dating rule applies perfectly in this new context: "If she's not interested enough to make the first move, she's not interested at all!!!"
Fortunately, she initiates fairly regularly. Go thou and do likewise, ladies!
Nice quote. Totally true. Some women seem to like the “idea” of having a regular fun sex life more than the actual HAVING of the fun regular sex life. They like the “idea” of having a wonderful marriage, but don’t want to put in the work.
I’m at the stage of refusing to initiate even though I’m the high-drive partner who would have sex ever day if I could. Enough rejections make you simply think “If I initiated again, she’d turn me down again.” So I wait for her to initiate. . . . and i wait. . . and I wait. . . . . and yeah, the waiting has showed me. . . she’s just not interested in sex.
I want t
Meant to say “I want to have at least one more kid, and I’ll have sex with my wife until that happens, after that, I’ll refuse her quarterly initiations and after 20 years she might have an idea of what constant rejection feels like.
That sounds like a horrible plan. I’ve been without it for a little overa a month or so and it’s killing me already. No way in hell I would do that to myself for 20 years just to “show her”. Gotta figure out a way to fix things.
Ok lets see…. In my first marriage my husband was all about respect. If u didnt give him the respect in the way and form he thought he should get it, then it was battle time. No where did it seem that sex had any part to play in that. When it comes to making love that was my deal. I am the one who wanted and wanted to feel needed. I am the one who would initiate and get turned down. So for men who want what this action i can definately tell you that its very important to initiate if ur the one that isnt as intuned to sex. Because knowing ur spouse wants you in that way is so gratifying. It doesnt matter how good u think u are at it. Its the gesture of it. Ladies, want ur man cause he is worth it. Sorry for text lingo doing this on my phone puts my mind in text mode.
Absolutely! Both men and women need to initiate. In many marriages, the man has the higher sex drive. But if you’re a guy reading this and your wife has the higher sex drive, you need to initiate sometimes, too, just to help her feel needed and wanted and loved. Great point, Kori!
Ok…I’m a dude and I am married to an amazing woman…she lives me and I love her deeply. We used to have amazing sex, she would initiate, I would initiate…it was great. It was during the day time, at night & in the morning. For whatever reason, over the past 6 months or so, she hasn’t been interested. I try to initiate and she just lays there. When she doesn’t show any sort of interest, I stop. When I stop she gets mad cause I stopped. It’s like a catch 22…damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I try to talk to her about it but she says that just puts pressure on her and makes sex feel like a chore. She says it’s cause I’m not confident. That may be true, but it’s only cause she doesn’t seem to want me. If she seemed interested, I would feel more confident. What’s a dude to do?
That’s a really, really common scenario, and one that I’ll be addressing in my February posts, 29 Days to Great Sex. Let me just say that it sounds like the two of you really need to reconnect on all kinds of levels–sexually, but also just emotionally. It sounds like she’s hurt you, but she likely also feels a little ticked like she’s obligated, and maybe really tired. So what I would suggest (and I know this sounds trite) is really working on your friendship. Make sure that you can laugh together, because if you can laugh, you can usually handle anything else. Then send her to read this post: https://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2012/01/why-your-husband-wants-you-to-read-this-marriage-blog/ and work through the 29 Days to Great Sex together, if she’s up for it. I hope that helps!
Wow…that was a fast reply…thank you! I will be following your 29 days blog…the only worry I have about asking my wife to read along too, is that she doesn’t seem to think there is an issue. She says she’s happy with our marriage/sex life/connection. So how do I go about saying to her, “I think we are lacking the depth of connection we should have, so go read this blog”? I don’t know…I am just a husband who is so rediculously attracted to his beautiful amazing wife and wants her much more than she seems to want me but doesn’t know what to do. Your advice is much appreciated, ad well as any other Christian women out there who may have gone through the same thing…just seeking advice here.
I’d say have her read that post I linked to in my other comment–it’s specifically intended for your situation, where the husband thinks there’s a problem but the wife doesn’t. Then you can ask her to follow along with the 29 Days. But read that post first, pray about it, and then ask her to read it with you. And I hope it helps!
Thank you very much!
Yeah its really hard to hear your wife go on and on about how wonderful her marriage is, how awesome her husband is, and how lucky she is that everything in her life is just perfect, while you’re dying inside feeling completely overlooked and unwanted. Its hard to want to unload that on her and destroy her “perfect” fantasy.
I tried not to spoil it for her, but ended up acting out in much more improper ways. You have to let it out eventually, or it will make you explode and you might not like what you do when you explode.
I know this post is older, but it is something I needed to read. My husband has often tried to explain to me how he *needs* me to want him. Like you, I want to make him happy. I want to satisfy him. But I don’t always show the desire for him. This definitely gave me food for thought.
Awesome, Julie!
Welp here I am on valentines night, my wife asleep on the couch with no effort to be romantic with me. I spent the week surprising her with all kinds of sweet things. Needless to say, I feel completely rejected and I am here on this site alone and way bummed. Pretty sure my wife is bored with me after only a couple years of marriage. Sweet.
I’m so sorry that you feel so rejected. That’s really rough.
The best advice I can give you is to keep working on your friendship. If you can build a lot of goodwill in your marriage so that you enjoy spending time together, then it’s easier to talk about some of these things. I hope that you’re able to rebuild some real intimacy.
Well, are u still married? After 28 yrs together, 23 married, my wife rejects me constantly. I’m a 50 yr old in shape 6’4″ 205 lb surgeon who is eternally devoted to her and our kids but she rejects me. She says she will never change. I can see thru her sympathy sex, clearly
No no in the shower
No not in the chair
No I’m gassy
No I have my period (for 10 days every three weeks)
No I hate to travel, even internationally in five star hotels when I lecture
No I’m tired
I’m cold
My boobs hurt
I tried toys movies talking etc. we have a great friendship, do TONS together but, rare, usually lame, sex. I fail after 40 minutes of foreplay to satisfy her for weeks on end, usually she “allows” a “longie” every three weeks. Lucky me
I try distance, closeness, showering with affection, ignoring. Nothing works
She discusses our sex life like a bank statement
On profession alone I could have any girl I want, but I want her
This hit spot on with me! I really do need to initiate more. haha, but sometimes I feel like my husband wants it so much that he doesn’t even give me the chance to initiate. Does that nake sense?
Yep, that does make sense! I’ll have to write a funny post at that…
I will be honest here. I don’t initiate. I never even realized it was a problem. My husband lately has been soooo insecure. It really hurts me to see him hurt. I don’t initiate because I feel fat, I don’t feel sexy…it’s hard to initiate when you feel gross. We have 2 kids and I went from 108 lbs when we first got together to 140 lbs now and stuck. I don’t know what to do about it.
Hi Paula, I understand what you say that you gained weight and you feel gross because when my wife and I dated in high school she was fit because she was a gymnast and was at 120. We have just hit our 23rd anniversary and 6 months ago was up to 215 and she felt bad about herself and could not understand why I would even want to be with her. We have had 3 kids and the last 3 years her job was very stressful and I know that is where she gained the most. You need to remember like I tell my wife I fell in love with the girl she is and that is the same girl I’m in love with today. Its not the size or shape her body is that makes her who she, the girl I dated is the same girl that makes me so happy to be married to her. You said you don’t know what to do about it to get back to what you want, we started working out together 5 months ago and she has lost 32lbs and she loves working out as a team because when she is getting tired that’s when I’m telling her ok we are almost done or say the clock says only 1 more min or keep going your doing great! When we started working out she wanted to just loose some of the weight however now she thinks she can get back to or close to what she was when we were dating. She picked out the workout and we have some hard days too however we find ourselves looking forward to doing the next days workout and she has already picked out the next set of workouts that we will be starting in a few months. Oh and these workouts we do are at home and I really love the look she has on her face when we finish each day because she is so excited to be doing this together and she feels so much better about herself that she initiates much more now. I cant say I felt insecure like you said your husband does however working out with my wife has me feeling very much confidant like I did when I was in high school and at 43 now that is awesome for us! I pray you and your husband find peace and overcome any bumps in the road.
Paula, my husband and I went thru the same thing. I love him so much, but I wasn’t giving him what he needed. I went from 120 lbs to 190 lbs after 3 kids and I felt like a cow!!! But I took this articles advice and just went for it. Now, 6 months later our relationship has never been better. He feels more attractive because I initiate at least twice a week. I’d do it more, but sometimes it doesn’t occur to me to do it. But I actually feel sexier too. It’s almost feels like dating again, because I hit on him like I used to when we first got together, and it feels just as good as it did back then for him be happy I’m coming on to him. GO FOR IT GIRL!!
So, for me our relationship has just crumbled. We met, and fell in love, then married very quickly. At first, I tried to slow it down, but he persisted. How I was treated during our first year of marriage while I was pregnant was horrific. The jealousy, insecurity, accusations, violent anger all affected me deeply. I totally withdrew from our sexual life. I have read your book “Good Girls Guide to Great Sex”. I’m working through it. Although his violent anger is not what it used to be, it has changed to a more controlling nature….every facet of my life. Our friendship is gone, speaking kind and respectfully is gone. It is horrible when our 4yr old expects there to be arguing and asks us to stop!
We are extremely strapped for money, so going out for date night is difficult. Even if we choose something inexpensive to do, the babysitter is expensive and we don’t have friends or family near to exchange babysitting with.
I don’t feel connected in any facet of our relationship anymore. He acts and speaks as if we fix what’s wrong in the bedroom all will be dandy. I’ve expressed that if I don’t feel safe/secure and happy outside the bedroom, it’s very difficult for me to put my head into it in the bedroom.
When I do initiate (not often)…I get frustrated when during our lovemaking he is asking if we can “go again” or “do it multiple times tonight” or “tomorrow night…”….I just want to shout “hey!!! I’m here NOW!!! could we enjoy NOW, NOW? and worry about later….LATER?” And this happens almost EVERY time we have sex!
uuuggghhhh… sad and frustrated
Miche, I am so sorry that you’re experiencing such frustration in your marriage, especially with a small child. I know many marriages go through difficult periods, but I’m concerned by some of the things you’ve written. You’ve mentioned that your husband has violent anger, that your child is seeing and hearing this, and that your husband is very controlling. I don’t know you, and I can’t give you specific advice on what you should do. But I do think having someone to talk to about this who could guide you through would be a good idea. Do you go to church? Is there a woman there that you can talk to, to ask to be your mentor? I think you need someone to talk to about some of the dynamics in your house, and it would likely be a good idea for someone to sit down with you and your husband together to talk about how you handle anger. I have just said a prayer that God will bring someone to you to help mentor and guide you, because I am concerned about your safety. Blessings and prayers,
Sheila
Great post, Sheila! A husband will feel very wanted when his wife becomes the initiator! Thanks for sharing.
Hi,
I know you’re right. But, initiating is hard when I am afraid of pregnancy, and as a Catholic, we do not use contraception. Besides, my husband understands that contraception is, in essence, my disappointing with him as a father and husband in early kid years. He was awful and I am sure I wouldn’t be able to have another kid, I’d love to, but knowing that I am all alone in that makes me being real – I have two kids, job, house to take care. He is trying to become better, but in slow pace, so I just don’t want to disturb relative peace and balance in family… So, we don’t make love, and our marriage is in danger… but I know that it would be the same in situation with another kid, possible pregnancy complications (and I must have c section in every pregnancy)… I do know about natural method, but even possibility of pregnancy is ruining slight possibility of me relaxing… I even think about divorcing, because this leads nowhere… What to do?
Okay, let’s talk this through for a minute. You don’t want to use contraception because you feel God is against that. Totally get that, and respect that. But God doesn’t say two contradictory things: He also says in 1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive each other. If you’re not using contraception because you believe that you should trust God with your fertility, then you need to trust Him! If you’re saying, I won’t use contraception because God doesn’t want me to, so that means I can’t have sex (even though God wants me to). God doesn’t work that way.
I think you really need to pray this through, because you know that God also disapproves of and hates divorce. If your stance on contraception is making divorce seem imminent, then you have some real issues you need to work through with your husband. And maybe some of those likely include asking him to help out more at home.
I’d also contact christianfamilyplanning.net, because they really do have some great resources that show you that you can keep track of your body and figure out what the 5 “bad” days of the month are, and what the safe days are. You really can’t get pregnant the week after your period, for instance. If you have some of their info, maybe you’d feel less anxious.
But it sounds like your issue is one of trust in God (if you’re going to trust Him with your fertility, you have to actually trust Him! Not just say “no”!), and then working through with your husband what a healthy marriage is. I’d advise working on building your friendship and having fun together again, and then trying to talk some of these issues through. It’s very unlikely that a man who is not getting sex is going to feel happy towards his wife, so you really need to think about this!
We also went through a time in our marriage where I was very frustrated because I felt like I was always initiating. We had a great heart to heart about it, and it turns out that he was only reluctant to initiate because I have some serious health issues and he didn’t want to pressure me. Once we cleared that up, things have been much, much better, and I try to initiate whenever I’m able. Communication was definitely the key.
That’s such a good point! Often it’s so hard to communicate about sex because it’s so intensely personal. But unless we do we could just be fuelling misunderstandings.
I just cannot wrap my mind about this. Why would I throw myself at a man like a woman of ill repute? A Christian woman initiating sex seems to be just wrong. My husband and I had a very active sex life before we became Christians. Now, I cannot even think of intercourse on church days or if a bible is on the night stand.
All the things I have done before were wrong. Including the sexual relationship I had with my husband before we were married. I cannot seperate then from now. It has been about 10 years of this, but we seem to make it through. That is just the way we are.
I know some people will laugh or judge me. And yes I have gone to counseling.
Shannon, with all due respect, I think you’re confusing sexual activity and sexual relationship. They are not the same thing. Context is everything. So the same thing can be both holy and obscene, depending upon the context.
To throw yourself at your husband is not acting like a woman of ill repute; to throw yourself at someone who isn’t your husband is. In fact, in Song of Solomon, which is part of Scripture, the Shulamite definitely seduces Solomon.
Sex is not a shameful thing; it is a beautiful thing that is supposed to reflect the passion that God feels for us. If we hold back on passion in our marriage, it’s almost like holding back the passion that God gave us. And that’s just saying, “I know that God meant for me to have an abundant life, but I’m going to say, no thanks.” God knows best! And God wants you to have a great relationship with your HUSBAND. In marriage, sex is blessed. Outside of marriage, it isn’t. And let’s not call evil what God has called blessed.
I am really lost and don’t know what to do. My husband and I have been married for almost 7 years now. During our first couple years of marriage sex died down a lot – work hours were long and stressful and I just couldnt do it with someone that didnt satisfy me emotionally and my husband thought I was a light switch. My husband has mentioned many times over the last few years that I dont initiate sex enough. I know I dont but I feel awkward, embarrassed and some anxiety just thinking about initiating it. We are going around in an ugly circle – my husband doesnt initiate it anymore because I dont and has withdrawn from me because we dont have sex, I dont want to have sex because my husband feels like a roommate to me. Frankly I just dont feel like doing it, there is no desire anymore and it doesnt do anything for me – I have made an appointment with my health care provider to see if there is a physical or possible depression issue that is affecting my libido. He wont work on the friendship if I dont work on the sex and I am afraid that if I start making myself do it, my attitude towards it will worsen and I might start feeling resentment.
My mother told me when I was younger that men give attention for sex and women give sex for attention and to her sex is just another chore. I said that I will never be like that and it is exactly where I am now. I love my husband and he love me and to him sex is an important part of our relationship and I think he will move on if our issues dont get resolved.
putting myself in your husband’ shoes i think you are absolutely right, he will move on if you don’t get your issues resolved
I loved your article. Love the comments and your responses. You have wise ,spiritual, thoughful, nd logical advise. I wish wife would initiate. Hasn’t happened for years. I love her more and more, but it kills my confidence. I feel defensive and want to retract. And I’ve discussed this openly with her.it’s only gotten worse. I feel like my attraction and desire for her is just a burden to her.I guess the moral of the story is you can’t change anyone. They have to want it…our maybe the y just neverwill want it. Oh well. It doesn’t matter what I do. We’re busy. We have five kids, four in school. But even with a night out, good sleep, chores done and stresses gone,no initiation. I’m writing early in the morning, lonely and feeling rejected which has become a common feeling. She gets exited about things in life, but not in me. And she only seems bugged that I’m excited about her. I’ll be the first to admit, and acknowledge I understand this follows nature.but it stillhurts. She thinks cleaning, cooking, etc its how I should feel loved. I tell her that’s not what works for me, but no change. She wants to be treated with kindness and told dinner is great, etc…and I do that for her.sge gets what she wants, but it’s alnost like me wanting contact makes her hate it more.YET, if I don’t iniate, ther’s no way she’s thinking of it…so it probsnly just makes her life better if it’s all ignored.sorry for typos. On phone late at night. Ps. I don’t dabble in porn, I love my kids, I work hard, help, stay fit, and support my family. I’m not perfect….I just want her to want me đ
I feel your pain.
just out of curiosity, have you ever look at possible reason why your wife may not want initiate?
you see the thing, in western society, obesity and being overweight is a problem, and not trying to bash anyone with it, because I struggle with it myself.
but the fact is physical attraction do play a part in terms of sexual desire, at least for most. And I think if this apply to you, maybe you should consider bit the bullet and get into shape, it will good for your health and may help your wife from wanting you?
also another thing I think when you get married for a long time is that you get casual with your partner, where in your dating days you would always make sure one have minty breath etc
what I am saying is instead expecting your wife to just turn it on, help her by doing things you can do.
Ps. The rejection I feel goes beyond just intimacy. She hates anything I spend time on, even if it’s good constructive stuff. I almost think she’s bored of her life. I’ve tried to encourage hobbies for her. She won’t take them up. Always finds an excuse. I offer time and help, and it just seems like she thinks it’s a waste. She’s not lazy. But it’s almost like a complete denial of passion. She used to play violin. She’s talented and funny. But just kinda grumpy now. I know kids are stressful. They never listen. But even with kids in bed on time etc…nothing. she may just have a general rejection of everything. She typically finds something wrong with friends and decides keeping friends it’s too tedious.I understand three sentiment Rio some degree, but her passion for life I think suffers because ofit.
Damon, one thing you need to understand is that she has poured herself completely into those kids and your household, she’s a mom and that’s what she feels the need to do and knows no other way to do it. The house and home are a reflection of her, and that’s of huge importance even though men can rarely understand. Once the kids are to bed and so is she, she needs that time to unwind her day and her thoughts in her head and just relax, and until that happens there is no way she is going to be able to do you justice in bed. Try talking to her about the day, about her struggles in dealing with the kids and supper and laundry and bedtime…those are all things that will be helpful to her in locking down the day and leaving it all behind. Then she may or may not be ready for you. But certainly don’t do it just with that in mind, do it because you love her and she needs you to do it, and she needs to be able to relax and let the day go for yet another night.
Sooner or later that will enable her to love you in ways you hope, but a woman needs to unwind before she can be wound up again in other ways!
Damon..has she looked into depression ? I am a therapist and I also suffer from mild depression..I am married and have 5 kids!! I also trust in my lord and savior…..Its not fun having depression đ But if properly treated with prayer along side … can make HUGE miracles!! !!
Damon that really does sound like a problem with depression as much as I wanted to stick up for you and blame it all on your wife. Some counseling might not be a bad idea for her and maybe for you as a couple
I’m a bloke and I feel the author is totally correct.
33, married 11, 32 year old wife, 13 year old daughter.
I’ve done all I can to get my wife to initiate with me to the point where I’ve now decided to give up.
She does TRY and initiate after I’ve stopped for a while but its always subtle and I know that after I act on it, it’ll be down to me to do all the work. So I ignore it…….
We have spoke about it numerous times but I’m just fed up of repeating myself every couple of months.
All I want is for her to show me shes really horny and wants to feel me inside her. To catch me unaware and grab me downstairs, work me up kissing me all over and rub herself against me, and then allowing me to ravage her against the kitchen wall or something.
Not just twitching as I stroke her back, which is one of her ways of letting me know. Usually in bed…..
She tells me she enjoys what I can do for her when we do the do, but she just doesn’t get the urge like I do. She needs to be worked up to it.
I’d like to be worked up to it too every now and again.
My concern is that if she doesn’t step her game up after all the times I’ve expressed myself and now ignore her “ahem”, advances, then I may forget how much I love and lust for her and may end up just being her “friend”.
What if I told you she doesn’t get those urges because she is a women. Most women do not get those strong urges in the way men do.I will bet that once she is aroused she is as horny as hell. Some women do especially early in a relationship but most don’t. You are also expecting her to mind read. Why don’t you just tell her sometime what you would like to do to her. The dirty talk may get her going.
I’d really love to initiate but I’m super stressed all of the time. I am the breadwinner of my family so I’m out of the home 10-11 hours a day and quite frankly my husband does most of the vacuuming. Any suggestions for those of us that have a non-traditional situation?
Not making a real attempt to have a continuing healthy sexual relationship in a marriage is just as bad as cheating.
Sex is healthy, fun, and it feels great and it is free.
The excuse that is the most common and also the biggest load of bull is I don’t have time or its corollary I am too tired. Unless you work 16 hour days, or have a disorder which requires you to sleep more than the average human being you have just prioritized it out of your life. The children excuse is just an offshoot of both of those excuses and also does not hold weight. A couple could have sex in the morning, for morning shower time, immediately after work, immediately after dinner, immediately before bed, at numerous times on the weekends. You could cut your work outs shorter, make dinner 15 minutes less, watch less TV, read less, text less, go on the internet less, shop less, watch sports less. It is just a matter of making it a priority. When one partner makes it clear that they have have dropped it so far down the list of priorities that they have left it off that list it becomes part of a betrayal. A betrayal that is just as bad as cheating.
This made me laugh out loud, but only from the comedy of recognition. I am not perfect but my long term girlfriend (with which we have 2 kids – 6 and 10 – and a great life in all ways bar sex) has never initiated and seems to be happy with me never initiating. I too gave up for years and basically she initiated once – when I was unsure about having a second child and not having sex. I felt insulted that she never admitted that this initiation was purely to hurry up the process of having our second child. EIther way, she has prioritized sex out of her life – exactly as described above. It’s enough to bring me down at those points when the sexdrive builds up too much (I can go without for a week before either having to masturbate or it just ‘happening’ naturally during the night). The idea the she ‘agrees’ to have sex if I initiate (as long as it’s the right time, there is a window of about 1 hour each weekend, only in the morning etc.) is a turn-off … it’s like ‘agreeing’ to do something you don’t want to do and get nothing from just because some part of your super-ego tell you that it’s the ‘done’ thing. Giving up will make me not want to be friends and subsequently the relationship will unravel. I’d like to hear the stories of people who have had this situation and how it ended up – either broken or repaired.
I was married for 32 years and I only initiated sex when his libido was lower than mine which wasn’t often. My husbands sex drive was always much higher than mine except when I was pregnant and then mine was higher than his.
I never felt the need to initiate sex because he initiated so often. I rejected him a lot but had no idea that it made him feel so bad. I rejected him because his endless demands and nagging used to really put me off so there would be times when we would go for ages without sex.
During the dry spells he didn’t initiate because he was scared of rejection and I didn’t initiate because I didn’t want to wake up a beast that was never satisfied.
When I first got married I felt completely overwhelmed by my husband’s sex drive. He was a 3-4 times a day person and I was more once or twice a week. Every time we had sex I loved it but then I would be nagged morning, noon and night for more with ‘but you loved it this morning what is the matter with you now’. To be honest his high sex drive made me feel inadequate and unsexy which did not help my sex drive. We divorced when I went through the menopause and I went off sex completely for about a year. I wish we could have communicated more about our different needs. I think we could have reached a compromise but we never did.
I look back on my relationship of almost 3 years and see my partner has only ever I initiated intimacy a handful of times while the rest has been me starting it.
But lately I have tried to initiate sex – 14th feb, couple weeks ago, last week, last night and this morning … and all times he’s either said “not today…” or he’s fell asleep.
I know he works hard and long hours but I don’t feel wanted – now he wonders what’s wrong but for egos sake I’ve not had the heart to tell him that he’s doing nothing and it’s getting me down.
I can see it is a vicious cycle but I now just feel why should I bother when he can’t be bothered?
Hi,
I found your blog a life saver this evening. My wife and I have been married for 11 years and have 3 children. My wife has always been the breadwinner and I have done my best to be a great dad and supportive husband. We have never really had a crazy sex life – essentially it’s been a very typical sex life – which has been ok. My wife has maybe instigated sex 10 times since we got married – even when I have tried to talk to her about it she either said that I shouldn’t talk and just jump her if I wanted to have sex – other times she has said – I just don’t initiate sex. In beginning I convinced myself that I just had to accept it, but over the course of time it’s made bitter, angry and a lot less self secure. Today it’s an evil spiral and where she is turned of by my bitterness and sly comments and I’m turned off by her always winning every argument and making me feel like I’m a sex addict and not satisfying her mentally. I have stopped instigating to see how long we are going without sex – so far we are on month 4 and she hasn’t done anything. I’m very sad about this situation – I’m NOT a sex addict – I just miss to be loved. What is wrong with that? And by the way – I also tried to be the “strong” guy taking control of the situation – but after numerous rejections it backfired on me and my self confidence went totally South…..
I appreciate all off you women sharing your insights – helping me to understand, as a man, that I’m not crazy or a sex addict – that I actually have a pretty normal mind and that it takes two to tango in every relationship. Should I just email this article to my wife and ask her to read it? Or do you think it would push further away from me….which obviously will make me consider divorce…..
Hi there,
I’m so sorry that you and your wife are feeling this distance. I’m sure it’s really hard for both of you.
I can’t really suggest what you should do since I don’t know the whole story, but I did write an article for men to show their wives if they want an intro into conversation. You can find it here. Again, I can’t tell you if that’s the right thing, but I do think it’s likely a more helpful article to send her than this one.
I also wrote a book called 31 Days to Great Sex which helps you talk more and communicate more about this, which may be a good second or third step (definitely not a first).
I hope that article helps!
Sheila.
WOW, this really hits home for me – I have alwasy been a very sexual person – but I was told that initiating sex was wrong for a woman and have a hard time bringing myself to do it – my husband is getting frustrated and would like me to nitiate more – once in a whiel like maybe 3 times lol in our 6 years together have I initiated – I keep trying to work myself up to it and I back down – there has been 1 or 2 times when I have tried and was shot down though – and that didn’t feel good – I just feel awkward and don’t know what to do – my husband hates kissing – except a peck. His sex drive was a lot lower than mine in the beginning however I am now on the same level and not really as sexual as I used to be – but I want to please him, I want to make him happy but can’t seem to get over my shyness/previous experiences etc.
Ok I have never liked sex due to emotional up bringing. But i have been through a lot of crap with my husband and stood by him. I have expressed my dislike of it and still run into these issues I do climax I don’t have problems there. We have 4 children and my husband has a clinically diagnosed mental disorder and its very hard to live with but I ignore bringing up those issues cause it’s never going to go away so yea I’m not too interested by the endof the day
Expressed they way have been feing in over 7 years…. And continue to, everything the subject is approached, the further I get pushed away and into depression.
Thus causing me to act in such a way at home I can’t risk getting closer to my wife, controlling the want for her so I do not get excited if i do it results in me being rejected, falling into a dark place.
If anyone understands the relationship circle, then they will know that men and women enter it differently. I have tried this and worked once, however unless the partner knows that cycle profile, it becomes a one way street.
The advice in this article is sound and a very true explanation if how I have been feeling for many years.
It’s not all one sided though, I have taken the blame for I have had ADHD, diagnosed at 40years of age. Even through change and now taking medication we/I go with out intimacy. Our relationship is much better, interaction and married expectations on my wife’s mind is great, there is just this one part that is missed. Our love life.
Wow! I just onto this blog as I lay in bed wondering why my wife of 20+ yrs shows hardly an desire for me. I’ve talked with her about how I feel, and how it seems I must be the person the who drives the sex in our relationship. Since our second child almost 5 years ago things have deteriorated and its seemingly a vicious cycle of her complaining about me, and vice versa. It seems she withholds sex from me to punish me and has no desire for me…yet she emphatically says she loves me and wants to be with me.
You can literally count on one hand how many times she’s come over and laid on me and showed desire to being with me. I tried to let her know how that makes me feel and she says she holds things I may have said or done from years past against me to keep resenting me and never let’s anything be bygones. Thing is she’s able to forgive any/everyone around her with issues but not me no matter how silly the issue may seem. With this in mind I’ve tried new ways of reaching out to her lately…I even got my motorcycle license (at 42 thats something I said I’d never do) and purchased a bike so we can ride together.
While our 2 girls were away to grandmas house for a month (summer break), we did some riding trips…I even booked a cabin for us to ride to and stay overnight to surprise her. Still even with the kids gone she only came over and laid on top me once to start things up which I was totally excited about, unfortunately it seems like that is the one and only time for this year. We did have sexy regularly, but still there’s a sense of no desire for me, that its sex to please me. Now, here’s where I really begin to be puzzled.
She’ll hit me on my side or arm and say “If you wanna do it come over here”…thats her foreplay. Trying to kiss her passionately don’t work, she’ll turn her head so I just wined up hitting her check or neck most times. Then the other day I found that she watched lesbian porn during the mid-day and got off to it…now here it is 3 nights later and she has showed no desire for sex with me. As I lay here confused, I searched for answers and came up with this great blog. A big question, why would someone enjoy getting off by themselves (which to me means they have a sex drive) yet show no desire to be with me? You’d think after 20+yrs of marriage people would figure things out, but to the contrary…it appears it continually gets worse. So off to sleep I go, her lying beside me sleeping while I wonder what’s next and what can I do to help this…if things continue this way the rift between us is just getting larger…
I came across this post today while trying to figure out a way to help my marriage. I’ve been so stressed lately because I don’t feel like he is trying hard enough to help support our family. In the 3 years we’ve been married he’s only had a seasonal/part time job, while I’ve had the same full time job for years. Our sex life used to be great in the beginning of our marriage. Even though I never (and still don’t) initiate. It just became a routine, he initiated, I went along because I knew it’s what he wanted. He has brought up many, many times that he wished I was more interested and would make the first move so he didn’t always have to. In my mind, I would just think, “well if you’re initiating and still getting what you want, what is the problem?” After reading your article, I realize that it is a bigger issue. That he needs to feel needed. But now with twins on the way and him not putting effort into finding something to help us financially, I can’t help but be angry and too stressed to even think about wanting sex. He says he is thinking of what he can do for a job, but so far the only thing he has put an application in for was a job I found for him that he is qualified for and I had to beg him to just get it filled out and turned in. How can I help with with his need to feel loved, wanted, and respected when he doesn’t show that he is willing to do whatever it takes to help support his family?
There’s tons of reasons I don’t initiate: 1. I’m not that sexual. Didn’t start having sex until I was 22 and even then I didn’t want to be labeled a hoe. I met my (now) husband the January before I turned 25….by then I’d had 6 partners and sex 20-25 times. Not enough to get good. Which leads to 2. Lack of expertise. He’s had lots of sex. And sex with women who made it their priority to learn it (1 was giving oral at 14…I was still playing with Barbies) 3.being compared to these women. “She did this” “this one did that” ” how come you don’t” “you have the body of a porn star…but you don’t act like one” which leads to 4…not feeling good enough. 5. Not feeling sexy. He likes ‘thick’ women…when he met me I was a sz 4-6 (34B-26-36) now 2 kids later I’m (38c-39-45)and he loves it….I hate my stomach, he loves grabbing it and laying on it…uggh! 6. He’s been diagnosed with epilepsy-I’m the only one who’s seen him have them. He used to have them every 15 days. His body would hurt so bad that I could barely touch him…so instead of cheat and getting my feelings hurt by him not being able to have sex…I cut my sexual side off. I’ve been his nurse for the past 3 years. 7. He’s not fun anymore. He’s always worried about “what if something happens to me…” 8. Because of the tonic-clonic seizures he lost muscle mass. I’d rather have a linebacker than a point guard. And with 2 kids (3yrs & 4 months), helping run the business, a dog and cat, an inherited house that’s constantly falling apart….none of my friends are married, there’s no one around to relate to. I no longer go out. We just stay in the house. I’m a Leo and he’s a cancer. I’m the eldest of 15, two parent house hold he’s an only child of divorced parents. He went away to college I took 7yrs to earn an associates….I could go on, but those are the reasons I don’t initiate…
For the first 12 years of our marriage, we had a fabulous sex life. Sex was my favorite past time and who initiated wasn’t really an issue. But I found out very early in our marriage there was an issue with porn. Then there was an issue with a few ladies. I knew some things weren’t right but chose to ignore all the red flags. My husband was leading a double life. When he finally admitted to an affair, everything went haywire. He refused to get any help or counseling except for one “deliverance” session. That was almost 17 years ago. Though we have still been having sex once or twice a week, it is mechanical. Because of his anger toward me, (for my lack of interest) he has put the burden of initiating on me, 100%. He is withdrawn emotionally, never says he loves me, but expects me to be all hot and bothered.
Recently, a few things have happened to move things in a postive direction. I had brain surgery. Even though he still didn’t tell me he loves me, he was visibly upset at the prospect of losing me. He gave me great care following the surgery. But I am a counselor of sorts for an organization dealing with infidelity. Every time I go over the material that talks about the necessity for complete disclosure for reconciliation, I approach him again about coming clean with everything. He gets very defensive. Recently, much to both of our surprise, I slapped him across the face. We have this undertone of anger on both of our sides that never goes away. After that, we had crazy sex. I told him I think the underlying anger keeps me from really wanting him.
I am a committed Christian. He is a Sunday Christian. Recently, I heard on a Christian radio station that reading the word once, twice, or three times a week, does nothing. It has to be read at least four times a week. I asked him to do a 30 day seven minute devotional for couples. He agreed. One night we each made a list of things we need and one that he put on his list is love. I realized I really do need to love him, in spite of all he is or isn’t, and in spite of his unwillingness to come clean.
The devotional is rather simplistic, but I am trusting God in this and hoping he will be willing to move on to another when this one is finished. In the meantime, I saw on tv the idea of scheduling sex. It sounds dry and boring, but she explained that knowing ahead when we are having it, helps our bodies to prepare. It also takes the pressure off of me to initiate. This is working for us, thus far. Also, I email him everyday letting him know of something I have done “for him”, such as using the core ball for exercising. After many children, my core can definitely use some strengthening. I said I thought it would help in some of our “activities”. Today, I just emailed him to tell him how fabulous sex was last night.
After many false starts, I think we are moving in a positive direction. I am hoping “I love you” comes soon.
I have the same experience. My husband doesn’t initiate sex, and the reason is that he satisfies his sexual urges through pornography and flirting. Having a good sex life in marriage has more to do with desiring the right person–the spouse, than with libido.
I never initiate with my husband mainly because I don’t like sex. I am grossed out by it. I really hate being touched in a sexual way and have even got to the point where I hate being touched at all in fear that it will turn sexual. My husband likes to french kiss which just makes me gag. He does things to turn me on but they do the opposite. What am I supposed to do to keep him happy sexually when it all repulses me?
This post really hit home for me. In 10 years of marriage, I cannot remember a single time when I did not initiate sex, and I cannot remember the last time we had sex (I assume it is when my youngest daughter was conceived or not long after). I get the fact that pregnancy may cause hardships in sexual feelings as well as after the birth (3 months ago). I am not concerned with the short term issues. I am taking a long term view. Whether or not my wife truly loves me or truely does want sex, which she swears she does, does not matter. I cannot believe her because sex, in general, is so rare and when it does happen, it is because I initiated and her reaction to it seems fairly lukewarm. I just feel as though I don’t want to initiate anymore because I don’t care to have sex with someone who doesn’t want sex with me (even when she swears she does). Clearly, she can go without it. It’s been a year now.
She has recently started wondering why I am upset and depressed, and this is why. I feel unloved and uncared about because of this. I don’t know how to tell her. I feel as though, if I do so, there could be two reactions. The first reaction is that nothing would change. This is a problem because it would be a strong rejection and confirmation of my feeling that she doesn’t really care for my feelings. I have hinted strongly at it, and nothing has changed, so I have reasons to believe that this would be the outcome, even if the reason is something else (maybe she didn’t get it, or maybe she doesn’t know what to do). I can tell myself that, but my mind can only translate it as rejection.
The second possible reaction is actually trying this and (technically) getting what I asked for. That seems great, but I cannot fool myself. I know that once I broach the subject frankly, any reaction is there only to make me happy and has nothing to do with any attaction to me. Essentially, I would have been the one initiating it, regardless of what the immediate decision is. The reason is that I want it, not that she wants it.
So now I am stuck in this circle. I don’t want my current situation, but any attempt to change it can only make it worse at very best and certainly can’t solve it. I am honestly unsure what to do at this point.
JustMe,
I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been with my girlfriend almost 4 years now. To put it lightly, I’ve done more than my fair share to make her happy but I am constantly fighting with this feeling inside that although she says she loves me, and sometimes I feel it, I don’t really believe it. I often resent her and her touch, as well-meaning and affectionate as it may be, irritates me.
I often initiate but its rare that I could count on her to do the same. It makes me feel very undesirable. At this point, if she initiates, I do not believe its genuine. It puts so much doubt in my mind: Am I good enough? Am I not successful enough? I have switched jobs to something with more potential growth with the hopes that the more successful I am the better she will treat me. Now that I am in the middle of this endeavor I am feeling that she may be unworthy of any success I may gain. I am feeling unloved…why should I make her life more comfortable. I spoke to her about it today and she was completely confused. I’ve spoken a few times with little to no change. I guess its just not in her, but I cannot live like this. She speaks of marriage but there’s no guarantee she will give me what I need then.
C.M.
Just me- get the book. His Needs Her Needs. Read it together
This describes me to a T. Right now I am ridiculously frustrated with this. I have been married for two years and I am almost always the one who initiates sex. I am currently on strike (I refuse to initiate sex). I don’t think my wife has noticed. Honestly, I don’t know how to attack the problem. She asks me just the other night what was wrong, she said she could see something in my eyes but I couldn’t bring it up. I wish I wasn’t always the one who initiated. Ladies, this really is important to us men.
Don’t go on strike! She can’t read your mind. Instead of being passive aggressive- talk to her. Initiating is hard for women. Plus, we really only think about sex around ovulation. Blame God, hormones, whatever you want. It’s just how it is.
I don’t see why it matters, if it rarely happens anyways. I tried talking to her and simply got the “I don’t have much of a sex drive”. It simply makes us as men feel rejected.
its not that I don’t like it when it happens and it’s not that I’m not attracted to my husband. I think he is very attractive and I do desire him the problem is that My Sex Drive is super low I never am turned on and I don’t know why it takes him initiating it for me to get into the mooD. ever since I had my first child I just can’t get into it mentally I can’t make myself turned on and it’s obvious to my husband I know he is emotionally and mentally hurting because I never initiate it but I don’t really know what else to do when he initiates it I do it but other than that Its not really happening on my end
I really get that. I promise that it’s not because wives aren’t attracted to their husbands or that we don’t want it. Here’s how a woman’s brain works: imagine a browser with many different open windows (like 12 or more) – she goes through her day reviewing the windows that are priority – kids, work, house, bills, dinner- etc. one of those windows is sex- but because she can’t act on that window until sometime later in the day- there’s no reason to open it up. By the time she can act on that window – she’s exhausted and whether right of wrong the window doesn’t get open much. That’s why when you initiate- you force her to visit that window –were she alone- she could go happily without sex for white some time. There are very few women in the world who have sex as a need – but it is a physical need for men just like food or water. You wouldn’t stop eating if someone fed you – so don’t stop trying to have sex with your wife. – she needs it emotionally but as women we suck at taking care if our own emotional needs. Hang in there – in know it’s frustrating. My poor husband has to put up with the same from me. I am trying because I understand his perspective. I’m really glad he didnt give up on me.
I know this is old but I found your post interesting. Although I appreciate your comment and feelings I was struck by your “priority windows”. Accordingly, you don’t seem to list your husband as one of those priorities. You seem to equate him to sex on some back burner. Perhaps if you, and so many other wives (and husbands to be fair) out there, understood that although sex is the tool, it’s the man you love that you’re neglecting. To use your food analogy, if your child were hungry would you not feed him or her? Well your husband is starving for your affection. Unfortunately, he’s been relegated to some afterthought and placed last on your list. Of the billions of people on this planet, God gave each of you one person to experiance intimacy with and all he can do for his part is wait until you have time to “get to his window”.
Mark. If my child were hungry of course I would feed him or her. Husbands are not children. They are supposed to be partners, supporters. The point of my post was to help men understand that women need to be prodded in some fashion about sex usually because we don’t think about it in general. I think about my husband all of the time, but it’s more about how much I love him and less about how I can’t wait to have sex with him. It’s just our brain. God designed is differently for a reason. We should understand those differences and help each other.
I’ve been reading about this subject for months and years and find the two responses ironic and typical. Just stressed provides the analogy of not being a man refusing food that is being offered, and when corrected by Mark to let her know that it’s more a situation of a child who’s starving for food whose cries are going unanswered for many men, she dismisses or discounts his analogy, effectively putting it to the “back burner”. Why is it that so many married couples go through this painful game of cat and mouse to the point of insanity, misery and often divorce? The husband spells out in plain English what it is he needs, never receiving it or only receiving just enough “water” to handle another 40 days in the desert (or 60, 120, 365…pick your number!), only when she thinks it’s reached a crisis point and not before, and all the while the husband in many cases is left banging his head against the wall trying to figure out what else he can do to make her happy and want to reciprocate. And in most cases when you try to talk about it more, wives feel more pressured and the chasm becomes even bigger and bigger until finally it’s a canyon that nobody wants to cross and either the marriage crumbles or an affair begins. (And when you don’t talk about it, or say “I’ll show her” by not approaching her for sex for 3-4 months, she’s happy as a kitten with the situation, though upset with you for being so withdrawn – though hopefully hasn’t been approached by a nice guy at work during such time). To the wives who read this and want a happy marriage, stop with the power struggle, I beseech you, please! Don’t initiate out of pity or because you don’t want to argue or listen to any of his complaining. Do it because you love him! Whether it be devoted love, compassionate love, sexual love…whatever the love, do it for those reasons. I’m sure your husband is expecting or seeking a lot less sex than he would like to actually have. I am far from being a perfect husband, and life’s stresses blind all of us, but if my wife told me one thing I did/could do that she was missing for one, two, five, ten years that would make her happy that I used to do, I would happily do it – and have tried. But to expect that it be all one sided is simply unfair, and to expect a man whom you had sex with frequently before marriage to simply accept that it is no longer the case is just as unfair. After many, many arguments and little change, I have asked my wife if this it, if this is the best it will be (we are currently having sex an average of once a month – which she considers to be good though I have said a minimum of 2x per week – after two one year periods of not having sex over the last five years after our two children arrived, putting our average over the last five years close to five or eight times a year). It seems to have sunk in (I told her this before going in for a vasectomy about a week ago for fear of cutting off my nose to spite my face with the procedure), but I’m not sure if things will change. Time will tell I guess. I have told her what I need and how often I need it to be happy (at a minimum) I’ve asked her what she needs in order to be able to reciprocate and be happy. If things don’t change, I will need to decide whether to just accept it and remain miserable or do something about it, outside of the marriage or by ending it. To the wives reading this, stop discounting your husband’s needs. I love my children and my wife and don’t want to hurt anyone, but why should my hurting be acceptable? Because it’s been going on for years and has become the norm?! We’ve done counselling and retreats but it always feels as though the efforts have been one sided. If you want to make him feel loved, initiate and say yes to advances. Say “yes” to your marriage! And hopefully if he gives you a minimum to keep him happy, every once in a while you’ll go double that minimum because you are demonstrating an act of love, not compliance. (and I hope that he reciprocates with what your needs are). If you want to make him feel like a leper, loser, failure, keep telling him you’re tired or have a headache and continue arguing about it until such time as you lose all respect for him either as a result of the arguing or by him finally giving up on it and where finally one (or both) of you goes outside the marriage.
Sorry for the rant-like post. I just hope it helps save a few couples from the (unnecessary) hardship of a sexless marriage that leaves one or both unfulfilled and miserable.
For the record, my husband and I have sex an average of three times a week. And the only time he hears no is when I’m really sick- running a fever. So, to clarify, my point was for the men to put themselves in their wives shoes for once. Quit assuming that she’s not initiating because she doesn’t love or card about you and recognize that perhaps she has a different way of showing love and care. Maybe if both sexes see this topic from each other’s point of view, many marriages will be happier.
I feel so awkward like he won’t like it or something . I don’t know what to do to initiate it . I feel weird and just ahhh
My husband just asked me to read this post. I know he’s angry and frustrated because I NEVER initiate, but him being angry is one of the reasons I never do. He has a very hard and stressful job, working crazy hrs and will bring the stress of the day home. Another big reason is I’m a stay at home mom to three crazy, loving, sometimes out of control toddlers ( but doesn’t that describe them all ?). I won’t list all the things I do in a day, but those of you with children will understand, add on to that lack of sleep ( at random times in the night one of the three finds their way into my bed usually wide awake, then starts screaming bloody murder when I take them back to their room). I sleep about 2 hrs a night and this has been going on for yrs! Another thing that stops me from initiating is weight. I’m not the 110lb girl he married. I have had three very complicated pregnancies each having to take meds that made me gain weight. He says he loves me how I am and I’m sexy but then we go out somewhere and I catch him starring at all these pretty thin girls and it knocks me down. I hate how I look and that’s a big setback. Lastly he always gets angry at me during sex. My usual response is I’m not a porn star so stop trying to put me in a position that I can’t get into! Then it’s a fight and there goes that. He tells me where is that sexy girl I married. I tell him she’s back in 2007, about 60 lbs lighter and minus three kids. I know I have to do a better job, I love him and I know he needs to feel wanted, but how do I get it through his head that I’m not a porn star! I don’t want to act like those girls. I’m just Cristina, and I am tired and completely insecure.
As a wife, mom of 5 and a career woman- I can relate to your lack of sleep and weight gain. First, the weight gain, guys (most if them) really don’t care so you should quit letting yourself feel bad about it. Sleep- try bartering- initiate sex and let him know he’ll need to get up with the kids. đ
I would like to know where I screwed up then? my wife has maybe initiated sex 3 times in the last year. I try to do all the romantic stuff and its still like pulling teeth!!! in the morning I rub and tickle her back, kiss her neck and ear’s and try to be sensual then after 20 minutes of her snoring I give up. I have reached a point of total and complete turn off just thinking about having sex anymore. She said that women don’t need it that often, im thinking “yeah NEVER” Ugh!!!
We really don’t! Only around ovulation each month- unless we’re on birth control and then really- never- it’s a big libido killer! Are you guys getting along in other areas? I know it’s difficult for me to have sex with my hubby if we are fighting or just not connected.
my husband and i have been having problems with me being the one not initiating for a while now…the times i have done it he either doesn”t climax or he doesn’t even act like he is in the mood and i guess its happen so many times i have just given up on trying…but i see its affecting him to where he feels like i don’t want him and even him thinking that i might be cheating on him(which is not the case) i don’t know where to begin to repair what has happened but i know i am tired of it being a problem for us…………
Hello Ladies & gents!!! I’m back!!! About 3 mo ago I posted all the EXCUSES I didn’t initiate…I wasn’t a size 6 anymore, I wasn’t sexually active as a teen, I’m not a porn star…yep! I want to encourage all the ppl who aren’t initiating to ask themselves these questions : do you want your mate to SHOW they love you, want to be w/with you, and after all this time still prefer you to all?
I married my husband to his companionship, friendship, all that….I really married him cause he’s attractive, his get lost me brown eyes, his high sex drive- and I don’t want to share…so why not let him know that I’m attracted to his mind…as well as his body…
Now I don’t “jump” him often, but I have worked on seduction…he loves it! I thought it was silly to do those things, and I’m not silly. But he loves it! So what the hey-why not!
Doesn’t matter that I want my belly to be tight…he loves it loose, doesn’t matter if I don’t have a lot if energy…if I seduce throughout the day…a quickie feels great!….
It’s easy to be selfish & self-centered especially when they give verbal/non-verbal cues that hurt…like looking around the room…I say get a good girdle..a v-neck that shows cleavage & some tight jeans…won’t matter that he’s looking at skinny….excuse yourself to the restroom…give him bedroom eyes, get up slowly, drop your cell phone…butt in the air to reach and get it and say “I’ll be right back” they LOVE stuff like that…
And if you’ve rejected him he’s not gonna respond right away…he’s trying to ignore you so he won’t get worked up and won’t be able to release. So after doing little things for a few days do something big…whatever that means for you guys….he’ll be amazed! When I first started my finish would be rubbing his shoulders, then sitting next to him, then performing oral..another time we were arguing over something stupid and I started taking my clothes of piece by piece walked over and gave him kisses…yes ladies all the things you have in your head to do he wants to see. Enjoy the journey back to love!
I have issues with iniating it and its been a fight with my husband this past year and I don’t know what to do because I don’t like starting it.
I initiate a lot. but its never enough for my husband of 14 years. some days I spend all day texting him dirty sending pics kissing him passionately grabbing him then when it comes time he lays down and wants me to take care of him but doesnt give back. its very hard to be the initiator all the time… women want to feel wanted too…
It’s often difficult when both spouses are on medications and have medical issues that quell their sex drive, for either party to initiate. Then, you throw in years of painful “baggage” and hurts that seem resolved, but hang just below the surface, for anyone to have a healthy life of sexual – or any intimacy – for that matter. As the wife, I had the problems years ago, but in recent years it has been my husband. He currently admits he has no sex drive at all, so for me to initiate puts me at a huge place of vulnerability for rejection. With the experiences of the last several years, I find it almost impossible to open myself up to that. He knows I have a drive & am attracted to him and says he feels badly for not having any drive, but doesn’t do anything to try to promote any sort of intimacy. What are you supposed to do with a no-drive, medically affected/restricted spouse? Will my “instigating” give him any sort of drive or just lead to rejection?
I don’t really initiate sex and I will admit that my sex drive is low, however his is the equivalency of a 12 year old that just figured out how great masturbation is. I know his drive is high and between work and school I try to find a balance but its difficult with our drives being so distant. Then he says he feels like he’s begging me, but it isn’t that. I really just don’t initiate sex that much. I let my mind get in the way most of the time I will admit that, but then when he doesn’t get it he has this all mighty attitude that you can see in his face and he gets sarcastic about sex which is a definite turn off. I don’t know what to do.
My husband sent me a link to this article during one of the many fights we have had about sex. I used to think I was being fair because even though I hardly ever initiated sex, I very rarely, if ever, rejected him. I do see that I need to initiate sex more. He has definitely initiated way more than me. I know I need to initiate even when I’m not in the mood to begin with, and I may get into the mood during. Now he says I have to show I am committed to initiating sex. He has always had a higher libido than me and wants sex more often than me. Now he says I need to initiate 100% of the time until he sees that I am committed. When I go two days in a row without initiating sex, he gets very angry. He has given me an ultimatum that if I don’t “meet his needs” he will have sex with other women and “get his needs met elsewhere.” In the past he had gotten me to agree to be in an open marriage. We were in an open marriage for 3 years. I even acted on it once. Ultimately I got jealous and thought he was getting out of control with his behavior. He seemed to be putting more energy into seeking out other women than our marriage. I asked him to stop over a year ago now. I can’t be sure if he did actually stop or if he is cheating. Yesterday we had our 3rd fight in 12 days after he sent me to this article and gave me the ultimatum. We have been married a long time but this has always been an issue for us. He said in the past he used to not initiate sex at all to see how long it would be before I initiated and it would be over a month. I don’t ever remember it being that long, but if it was, it was probably when the children were babies. It seems like I can go a few days initiating sex often after a fight but then I slip up and let two days go by with doing nothing and we end up fighting again. I end up resenting him because I feel like now I have to initiate when I don’t even want sex just so he won’t cheat on me. Divorce is not my first option because we have two children, so I will be affecting other peoples lives, not just my own. Divorce would be very hard but, I know it is not good for the children to hear us fight all the time either. When fighting, my husband is very loud yelling, throwing things sometimes, etc. He refuses to go to counseling or get help. I agreed to try again to initiate sex often enough to satisfy him, but I feel that this time next week we will be fighting yet again.
I think I am more liberal than the tone of this site. I never had a problem with my husband watching porn. But maybe that was where I made my first mistake. I am not religious. Nothing against anyone who is, I just think faith is one of those things you either have or don’t. But now it’s like I don’t even have faith in love. Any advice you have for my situation would be helpful. Thanks.
Hi there,
I’m so sorry that you’re going through this, but it really doesn’t sound like initiating sex is your problem. It sounds like commitment to the marriage is the problem. If you’ve permitted porn use and affairs in the past, that’s really, really devastating. Sex is supposed to be something with is intimate, which makes you feel like one, but when all of these other things come in sex becomes only about the body, like you’re using each other.
You can’t have an intimate marriage or real love unless you first have commitment and faithfulness. If he is threatening you with affairs, then that needs to be dealt with first, in my opinion. True intimacy is absolutely irreplaceable, and perhaps you both have never really experienced that. That’s heartbreaking. So I would talk to him about what sex is supposed to be, and what marriage is supposed to be. Sex and marriage are not just about orgasm; and orgasm is so much more intense if there is true intimacy there, too.
I do hope you get through this, and prayers for you,
Sheila.
Love this post! This topic, and really our sex life in general, has been an issue for me for such a long time. It probably sounds really odd, but I even went so far as to create a spreadsheet to track this and make sure I wasn’t just imagining things. Since Jan 2011 we’ve had sex 65 times, which in itself is sad, but to stick with this post she has only initiated sex 11 times in those 3+ years. Interestingly, as she has sought to be “more willing” and our sexual activity has slightly increased, which didn’t take much, her willingness to initiate sex has decreased, not that it was ever something she was comfortable doing. Because our sex life has been such an issue (we even sought counseling for various issues at one point) it’s very hard for me to bring information like this post to her. She gets that “here we go again, what are you reading now” attitude and feels like I’m implying she’s some how broken and needs fixing. On the one hand I don’t want to take away from her willingness to improve our sex lives but on the other, and as I’ve tried to no avail to explain to her, it’s very deflating to know the only way we’ll ever have sex is if I “beg” for it.
I just don’t know how to get across to her that I feel so terribly unwanted and unimportant by her unwillingness to even try. Although she has said in the past she enjoys sex, and she does appear to, and thinks about it frequently she just doesn’t follow that with action. I made the point once that if she were hungry and thought about eating she would eat. So to say she enjoys sex and thinks about it but never pursues it seems a bit disingenuous.
It’s a very difficult position for a spouse (husband or wife) to have to “fight” for the one and only thing God saves for a spouse. We can get anyone to clean our homes, fix our cars, or raise our children, but sex and intimacy can (or should) only come from that one person God gives us for this, our spouses. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to make my wife happy, nothing. There is nothing she wouldn’t do for our kids. If one of them was sick or hungry and she was dog tired, she would take care of that child’s needs without question or encouragement. In fact, they wouldn’t even have to say anything; she would be able to sense and/or understand their pain. I on the other hand have to crawl to her for my needs, at least that’s how I feel. Will she fulfill those needs? “I guess so” or “why not”, ugh! I have no illusions that anything will come from my posting this other than my ability to vent, but at least I know I’m not alone in this pain.
If you’re reading this and question whether initiating sex with your spouse is important, I can tell you it is, very. Your requirement, implied as it might be, that they should always seek your affection WILL erode their self-confidence and make him/her question your desire for and commitment to them. Read 1 Corinthians 7:3-5. You and your spouse are to be one. More importantly however (or maybe not), you should WANT to fulfill your spouse’s needs. They don’t want someone else, they want you. It should be one of the highlights of your marriage. By doing so you will find, especially in men, a more confident, self-assured, and committed partner. I think about our sex life and her clear detachment from it all the time. How much more time I could give to my wife and family if I didn’t have to. If wanting and seeking to pleasure your spouse, God’s gift to you, isn’t a priority in your marriage, you need to ask yourself why.
Amen
So we didn’t even make it a week without fighting again. I initiated sex Friday Saturday Sunday but not Monday or Tuesday. Now Wednesday morning he is angry and texting me that I don’t meet his needs and threatening to have sex with hookers again. I don’t know how I am supposed to make someone like that see that he is supposed to be committed to me. He knows it hurt me very much to know he has paid for sex during our marriage especially since I have not denied him sex when he wanted it. It makes me feel completely worthless as a person. When he treats me this way I feel so hurt and it zaps all my energy and all I want to do is cry. I made a mistake by agreeing to an open marriage 4 years ago. One year ago I asked to be monogamous again. I had only acted on the open marriage once and thought after I had told him what I did and asked him to stop he would. He didn’t. I went through his phone and email one year ago shortly after asking him to be monogamous and saw he had been recently having sex with someone else and had had sex with hookers in the past. I went though his things because I thought he was still having a sexual relationship with his employee. When I first found out he had sex with his employee, I asked to be monogamous again and he refused.
I am 33 years old been married almost 15 years and have two children. I don’t know how to get my husband to respect me or better yet I don’t know how to respect myself enough to see I don’t deserve this and get out of this marriage. I made a mistake getting married. I see that now. I married my first boyfriend. We were too young. We didn’t even really plan on getting married. No wedding no honeymoon. We weren’t even officially engaged. He didn’t even really propose with a ring and everything. We went to the courthouse one day and just got married. I don’t even know why now. I wasn’t pregnant or anything. We bought rings afterwards at Walmart. I still have the same $100 ring from Walmart 15 years ago. He never bought me a better one. But apparently he has money for hookers. I have never even been through a break-up. I don’t think I can deal with the fact I’ve let myself be used my whole adult life. It would be easier just to live in denial and lie to myself and tell myself he loves me.
Sex has always been an issue with us. He was always saying I didn’t want him. I should have initiated sex more often a long time ago. I’ve been trying now, but I think it’s too late. The relationship is too broken. When me not initiating sex two days in a row leads to him getting mad saying I’m not meeting his needs and he is going to have sex with hookers AGAIN, how can I fix that?
You can’t fix that. You really can’t. The best book for something like this that I’ve seen is Love Must Be Tough, which teaches you how to set boundaries and show your spouse the consequences of his actions.
I’d really recommend that you find a good social circle who can support you in this and show you that you aren’t worthless, and who can help you navigate these waters. Maybe find a church near you that has a counseling ministry so you can go in and talk to someone? Maybe join a women’s Bible study? But I really think you need people around you to support you and help you see that you are precious, and that you do deserve faithfulness
I’ll say a prayer for you!
I’m always the one who initiate and end up i got back is a totally rejection. She would always tell me she is tired. We just have a baby in dec last year. Everytime when i initiate she would tell me that she is tired. Its totally understandable if its just 1 or 2 times. But out of 10 time. The result will always be no. She have maternity leave for 16 weeks. Which mean she doesnt even need to work. And all she does is stay home and watch over the baby. And when i initiate she would say she is tired and right now she have started her work. And chances of making love with her is even more harder because she would say she is tired after the work. And last night i told her about it. Well when u r not working u always say u r tired because u gotta takecare of our baby. And right now u start to go back to work. And u say that u r tired because of working. So since u r not working or u r working u always say u r tired which mean we totally dont need to make love for our entire lives ahead. I’m really very frustrated about this issue. I cant possible fool around outside with others female as i got a family now. And she say its just normal for having sex one time every 2 – 3 months. I have my need too seriously. I feel that without making out with each other my feeling for her is slowly fading away and we cant really communicate well like those days in the past. Im married for 3 years now. Thats y i’m here to seek some help and advices. Thanks .
sex once every 2-3 months…seems super legit đ NOT!
It’s almost 2 am, my heart is heavy, my eyes half welled in a mix of anger and sorrow and I can’t sleep from the resentment I’m holding against my wife who I love so dearly. Her lack of initiating sex has been talked about openly and dealt with in the past and yet here we go again back to square one.
I just want her to want me like I do for her. I’m incredibly attracted to her, our sex life is regular, but it comes at the cost of me doing the reminding and the asking which now after 7 years and two children had worn me down to where I am right now.
I feel broken.
I just want to feel wanted, desired, longed for. My god, just thinking about and writing this down burns a hole in my chest.
What makes this so hard is we really do love each other, but sex just gets to be a chore for her, and she makes it known. Which just cuts me up even deeper.
She will drop a hint during the day telling me that I’m gonna get lucky tonight, and by the end of the day when nothing happens my frustration and resentment kicks in, she notices the change in my behavior but fails to even remember the “promise” she offered in the first place.
This only leaves me gutted, am I that forgettable? How can anticipated sex just disappear, every time! It’s just a circle, it’s got to the point I can seriously predict it!
She has initiated in the past, but only through long sessions of our own DIY marriage counselling chats.
But it always comes back around.
I fear constant rejection, but if I don’t then I don’t get any sex.
I masturbate more now then I ever have, and sometimes I cry afterwards because I just wished it was with her instead.
I can seriously feel resentment in my heart, it goes away and we have lovely days together and I start to think I’m stupid for feeling like I did because it seems like there is no issue on those days, but it always comes back.
She is my best friend. I can’t live without her and I adore her, and I know she loves me too, she loves to hug, snuggle and kiss, but transferring that to the bedroom is not on the cards for her.
I have tried being an alpha male, stopping myself from asking her constantly, romanticising her, more around the house, but it just ends up the same way every time. If I don’t ask, I don’t get.
I’m sick of asking, sick of it!
Hey I totally understand the broken promises thing..
my wife says I am sexy quite often and makes promises but they only pan out about 20% of the time..
it does get frustrating..
Ok I have a beast of a different nature. My husband and I have been together on and off again over the past 8 years, just resently got married this past December and we have a 5yr old and a 1yr old. He drives a truck for a living so he is only home about 6 days out of the month. We talk everyday tho its mainly thru text. It seems sex is on his mind at ALL times, no joke. When he is home I have no problem with sex, no im not the best at being one to start things I can admit that and understand that needs work. My problem comes in when as I said before its always about sex with him. He thinks that in every married couple out there the wife will send text dirty talking through out the day everyday so he may plessure himself and thinks I should do this every day whenever he wishes. In the past he has gotten upset if I am busy taking care of things I need to be here at home snd cant give him this attention. Am I lost on this? Is this truely how most couples are? Most of his text is him trying to start things (sexual) and if im busy then thats the end of the conversation, like if we cant talk about sex he dont want to talk at all. I am really lost in this. I do everything a wife so do for her husband but I am in a tight spot with this one. I know man tend to be very sexual but im not sure if this is just over the top or is there somthing wrong with me
Hi Jessica!
I don’t think it’s odd for couples to send racy messages if they’re away from each other, but those messages need to be when both people are comfortable and can think about it. If you’re with little ones that’s likely not a good time, and I think it’s perfectly okay to say, “I’ll get back to you when the kids are napping” or “I’ll get back to you when I’m alone tonight”, in the same way that if he were standing there with you you would wait until a better time. So you can say, “not now, but later”, and that’s really okay.
I do think that self-control is an important issue, and if he is wanting to objectify you or use you, that’s a little concerning and likely requires a conversation, even if it’s difficult.
No every marriage doesn’t have “movie sex” you know where everything beginning to end is perfect. However if you can neglect the chores for a bit text with your hubby and see what happens. Best wishes!
What a great article. I’m divorced and my girlfriend of 2 1/2 years never initiates though mentions she did with other boyfriends. Hearing that for a guy or at least this guy is a “kill shot”. Great article and good to know I have kindred brothers! AND many understanding women.
My wife and I have been married for 7 years. We have 3 kids and our third was born just over a month ago. We have a lot of stress in our lives because our three kids are all under the age of 2.(our first 2 are twins). It is amazing to read the comments on this page. My wife and I have been together for 10 years total and I can honestly say that she has never initiated sex. We have had our problems with sex and I think I kidded myself into believing that kids would somehow change my her sex drive. I thought that by trying to get pregnant I would see a new woman and she would initiate sex because we had a new reason to make love but it ended up being more calculated and cold then it ever was before. We initially had a hard time getting pregnant with the twins and had to seek the help of a fertility specialist and what should have been a time to just relax and enjoy each other turned into a scheduled event that became more and more stressful. We eventually had to use in vitro to have the twins and we were blessed with two healthy babies. We never thought we could get pregnant on our own and hence we now have a third. Our lives have been very stressful over the past few years which has only added to our issues with sex. I can tell you that the last time my wife and I had sex was when we conceived our latest child and she has had no desire for sex since then. Understandingly so due to having 3 small children but our problems came way before children and now I feel that they will only increase. I find myself asking the same questions a lot of you have probably asked yourself but may not admit: Am I attractive enough?, Am I big enough?, Am I a perv? Do I have aright to want sex?
My wife comes from a very messed up family. Her mom and dad are still married but should have divorced over 30 years ago. They have lived in separate bedrooms for as long as my wife can remember and are basically roommates that despise each other. My fear is that my wife thinks this is normal and we are heading towards being like her parents. I only wish my wife knew/cared how much her unwillingness to work on this part of our relationship has cut me. I want to scream out and sometimes I do which leads to a fight that never gets resolved. I wonder sometimes if my wife thinks I will be willing to relive her parents miserable lives. I hope for my kids sake my wife wakes up and realizes that I am good enough and attractive enough and if she is not willing to work with me I will find someone that is!
So sorry to hear that. I’ve been the wife who never initiated. The worst thing you can say to her is, “don’t you want me?” She wouldn’t be with you if she didn’t.
I don’t know if she’ll ever initiate, but I can tell you a bit of the journey my husband and I have had.
I was raised to be a good girl. Keep it in my pants until marriage . that only whores went after boys & men never respected, loved or married those type. After going through my teens being ignored by guys because I wouldn’t put out, I gave in. I had sex with guys not because I liked it,(which I do) but rather because I was tired of being ignored. Which tragically landed me in a date rape situation.
My husband started having sex in high school. His parents didn’t talk to him at all about sex. Actually it was the only activity he had that wasn’t chosen by an overprotective mother. It was how he expressed his individuality.
So we came to the table with much different sexual backgrounds. Changes? Yes.
Him?
He started respecting me as an individual. Stopped comparing me to other women (to my face and in his head).He stopped saying hurtful side remarks that made me feel bad for having not been a whore(thus having a lot of experience). He gave me the time to catch up. He could have sex 2-4 times daily. And although I usually don’t say no. I could have sex 3-4 times weekly.
Me?
I was able to start healing from the emotional abuse. I took the time to initiate conversations about his sexual needs. I made small plans to “surprise” him….
What was interesting about our case is that when we were dating I would initiate sometimes. And it was nice. But he was also dating other women who did much more pornagraphic things. As he began to move towards monogamy he became more demanding sexually which turned everything into a chore. Also he started having tonic – clonic seizures & was diagnosed with adult onset epilepsy. Being his nurse didn’t help either.
So…I said all that to say. I wish you and your wife the best life. That we all come to the table with ‘history’ and also unspoken expectations. That medical issues take a huge toll on women’s sex drive (in my experience it seemed to increase my husband’s – like he didn’t want to die without having as much sex as possible) and if you stop resenting her (she can feel it even when you don’t say it) perhaps she’ll see that she misses the fun and youthful abandon.
I don’t initiate because I’m tired, sometimes flat out exhausted, and not just from my job. It’s literally all I can do to get home, in the door, deal with the laundry and the dogs and the pets, and find dinner. The decompression sometimes (not all the time) takes a few hours, and then it’s time to get some sleep. I don’t sleep well, much, so it’s critical to get to bed as early as possible, during the school year. Then, when we’re not having sex, it seems like that is all my husband talks about, all the time. I can’t talk to him much at all about the challenges I am trying to sort out at my workplace, even if I am feeling like I could use his insight. I have been told I am boring, that he’s just not interested. So, even if the challenges are good challenges, and I am doing some very important work to solve them AND am proud of what I’m doing (most of it stuff I’ve never done before in my life, and have had to be resourceful in figuring out) I can’t share any of it with him. If there’s a challenge in my work life, or with my own family, or I am worried about something, he tells me I worry too much, or gets really defensive and ticked off, asking me what I want HIM to do about it. Nothing! It’s just that I need his listening ears – and maybe just some straightforward reassurance and encouragement (sincere encouragement – not the patting on the shoulder everything is going to be alright platitudes). There are times I don’t initiate (which is – sadly – just about all the time) because I’m feeling resentful, or overwhelmed, and lost. There were times when I learned – back in the early years – that the kids would ALWAYS take first place, even when they were fine, doing okay. Last, I guess, is just that I’m so much more than a boring person, and SO MUCH MORE than someone who wants to just sit and listen AGAIN to an analysis of what’s wrong with me. I don’t want to always hear about sex – really. And, I don’t want him to purchase any more sex gadgets for me – I can pick out my own, thanks. (I will admit, though, that given my track record with interest in sex (I have little to NO libido, a consequence of medication I have been on for the last 20 years), it’s likely that I wouldn’t ever really initiate going into a sex gadget store anyway, much less purchase any gadgets for myself). I’m so frustrated at not being the person he wants and needs. It’s just such a disappointment for him, I’m sure.
Wow, just came across this web site and am really impressed w/the comments. Its great to read the honesty of all these ladies and men. I have been married over 30 years, and have a great marriage except for the sex. When we were first married ,our sex life was awesome! My wife wanted sex every night and sometimes more than once a day. After 10 years and especially now, our sex has become “boaring” and routine, once or twice a week doing the same thing in the same place. I like oral sex and she does not although she participates reluctently. She does not like foreplay,seemingly wanting to get the whole thing over with. She nevers shows any emotion or comments on,” that is great or Hon, that feels good” etc, even though I try to communicate w/her during and after sex. I feel like when she does initiate sex, its for her feeling obligated to do so. I know there is an issue , as in some of the earlier blogs above, that she has this “dirty ” issue taught to her when she was young and trying new things or positions or new places is so called “Dirty” and don’t do them. After all these years ,I still have a strong labido and my desire for her is strong. But as many articles I read say, when your married this long you need to spice up things or your sex life will die. At this point in time it looks like she will not change and I have to fantasize of the times when she was younger when we have sex now. I want sex with her because she wants me not because she feels obligated to give it to me.
Been with my wife for a little over 11 years, been martied for 10.
I want to mention first that I love her very much, and care about her emencly. And she says the same about me.
My problem has to do with her lack of initiation as well, but what really confuses me is that for the first 7 years of our relationship, she would initiate all the time, perhaps 75% of the time. In fact, I would sometimes wake up to her touching me and helping me get aroused. Sometimes she would just give me oral, sometimes I would wake up to her on top of me with me inside her. It was really awesome, and something that was very new to me (my ex wife apparently hated sex, so this was a complete but pleasant shock to me) I have to admit that sometimes I would turn her down because it was too much at times. (Now I wish I hadn’t because I’m wishing it would go back to the way it was)
So yeah, my problem fits the topic of her not initiating, but I’m confused because I know she is able to do it, and apparently enjoyed it because it happened for the first 7 or so years.
Since then I pretty much have to initiate around 75% of the time. She is always willing, but now it feels like she is just doing it out of obligation. I would like it to be at least 50/50, but over the last couple of months it’s been 100% me doing the initiating. And now, out of feeling frustrated, and like she no longer desires me, I have not been initiating either, in the hopes that she will initiate. I’ve tried to explain to her that I feel like it’s important for her to initiate once in a while because it makes me feel like she wants me. She doesn’t seem to get it, she says “of course I desire you, that is just silly” I ask her what changed, why she quit initiating after doing it for so long? and she eludes to something along the lines of that it never was like that. Well it was! And I’m so very very frustrated! Why doesn’t she understand that the simple act of her initiating would make me feel like she desires me?
EDIT: just wanted to add here reluctantly, that I am now having problems keeping erect during sex, I’m pretty sure it is most likely all in my head and not a physical health issue. But it feels like this stretch of not feeling desired is making me also have performance anxiety. There have been other times when I’ve had this problem, and I’ve shared my concern with her about it. And she would help me by saying it’s just in my head, and then she would touch me and get me arroused which would lead to sex. And then she would say “see it’s all in your head” which would instantly make me quit worrying that something might be “broken” down there. Now it’s getting worse, and she won’t help me by “fixing” it like she used too. So now my mind keeps telling me that I really am having an actual health issue.
At first she was saying that she wanted to lose weight first (which I kinda understand) because she said she didn’t feel sexy anymore, I told her that didn’t matter, but I think she finds that hard to believe. Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me, I love and desire her no matter what her weight is. And I often tell her she looks nice and/or hot/sexy, when I see her with a new outfit on, or just whenever I think she looks nice/hot/sexy, because I really do :). Anyway, lately she has lost a lot of weight, and she is looking good as ever, do I thought that maybe her initiating would start up again soon, but it hasn’t :(. And I still keep commenting on how nice she looks, and that I’ve noticed she has lost weight. So there is something else that has changed. Maybe she is tired of me? I don’t know what it is, but it is starting to make me completly shut down in the sex department, I’ve even had thoughts of cheating so that I can feel desired again. (I don’t want to cheat, and I’m not out looking per se, but the thought does cross my mind occasionally when I’m trying to sort things out in my mind whike I’m feeling frustrated), where as before, it NEVER even crossed my mind at all because I was feeling more than desired by her.
So anyway, that’s my vent for the day, I look forward to any feedback / responses. And just want to say that after reading most of this thread. It’s nice to know that there are others with similer stories.
There is a difference between rejection and having to initiate. But both hurt like hell. One must make you question if you are loved, but the other just makes you feel frustrated and exasperated. I’m in the exasperated camp, exasperated that whilst you “get” sex (way less than you would like) you never feel wanted or desired. Then the excuses, “you don’t love me right” or “it just doesn’t feel natural”. She will be at the Fifty Shades of Grey film though and has the book. All over Facebook with her pals discussing how good it looks. Just once or twice a month. It’s really, really not asking too much
My turn to vent…
My wife and I are both 32 years old with a 1 year old son. Our sex life has never been too crazy although it has slowed considerably since we got married 3 years ago and especially during/after the pregnancy. I don’t really remember if she initiated sex when we were dating but I can say that since the pregnancy she has maybe initiated sex 2 or 3 times in the past two years and I would say, on average, we have sex maybe 1/2 times per month. I have always felt like she isn’t a very sexual person but over the past two years I have grown more and more resentful of the fact that we don’t have sex very much and that she doesn’t ever seem to actually want it. It always feels like she is just throwing a dog a bone. I have tried to talk about it with her a few times but it always ends up in an argument in which I feel like I lost. I try to make her understand that I really really want to have sex with my wife and that I need to feel like she wants me. It seems to get better but then after a week or two it’s back to normal. I have read a lot of other peoples posts and followed some suggestions about doing more around the house and make her feel more wanted but it does not seem to help. I work long long hours especially during the summer months but when I get home I make a conscious effort to help. From the time I get home until the time she goes to bed I am actively cooking, cleaning and helping withour son. I will not sit down on the couch before her and I will not go to bed before she does in an effort to show her that I am trying to help. But in the end it seems to makes no difference.
For a while I would initiate sex and she would not turn me down very often but after a while her lack of initiation slowly crept into my head. I now feel so unwanted that I have stopped trying and I am begining to withdraw from her. She can tell that something is wrong and when I do get up the courage to talk about it it always ends in an arguement. She says she will try harder even saying that she will make an effort to have sex 2/3 times per week. The latest talk was a week ago and no sex since. Now I feel that even if she did initiate it I would ultimately be the reason she is making an effort and that it is not a genuin interest in being with me. I can’t stand the fact that I love my wife as much as I do and she has no desire to be with me.
Whether or not it’s my fault, both of ours, or hers alone that it has gotten to this point I blame her. It pisses me off that she let it get to this point when all she had to do was atleast act like she wanted to be with me. If she would have made an effort a long time ago then there wouldn’t be this resentment towards her. Then I wouldn’t think that the only reason she is having sex with me is because I finally said something about it. Maybe I am wrong to blame her. I don’t know. I don’t see how things can change if they haven’t already so I guess i’m just venting.
I work hard to provide for my family. I make 3 times the amount of money she does and with that money I have bought her a new car/house/vacations, paid off all her debt, and I have even mentioned that if she wants to she can quit her job. And all I want is for my wife to want me! I don’t want to ask for it. I want her desire to be genuin. I know she loves me but I just don’t feel the passion.
A log time ago in a far away land, someone or a group of somebodies separated women into 2 groups. Women could not be both. They had to choose. Be a wife who is loving, supportive, forgiving, trusting, hard working, great homemakers, and wonderful mothers. Or, they could be whores. Sexually salacious, provocative dressers, seductive, playful, etc.
In a society that told women that “wife” was the best & highest status a woman could have, better for her & her children, women who wanted a better life chose “wife.”
Now, hundreds of years later, men are wanting their wives to be both. Whore & housewife. Lady in the streets, freak in the sheets. There is an attitude that comes with sex. One that is hard to control. For women, naturally, we must protector eggs.
A husband saying, ” I want you to want me” sounds stupid to a wife. If she didn’t want you, she wouldn’t have married you. She is offended & perplexed by that statement. It sounds like you’re picking on her. She will not respond the way you hope.
Men are simple conversationalist. Women are complicated conversationalist. All the men who have taken the time, ( and it will take time) to explain to their wives what they want & need have been successful. Great job guys & spread the word.
A wife needs to know that you’ll still respect her as your wife after she gives in to her sexuality. A wife needs to know that she’s not going to be a whore to you. She needs to know it’s okay to let loose.
I was raised to be a ” good girl ” and no matter what sexual thoughts you have in your head, you were taught you’ll go to hell, or he won’t marry you, or that those thoughts are nasty & dirty. You can’t turn off that programming without love, patience and support.
Not “hundreds of years later”…since the dawn of time. When a man says” I want you to want me” what he is really saying, and this is just one mans opinion is this: I need to connect with you physically and I need you to show me, by initiating this physical intimate time.
Men are by definition physical in nature. We just are…the ones who have not been feminized anyway…It is thru physical interactions on an intimate level that men connect with you women emotionally. You know, the way you want to be connected to us by, emotionally…soul mates…the universe aligned for us to be together…he really cares about ME…
For men, being physical with and being intimate with a woman is very powerful, heady stuff. We feel empowered and energized when our wife chases after us, seduces us and is confident in herself enough to tell us and show us. Not tell the world or her girlfriends or her sister or her mother…us, the man in her life.
By a show of hands, men, how many of you would be jacked up ready to run thru a brick wall, ready to listen to your wife endlessly yammer on about her book club book for three hours and actually be engaged in the conversation, would gladly pick up your clothes, grab the kids from school, send a little love note in her work bag or otherwise bend over backward for your wife if she did the following: One night after dinner, you are doing the dishes, she is getting the kids lined up for homework, the dogs are out, you are chatting about your respective days, blah blah blah…and she sneeks up behind you, grabs your crotch and whispers in your ear, “baby, on Friday when the kids are my moms, I am going to &*&*****… and then she just turns and walks away…
I know, if anyone finds out she said this, she would be labeled a slut and whore…exactly!!! a slut and a whore for her HUSBAND- oh the horror of that…Dang Marge, did you hear what Stacy told her husband the other night??? She is such the little slut, initiating sex with her husband like that…I guess he doesn’t care that is 50 pounds over her playing weight, and hasn’t bough a new set of clothes in forever…
Seems women are more concerned about what other women or society thinks about them than what their own husband might think about them… And I know I cant speak for 100% of the husbands out there, but if my wife said that to me, well, I would be totally fine with that and I would respect her in the morning…
You just described my marriage to a T. Same age, same situation with the money….I treat her like a queen, she wants for nothing….
I don’t get it…I see all these women on here and most seem to be saying that they have to work and take care of the kids and seem to be very overloaded.
This is not our situation …our wives are simply not giving us what we want and what I feel we deserve. When it goes on for so long I feel that there is no way that she loves me….how do you not touch the person you love? How do you not WANT to be physical? I just don’t get it….
Yes.. I feel the same way…
my wife wants for almost nothing..
we are blessed to not have financial struggles. 4 healthy kids.. she stays home..
I appreciate all the posts and this article as it totally relates to my situation..
Unfortunately in my frustrating I get jealous of her past thinking that the boyfriends before me had it good and she was happily having sex with them. I was not experienced like she was when we met as I was saving myself .
so now when I feel she is not interested, I think.. oh sure.. you were interested with the jerks you were dating before me but now I treat you great, am romantic, provide etc.. and your not interested in sex anymore. I get jealous thinking they had all the FUN with her and now I am the provider,safe etc.. and now she’s not interested. we have been married over 20 years and our sex lives started out great but many years ago it started to diminish and I get frustrated thinking if she wasn’t screwing the other guys maybe there would have been more left for me… Although it doesn’t fix my problem, reading that others have the same issue gives me some comfort..
@0 years is a long time ….we all grow comfortable with eachother and I undestand everything that comes along with that. BUT!!! When I tell my wife, nicely and sincerely that I NEED her touch and desire and I tell her I feel like not only does she not love me……that she doesn’t even like me anymore …..and still get nothing after many days go by …..it obviously would make anyone feel like she really doesn’t care!
The difference here is when I initiate she almost never turns me down ….she gets her O’s very often and I of course get mine. I just don’t understand why she can’t be the one to get me going sometimes……after all I provide and offer….I definitely deserve it!!
Yes.. I don’t understand that either.
when we do have sex she says it was great…
so then I am thinking.. ok when why don’t you want to do it more ?
I don’t understand that part…
I have given up initiating a while ago. It’s pretty much a – I’m interested when you want to fool around- thing
and I just wait till she wants do…
she will try to please me once in a while other ways but sometimes actual sex is only once a month..
she must have gotten advise from her therapist recently as she told me she wants to have sex 3 times a week and told me what days… but that hasn’t really panned out either….
I just want to feel like she wants me and I am not a chore that she has to take care of certain days a week.
Initiating from them is the key for us as we feel desired. to me it shows interest versus having to do something.
I have had this problem with my wife for 2 years now and its getting to the point to where i dont feel wanted by her. i know she has orgasm well a few of them every time we make love but she refuses to be the one to start it. I have tried to talk to her about it but its like it goes in one ear and out the other and she will just lay there with no response and we had this talk or should i say i have talked to her about this several times. Some times i feel she cheating on me or she just dosnt love me. i dont know what to do.
18 yrs married. I shared the following with my wife who only initiated maybe three times in 18 years. “You don’t understand me.” then “Do you want to understand me?” she did. ” I am simple, I need 3 things. Food, … I couldn’t remember the second… and lovin/sex” I started crying as I explained that it was such a hangup in our marriage for me to feel one with her without her recognizing and acting on my needs.
I’m a good husband. I needed her to need me for more than Shelter, protection, Food, money, social status, a daddy, sperm donor etc.
“I just need you to show an interest in me.” “other women wear less in public than what you show me in the bedroom” She always was ok being naked, but never in something seductive. I never bought trashy lingerie, but she would never wear it.
I know she liked sex because she would get into it after I initiated (when she was not too tired) and so I always had hope.
“I am tired of you being tired” “I need you to initiate sex”
Anyway, she took it to heart.
We have had the most wonderful couple of months, we have had a home honeymoon. She budgeted $750 for lingerie, some flavored lubes and we even got a vibrator. She has initiated sex almost every night for the last 2 months.
She doesn’t know that she saved her marriage. I have always been faithful, but I was rapidly falling out of love. We were likely heading for separate lives, not divorce, but just not connected.
I am more productive at work. I never now speak ill of my wife, before it was easier to tease her about stuff. I am a better man. I am happier around the kids, my daughter noticed that we are more flirtatious with each other.
I look forward to seeing her. We kiss with a touch of passion before I go to work.
I am not tempted to look at other women, or be jealous/envious of other men.
I am way more helpful around the house. I tackled a big cleaning project and actually finished it. I took several trips to the dump.
Women want their husbands to change from being overgrown boys and be a man.
Start treating your man like a lover rather than a roomate, or paycheque, and you will see immediate change. For us after 3 days I forgot how our marriage was, and am into how it is.
God blessed us with us and now we are looking after each other’s needs unselfishly.
Ive been with my wife 12 years married 7 and have a 4 year old son. I thought i was alone in my situation but take slight comfort from these posts. Im 33 my wife likewise, our sex life was good to start but i can almost gaurantee i have always initiated sex, i get frustrated because were both still young and are very active n healthy, and often wonder how bad itll be in 10 years time. At the moment we probably have sex once or twice a month which for me is nowhere near the amount my sex drive needs. I have mentioned it to her before but it falls on deaf ears. I can only see this problem getting worse and eventually tear us apart. I dont want sext to be such an issue it should be fun for both and exciting, id appreciate just every now and again for her to decide she wants me before i want her, im still deeply attracted to my wife but intamacy as always been an issue for her. And having these feelings makes me colder to her inturn making her want me less!!! I just wish i could see a way to make this better but i only see one outcome, we both seperate and find someone who doesnt need to work at something which should could natural.
I am a shy person by nature. I guess one would say I’m introverted. I have been with my husband, married, for 25 years..known him for 28. Maybe I’ve initiated sex twice. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I know it bothers him. And it bothers me that it bothers him.
I just don’t know how.
I have been married to my husband for 5 years now. We have 2 wonderful kids together and I am very happy. He on the other hand has expressed discontent in the bedroom. Our baby girl is 8 months, I am still breast feeding and I still feel self conscious about my body. I am guilty of not initiating. Not because I’m not attracted to him (like he believes), but because I just don’t think about it. I don’t want sex as often as he does. When he initiates I try not to deny him, but he wants me to initiate and now that he has brought it to my attention … He feels that when I do, it is out of pity. Which isn’t entirely wrong. I don’t know what to do about becoming more interested in sex. Even before babies … I’ve just never really been interested in sex.
It’s just so frustrating!
I bravely showed this article to my other half as we have been having this argument for years. She totally understands my point of view now as i could never have explained it to her in a way which didnt seem like i was nagging. She frequently initiates now and i find muself wanting to inotiate more. Our relationship has generally improved in all areas and we are so much happier.
That’s wonderful, CT! Thanks for sharing.
My wife of 36 years initiates sex ONLY after I bring this subject up. Then we make love exactly one time—the next day, always—and for the next five months we are back to me making the first (and often second and third) move. This has been a constant in our marriage for three decades.
I HATE this. She knows exactly how I feel and swears that she understands.
But this woman is unable to change. She just…can’t. She just…won’t.
My wife blames her hormones (including when we were in our thirties) and last night she told me that she will tell her OB-GYN. God knows, I’ve heard this before. Then it dawned on me this morning that she won’t even see him until October!
My wife, a loving person and an awesome mother, does not realize that we are at a critical point in our marriage. I have told her this and she cares. But not enough to change, that’s for sure. I find myself going into self-protection mode. I try not to have sex with her but that is biting off my nose to spite my face. So I always end up trying to get her going. Or I get angry and rather than plow through the same old issue I just say to myself, “What’s the use?” And I quietly resign myself to being angry and feeling defeated.
And she goes right back to Facebook or reading her romance novel. Happily unbothered and untouched by me.
Hell, I know that she would just prefer to read Facebook for another hour. Actually, that’s what invariably happens. If I am lucky, she puts down her computer at 11:15 , she gets undressed, we start playing around and she yawns over and over again. This woman just doesn’t get it: Facebook will always be there.
Interestingly, she is a great sex partner once things get going. And she loves it. She loves me, too. But I am sick, sick, sick of her not listening to me. My frustration is off the charts.
I am pretty much stuck. Too much invested and too many financial penalties to leave. So I will stay with a woman who has zero sex drive, no desire for her husband and clearly has no desire to change. I wish that she would want to be with her husband, too, rather than her parents, her children, her grandchildren, her sister and Facebook. Heck, I am 60 years old, work our everyday, trim, good looking, outgoing, retired…
You know, I gave up a long time ago. Only she could not care less. As long as I leave her alone. I have told her repeatedly that sex, being together, sharing an activity…it all goes hand-in-hand in creating and developing intimacy. Intellectually, she understands that. She even agrees.
But to effect change, at this point?
To suggest such a thing is nothing but a cruel joke.
I have been in a relationship with a beautiful woman – 8 years my junior – for 6 years, and married to her 2 of them. We just welcomed our baby boy into the world 7 months ago. She’s busy with school and work, and I work out of the house while raising him so we don’t have to do daycare. I am not the best housekeeper, but I try. I try to cook, and I run out to accomplish all the honey-do tasks. Apparently, donning the apron isn’t the hot commodity some magazines make it out to be.
I am very close to filing divorce papers. Really, the only thing that keeps me from doing so is my son. I look at him and burst into tears thinking about doing that to him – all over sex. In all 6 years of our relationship, my wife has never once initiated sex. I’ve had conversations with her about our inimate life numerous times, and nothing has ever changed. She stopped french kissing me after the first year and a half of our relationship. She’s very much like a guy – wham, bam, get ‘er done. You’d think we guys would like that – but I don’t. I like foreplay, and the intimate connection that comes with it. We have none. I’ve experienced her sighing in the middle of sex and say, “Is this going to end anytime soon? Let’s get the show on the road.” So I lose interest, and she gets offended. I wonder why I’d lose any interest when she starts complaining in the middle of what is supposed to be love making? I’m pretty sure we haven’t made love, as I’d see it, in over 4 years – including our wedding night.
She’s very good at making me feel sorry for her – she’s very busy, working fulltime and going to school fulltime, but our intimate life is at the bottom of her priority list. I’ve told her she’s losing me, but she manages to always tell me that she’s the one who’s suffering. I’m at my wit’s end. I don’t know what to do.
[Editor’s note: just editing some more intimate details out]
Hi there.
I am struggling with this problem. My husband seems to base his self worth on me initiating sex. I just can’t. I love my husband dearly and we have been married going on 15 years but the last 5 years or so he has stopped initiating sex and expects me too. If we go two or three days without it he gets all pouty and tantrumy (serious turn off). I am a mother of his 4 children. I work full time. I love sex when he initiates and acts masculine but this whiney stuff just turns me off and I don’t want to initiate. It has become a chore and he has become more and more distant. I feel it is a catch 22. I don’t want to fake interest but I feel like I have to because if I don’t he will start with his “you don’t love me”, “you don’t show me you love me” and it goes on and on. I feel like I am failing him as a wife because I have NO interest in initiating. He wants me to put on a sexy act (but he wants it to be real). Everything else in our marriage is great but this has me angry, resentful and bored. What do you suggest I do?
You said your husband derives his self worth from you initiating sex, you know this, and yet you choose to not initiate… While I don’t believe anyone should derive their self worth from the actions or inactions of another, I cant help but wonder, if he stopped doing something for you that you have defined as equally important to your self worth, would you feel the same way?
guys typically define the initiator as the person most interested in that activity…you don’t initiate, therefore you show by your actions that you really are not that interested…I mean people don’t typically go out of their way or focus on things that they don’t like to do. No initiation= no interest. not saying that is right or wrong…
No initiation could also mean to him that you are getting or focusing your attention on someone else… Perception is reality.
Initiation of intimate time, like other marriage items, ( shopping, child care, garbage, fixing things, laundry, pumping gas, talking) carries with it a certain degree of sharing…you both do things for each other, yet initiation of intimate times is a one way street. That is HIS responsibility!!!
He is the father of your 4 children, Does he work full time? Is he tired?
Fake interest? Chore? Yeah, he is a guy, he wont be able to feel those things…insert sarcasm.
What should you do? Seduce him. Focus on him. Send him naughty texts. Leave explicit notes in his wallet. Do everything your mom or girlfriends or society tell you “Good girls” would never do. Do that. Don’t explain yourself. What do you have to lose??
ok, this is my EXACT situation so I feel compelled to reply. You are acting like my wife and I would LOVE to know why!
First, there are a few differences here that are quite large. She doesn’t have to work but she chooses to. I work from home and take care of our daughter. My wife is up early (6am) and home at 5pm. By the time she gets home my daughters homework is done, she is bathed and dinner is usually being made and the house is clean.
So…to the point …..I too get grumpy when time passes with no sex, most of the time I initiate but I am tired of it. I want her to seduce me…wear something nice and cater to me….when this doesn’t happen like now ……it makes me feel un loved, un appreciated….then as more days pass it gets worse….way worse ….especially when I tell her how I feel and still nothing……does your husband not deserve your love, desire and passion? Does he not deserve to be catered to once in awhile? If he is like me, he NEEDS you ….he wants your touch and attention he needs you to tell him/show him that he is your king ….jeez….if you love him show him! Make him feel like a man!!
So yes, this is my problem. I am in your hubby’s position and this is how we feel about it….
My story is similar to Aubrey’s. He usually initiates but he gets in a funk and pitches a fit and acts like a child if it doesn’t happen. I’m not perfect…I’ve got my own set of issues. Which brings me to my next point…
I feel that the coercion, the begging, the manipulation, the “do this and she’ll do that!” coaching, the “talking myself into it” … it doesn’t fit into my perception (agreeing that my perception could be askew) what sex and intimacy should be. I feel that there are women who are more and women who are less sexual. I feel that it is a violation to force myself or feel I have to sacrifice such an intimate part of myself to give gratification to another person. I find it next to impossible to give of myself from that deep a well. Don’t get me wrong.. when we do have sex it’s always great. We have no issues other than my exhaustion / low libido. He works up to 18 hours a day – no exaggeration. By the time he gets home and wants to get things going I’m exhausted. I just cant. And so often it feels awkward, I just would rather work around it.
We hit the skids 2 years ago and we worked like mad to keep our marriage intact.. then we had baby #5 and I feel the pushing and pulling and whining is just too much. She’s 8 months now and high maintenance…and I am the sole caregiver. I’m tired and spread thin and most of the time it seems like too much for him to ask. I’m almost offended. It feels like another chore on the list… oh, someone else whose needs I have to meet. (And a meal and a backrub won’t cut it, lady. Stop what you’re doing and let me invade your most intimate, personal space too.. and make sure you like it.)
I know it’s harsh and not truly what he’s thinking but I can’t seem to convince myself of it at the time. All I see is selfish manipulation. I wish I could change this. I do want to make him happy.
I too feel for you. I just say to myself it’s not about me right now it’s about him. Sometimes it’s harder then others.
He works 18 hours a day, you work 24 hours a day. When is there you and him time?
It is a chore on the list, only to be done every other Sat from 930 to 1015, assuming there was a nap during the day, there is a full moon and everyone is feeling 100% tip top shape!. An entry on the spreadsheet of the week. Everyone else and everything else comes first. The kids, work, parents, friends, chores… Co-habituating as roommates, who every once in awhile have sex, out of obligation. SMH If that’s what you want, then I think you are in a great spot.
I cant speak for your husband, but I would venture a guess that he feels neglected, and he acts whiney because that is how he knows he can get your attention…I mean the kids get your attention by whining…
Wow. How utterly amazing this hits home. We have been together for 11 years and married for 7 of those and I cannot recall my wife initiating sex one time. Not once. We introduced toys years ago…for her and its become a neccesitty to get one out for her. She seems to have zero sex drive and I am completely sick of feeling like I am a nagging dog that she throws table scraps to appease me. Its completely unfair and selfish. I am finally ready to throw in the towel and just give up on having a sex life. I help around the house a ton. Do the cooking and so on and so forth. I am the main source of income and she just seems ungrateful and unmotivated.
Dave- You know, your actions, and past history allow for some wonderful memories, and at the same time allow for both of you to become ” familiar” and “comfortable” with each other. A rut. A funk. Taking each other for granted…and eventually, due to lack of communication, resentment will build up and all hell will break loose…
You are better than, and have more self worth than to be a “nagging dog”. Stop it. Go opposite. She knows you. show her that you can be mysterious. Don’t tell her your every move…hang out with the boys. Go golfing. Take up a former hobby. Start a new hobby. Take a yoga class. Dress nicer. Workout. Catch a concert. Meet some friends at the game. start a poker game…anything really that you would love to do. Not what you think she would like, this isn’t about her, its about you.
If she asks questions, and she won’t for awhile chalking it up to a “phase”, just be vague—-” Just re connecting with old friends”….it can not be a phase, it needs to be a permanent change in your behavior, your world view.
Initiate no intimate time. You will be in the desert for a long time…a long time. be OKAY with that. Marathon not a sprint. Don’t cheat-ever. You will notice if you go out, your wedding ring will be a magnate. You are “safe”. That is attractive.
By going opposite you learn a couple things… 2) she will follow. 3) she wont follow. Be mindful she may not verbalize anything…that’s ok…but eventually you will gain clarity…then you can discuss your expectations of initiation and determine if she is willing to work with you and give you what you need or not. Her answer will guide you. You have choices other than a “dog waiting for table scraps”…stop and think about that for a min…Does that sound like a man who is attractive? A man waiting for the “Scraps”?? You deserve better because you are better than that.
Go opposite.
S
This is the major pproblem that creeps up in my marriage every so many months. My wife says she does not know why she seems to start things up and as I wait to be desired and I start acting differently she turns a arguement at me. I just wish she would take time to look up things like this article. She has said stress and being tired butI too have even more stress since I am the only one that works. Times when she says she is tired and we agree not to have sex she always finds time to be on Facebook throughout the day. Men need this to be shown how they are desired but when I explain how I feel itkinda works for a few weeks but then back to the same old up to me and then I get turned down sometimes. What can I do, she compliments me and post on Facebook how wonderful I am and even has friends jelous of her for how I treat her, but then I cant get her to do the things I would like for her to show me how she desires me? What to do to get my wife to read up on how menm think and the things we need. Any advice would be appricated and me job now has me traveling and will soon be gone for 11 days straight.
I’m assuming you tell her she’s sexy all the time and make her feel wanted? Walk up behind her and start kissing her neck. Some women prefer the man to be aggressive and take it (No I don’t mean rape). If you’ve done all that, and it doesn’t work, she needs to get her hormones checked. You need to make her understand that all those nice things you do for her, is the same this as what sex is to a guy.They feel loved by you making her feel wanted, sexy, and by helping out around the house. In return men NEED sex. Don’t be ashamed of needing sex. If she wont even discuss it with you, then you are going to end up with major issues down the road.
This may have been addressed previously, but I could not find it. My husband and I have only been married 9 years, and we only have sex once a week, if that much. He has an old injury to his back and hips from when he was hurt in his twenties. On days where I want to initiate, which I admit I don’t do as often as I should, I hear him complain about his hip or back hurting and I don’t want to make things worse. He didn’t get proper treatment for the injuries initially because of the lack of knowledge at the hospital he went to. Because of this things healed improperly. I take these complaints like I assume men do when a woman complains of a headache. Is this an accurate response, or is the want for sex for men, worth the pain?
I have major back issues, and I’m often in pain during sex. Totally worth it. Sex releases endorphins, which help with the pain a little bit. But to be fair, I have pain meds that I can take after.
So maybe I missed something here, but I showed my wife this page and all hell broke loose. A little back story: my wife and I are in our late 20’s, married for 2 years and have a beautiful 1 year old son. Our sex life had been amazing before the baby, then it dropped off. The post-baby libido loss is understandable, I get that, but it has been a year since baby got here and we’ve only had sex a handful of times. I tell her daily how attracted to her I am, how much she turns me on, I gave her a nice hot bath the other night with candles and music and a glass of wine and zero expectation of anything in return. I am great with our son, I do 90% of the cooking and cleaning, I shower at least once a day, I have been told I’m handsome (not by just my mom), and I’m in shape. I have done everything I can think of to try to reintroduce some form of sexual intimacy to our marriage but every time I do, it is met with serious backlash. I’ve beat around the bush, I’ve been direct. I’ve been a gentleman, and frankly sometimes I’ve been a jerk. But I am a very good listener and husband and I have always bent over backwards to meet her needs. So I ran across your blog and thought, “yes! This author gets it! She gets me! This is something I can show my wife and she’ll understand!” Sadly, I was very wrong. She blew up at me, in front of the baby no less, and said, “fine. I’ll give you sexual attention whenever you want. Just ask.” The reason that isn’t good enough for me is because I want her to WANT a sexual relationship with me. Not for her to feel like she has been forced into one just because she wants me to shut up. I love her and I love our family. All I want is for this to be fixed, but I’m at the end of my rope with it. Before this latest incident, I went 2 months without any sexual contact, spoke to her about it, we decided that we would make a bigger effort to initiate it, then nothing. For days. I felt like I was still being ignored, so I led her to this blog in the nicest way I could possibly think of. Then the fireworks. Am I doing the wrong things here? I’ve been praying about this endlessly and I’m still at a loss.
WOW….what was her reason for blowing up? Surely she gave you some reason?
Is there any possibility that she needs to see a doctor? Is she depressed? Many women feel bad about themselves after pregnancy…it can last for years.
Sounds exactly like me.
I’m the same husband you are, minus kids so that’s no cause in our case.
And my wife does the same thing——–any time any problem comes up that I talk to her about, she (eventually?) says something to make me THINK she’s ever going to do anything.
Instead, I feel like I’m not even worth a Google search. Nothing ever changes. Nothing. It’s like I trust her but she lies.
And what can you do? Call her out on lying to you about something just as important? Well then that turns you into a bad husband she resents, and now that’s her reason, right? I don’t do that, but HOW MANY YEARS of being unhappy is too many? Asking her to do ANYTHING to save our marriage is seen as an attack on who she is——-I’m supposed to LOVE her for being lazy, so why can’t I say she’s supposed to LOVE me for never doing the dishes again (which would never happen)?
Simple—-I paid for everything. She’ll come out of this a winner, I’ll come out broken, and she’ll STILL label me the bad guy when all I ever really wanted is to be loved HALF as much as I love her.
Oh Paleez! I feel for you guys, really I do, and I know that there are exceptions, those prudish girls that don’t want sex, but let me tell you WHY we don’t want sex sometimes. Here is the honest truth~ Remember the days when you used to PURSUE us during the dating season? The conversations, the interest you had in us, being there for us, protecting, making time to find out how our day was and seeming like you were really wanted to know more of us? WHAT HAPPENED?! Yes, life happens, we pay the bills, we get busy, but I am here to tell you that there are women out there who would flip over backwards for a husband who is a leader of the home, spiritual first and otherwise. If you still showed interest in your women= conversate and take an interest in her heart then most women would want to jump your bones everyday! When we are taken for granted it hurts our hearts. We want to be DELIGHTED IN. A mans role is to Pursue and a womans role is to Respond. Yes, we need to do our part, yes we want you sexually, and will initiate, we want that too, but when you come to us after not having any in depth conversation and nudge us for sex it is just that……..sex not intimacy. We feel used not loved. You do your part and she will do hers and if she doesn’t she is selfish! It will come naturally, but as we have heard before, marriage is work. Does that mean that men need to be the initiators all the time,…….are you the leader of the home or not? You feed her and she will feed you, plain and simple.
@ Mexy:
I agree with everything you said. I was “that guy” in my first marriage. But not this time….my wife is treated like a queen…she is totally catered to. She doesn’t have to work but chooses to. I work from home, I take our daughter to and from school. By the time my wife comes home from work my daughters homework is done, she is bathed, the house is clean and dinner is usually being made.
I learned from my mistakes in my first marriage but I think I went overboard now…..she is spoiled, even her sisters say it all the time…..I do everything I can for her and our family. So why isn’t she jumping my bones? đ
I’m with you there, right there. I had a career that she asked me to quit because she wanted more time with me. Now I know it was just control.
Remember the days when you used to pursue us, dressing in that nightie, asking us if we were in the mood? Texting us to come home early so we could “get busy” before the kids came home? Remember when you used to pursue us? You know, wear perfume, heels, and worked out? We want to be hunted, stalked, jumped on…and you are correct, we do need to listen better, more actively…and connect emotionally. Maybe, just maybe you meet us half way. This isn’t 1952..
You’re wrong.
I do those things.
I don’t just do those things though; I LEARNED to do those things better. I deliberately tried to be a better husband. I quit my art career, left my friends behind, stopped my hobbies, all because the extra revenue didn’t matter—-she was upset we weren’t spending more time together (even though it was a lot). Now I’ve lost it all and yet I’m a better husband, only she’s an AWFUL wife. I don’t know how else to put it.
Let me put it this way. If I behaved the way she does, she probably would have already divorced me. Why? Because I would be a bad husband not doing any chores, sleeping past noon, spending all our money, not complimenting her, not being physically anything with her, packing on 100 pounds (which I actually like, only she’s diabetic and it’s caused more problems), never taking out the garbage or walking the dogs and having no hobbies of my own, not to mention being unwilling to do anything she says is important to her marriage.
My wife won’t even read a paragraph for me, that’s what it feels like. If I told you the kind of husband I was maybe you’d think I was exaggerating, but I’m a romantic by nature so that should be enough for the sake of the argument. But my wife? She won’t even do a google search on marriage. She’s HAPPY, after all. I DO everything I’m “supposed to.” I’m a good husband. When people see the way I treat her, there are frequent “awwwwwww” sounds and, “he’s SO sweet!” That’s what you want, right? And that’s what she’s got.
And I’m MISERABLE not because I have some sexual itch to scratch, but because I’m not even worth a google search to her. I’m not worth a phone call. I’m not worth a chapter in a book. And more to the point, I think when we do get divorced she still wouldn’t even look and would instead just label me as the husband who left her because he was selfish and wanted sex to mean something, ever.
Yeah….well, the flip side to that coin is this. Do you know WHY sometimes we stop being interested in your day, or lose interest in taking you out, or stop wanting to conversate with you? Because you lose interest in the sexual side – the intimate side – of our relationship. A man’s primary drive is his sex drive. Pure and simple. You say that women feel neglected when you neglect their needs. It is exactly the same way for men – you neglect our needs, we start to lose interest in yours.
Your attitude is the exact problem – you expect that a man should always be the one to be on his game, and that if he isn’t, it’s his fault that his wife loses interest. Nowhere in your post did you allow for a wife being the one to continue on meeting the needs of her partner even when her partner isn’t meeting her needs. But for a man – oh yeah, you MUST continue meeting her needs, and if she isn’t meeting yours, then you just need to keep meeting hers, and eventually, maybe, possibly, it will work itself out.
Well, I can tell you from experience – all that makes the husband is an enabler of his wife’s neglect. That attitude doesn’t solve the problem – it reinforces it.
@ Sexy Mexy,
I appreciate your attack on men, but not so. I’m in tuned with loving my wife how she defines being loved, and then I also love her in the way that my spirit and heart instructs. I most definitely am the foundation of my home, leading by serving others caring for their needs as well mines. So, where as I appreciate your opinion, it sounded more like finger pointing; And I was taught by wisdom that when you point the finger, the thumb comes back at you. Self check/reflection is the name of the game. What areas can you improve. I do it often, serve our Father in Heaven, love my wife, train our children & lead by example; And I still need my wife to jump my bones. I don’t want the desired look coming from another woman, I don’t want to practice defiance by satisfying myself through an open invitation to Satan by way of porn until she has an awakening & I dam sure will not have an affair. So, I just keep asking though it sucks having to be the initiator. I battle with don’t ask see how long it will take her, but I grow weak in the above areas and I get scared, give in and ask. I truly don’t know if she knows if she desires me like that. She appears to enjoy it when we do, but the things she likes to do she does them, so is this not one? So now I wonder do I still got it. I refuse to deteriorate and become beneath the man I was when we married. I’m suppose to grow, get better, stronger, wiser, wealthier etc. I need my wife to support me in this area. I love her so look much.
WOMEN PLEASE READ!
I have been with my wife for 15 years. Our sex life use to be hot, I mean real hot ….morning, afternoon, night….inside or outside….wherever we were. This faded over time of course but lasted until just a couple years ago.
I am so tired of ALWAYS initiating….she almost never turns me down and when we have sex and it is always good. I have talked until blue in the face about her not initiating. I have been going through alot in the past few months …I am very stressed out and at the end of the day…..I just want my wife…..more importantly….I need her to want me. I need her love, her intimacy, her touch, her passion. Do I not deserve it? Why can’t she start touching me? Show some damn interest in me. Don’t you want to make your husband happy? Take his mind off of things? Jeez, just make him feel like a man?
I have to be honest ……All men have fragile ego’s……because my wife has not initiated sex or any intimacy I question EVERYTHING. She must not love me, is she cheating? Does she want someone else, should we get a divorce and sell the house? I mean…it’s crazy but this is what happens when she doesn’t initiate.
Men are very simple creatures for the most part. Cater to and stroke their ego’s ….intimacy doesn’t have to be just sex…..men need to feel wanted and desired by their woman….we need to feel like her king (especially when she gets treated like a queen). I know I am rambling here but I just don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t make her want me, I can make her reach out and start touching me……I have tried absolutely everything……….what the hell do I do?
Unfortunately I know my wife will never read this.
She’ll never read anything, frankly. She thinks it’s all just me and tells me crying if I’m unhappy with our sex life being once or twice a mo thaat best with her never initiating that I should leave.
I do all those things. My wife just takes me completely for granted. When I ever bring up an issue, she goes to friends to get them to agree that there’s no problem. I cook. Everything. I do literally all the cleaning outside of the dishes maybe once a week. I’m affectionate like crazy (I’m an artist) and plan dates, send notes, leave poems on her car or in the fridge or anywhere to surprise her, we rarely don’t have flowers in the house, I pay most bills alone, I compliment her all the time and it’s sincere, I don’t belittle her, I let her sleep past noon, I sacrificed my career and friends but I don’t hold a grudge, I’m just getting walked on.
It’s not you, it’s her. Unfortunately, there’s something to say about the seven year itch – it exists. I had the same happen to me. As soon as our first daughter arrived six years ago, sex stopped. There were two one year periods of NO sex at all, followed by marital crises after each birth. We have finally separated. After hanging on for five years in a zero intimacy relationship, I told her, bottom line, that something had to change lest one of us call it quits or have an affair (and I mean either of us as she began sending amorous emails to a past boyfriend while bashing me). If you think she is walking all over you, guess what? You’re probably right. And I get the first instinct is to do more for them, but economics has a role in relationships, especially with women: supply and demand. The more you throw yourself at her trying to do more and be more romantic, the less she will want you, in any way, shape or form. Does she read romance novels to escape her “reality”? I wouldn’t be surprised. You can ignore this all if you want, but the only time my ex was ever apologetic and wanted me was when I found out about her amorous emails a year after our first marital crisis and said that I was done and told her to live with her parents. I think there are a good majority of women who eventually end their marriages (and subsequent marriages) who are seven year itch women who wonder if there isn’t more out there and begin mental journey and analysis that does not reverse direction. I wonder what would happen to these women if more men stopped doing the honourable thing by working on the marriage (as you are) and instead just said “you don’t want me? OK, we’re done, get out!” Whether it’s their having power and control taken away, whether it’s they begin to value something once they realize it’s gone or about to go, whatever. I think more men in marriages allow themselves to get walked on partly because they may lack self confidence and that they do not, DO NOT, want to break up their families. And let’s face it, the legal system is set up to ruin a man going into divorce, so plan ahead of you can instead of getting blindsided and raped by your former best friend. I truly hope I am wrong with your situation, but yours sounds likes many others I’ve read before on here and elsewhere. If you think there’s a chance of separation or divorce happening, I suggest you begin researching how to protect yourself now lest you be kicked to the curb and have your neck stepped on later on.
I am in a covenant marriage for eternity. I have no solid reasons for divorce. My husband and I have been married almost 20 years and sex is extremely sporadic, like once every few months or so, even just a few times a year. I would easily be the instigator much more frequently but there are a few things I find hard to deal with. First of all he has put on over 70 lbs since we’ve been married. Barf. No matter how nice or “spiritual” he can be my chemistry has never been attracted to obesity and never will be. Second, he has a quick temper, blames everything that goes wrong with himself or anything on others, has a holier-than-thou attitude and finally, has minimal hygiene. Other than all of this we can and do get along as friends and can have a fun time when we go on dates or vacation. There is just no attraction or romance in our relationship. It’s very unfulfilling and I constantly feel like a pretty bird locked in a cage (oh, and he is extremely possessive and controlling of my time and who my friends are). Divorce would be purely selfish on my part right now but the intimacy just isn’t something I feel he should be “rewarded” with in a sense. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just venting on a subject that I would love to participate in and actually love and desire my husband at the same time but I don’t. :/
@Stuckinthemiddlewithyou
Your husband sounds exactly like my wife. She cried until I closed my small business to keep me home and around her friends, she packed on maybe 100 pounds (although that part sincerely doesn’t bother me) but the hygeine completely vanished; she’ll go days, sometimes a whole week without even getting a shower, I kid you not.
Even still, if she ever wanted to make me “feel” wanted, she could.
But she doesn’t. Ever. And it hurts. I wish we were still dating instead of married—–maybe then I wouldn’t be treated like a ball-and-chain in every sense of the term.
what is the reason for his poor hygiene?
I’ve been dealing with this problem for 12 years. It slacked off for a while when we were trying to conceive, but at that point it felt less like “she wants sexy time!” and more like “she only wants to make a baby”. Me being the horny male I was, I thought to myself “I’ll take what I can get”.. Then she came down with a completely debilitating case of Hyperwemesis Gravidarum (and this was before Oprah was was telling us what it was) and she didn’t [couldn’t] touch me (or food) for about 8 months. Since the kids have come along it’s all I can do to get her to touch me in any way about once, maybe twice a month….but only after constant pushing from me for some intimacy. Her most common response is always “it’s too late in the evening, I’m tired” no matter what time we go to bed. Although the maybe 1 time a year when she DOES initiate is usually at about 2:30 in the morning when I’m snoring away and she can’t sleep.
I’m so tired. I know she loves me…she shows it so well in so many other ways. She just has no desire for sex. Occasionally I’ll just give up and see how long she will go before she indicates some interest, although after a month or two i usually give up and start asking for it again. We’re about to hit a month again this time. I love her, I only want to be with her, but damnit there are just some things a person should not have to do without, and feeling wanted is one of them. I don’t want to have an affair, but if the opportunity presented itself I’m not sure I could turn it down. I’m so hungry to feel wanted…
Every little boy grows up dreaming of hitting the game winning run-in, throwing the world series winning strike or sinking the buzzer beating basket to win it all. Sadly though, many a player has been on a team where in his mind he was just never given a chance to prove himself.
They remember the excitement of signing up for a team. Nervous about the unknown but still hopeful that their dreams of saving the day with an heroic display of skill will become reality.
They show up for every practice on time with all there equipment. They do extra work for neighbors and family to help pay for their uniform. they beg dad, mom, siblingsâŚanyone to practice with them in the back yard. Itâs all they talk about.
The game day rolls around and the nervously climb out of the car all dressed in their new team colors. And as the coach calls the names of the starters their name is never mentioned. They sit the bench hoping that soon they will go in. It is almost the end of the game when they see the coach look at his list and disappointedly call the young players name and out of league requirements send they tender heart out on the field to play the minimum amount of time. For some they simple resign to the fact that they will never be good enough and quit the sport altogether . Some figure it would be better to be on another team. Some resign to just watching others play on the screen.⨠Husband long to be their wives championsâŚ.their heroes. That includes in the bedroom. â¨To show up for every other assignment during the day and being put on the bench at night is genuinely a shattering of dreams, however, there are no other legitimate options for him.
Indeed, sex is the lowest on my priority and emotional intimacy is the highest. Sex is the highest on his and emotional is the lowest on his list. The only time this works is when we BOTH deny ourselves and work on the other’s priority list. If any one of us backs out, we have a problem.
My primary love language is words, then touch. When we were dating, my husband gave me tons of this. But when we got married, the words dried up immediately and touch became “corrupted” by him only touching me when he wanted sex. He mentioned several times that there was no point in touching, kissing or foreplay if there wasn’t sex attached to it. That was translated to me as, ” all he wanted was sex and not me”, just like my mom and pastors had told me years before. He tried to show me affection by HIS love languages, spending time and acts of service but those don’t make me feel loved. He would not die to himself and make himself vulnerable by giving me the love I needed.
Likewise, I started rejecting him sexually A LOT which wounded him A LOT. It was never a good time and I never felt like it. I later on found out that the more sex I had with him, the more used and ashamed I felt. Partly because,of the narrative of youth where boys only want sex and not you. Partly because of my resentment of having to give my body up to do things that were against my will. And partly because, spreading my legs always made things better, which further cheapened me (use what you have, sex, to get what you want, love) My husband was unaware of this narrative and couldn’t articulate that it was ME he desired. He tried but could articulate his need to me in a way that I understood. He also made some unfortunate statements in the depth of his hurt that strengthened mt negative beliefs. When I gave my husband of myself sexually even when I didn’t want to, that fed my “martyrdom” complex. All my positive beliefs about sex being full of laughter, playing and “romantic” stuff died a slow death and gave way to serious, “lets get on with it” sex. I naturally fed his primary love language which is acts of service but, being an introvert, didn’t feed his desire for us to go and do things together and his desire to have adventures only made me more terrified to do anything with him.
I don’t mean to trivialize it, but your problem sounds so simple. I wish mine was. I am a poet, so it’s not the words. I’m an artist, and a romantic by nature, so it’s not that. I dunno. I think the best part is both of you found a clear answer to what you were doing wrong, which led to finding out exactly how to make it right.
Many of us just don’t have that. My wife completely lacks the ability to admit any wrong in any way. So if I don’t love her for being a slob, showering once a week, me doing all the dishes and chores and paying almost all the bills, then I’m just a jerk for not “loving her” when she has zero intimacy of any kind with me.
I’m a really, really, really good roommate. Right now I’m working on me. I was already pretty good, but the more I love myself the more I realize eventually the only answer is going to be to leave, and I’m really just learning to be OK with that. And it is OK, by the way. Marriage IS a two-way street. You can’t carry both sides forever, even if you’re unhappy.
Initiating is definitely not something i like to do. I dont really like sex all that much either. Its hard work. and with a physically demanding job when Im at home I rrally dont want to do more physical work. Its my libido thats low. Its my problem and something that is wrong with me. But how do I fix it? my partner and I got in a massive fight today AND yesterday about sex instead of just having sex. Do you have any articles or quick advice for a womans low libido?
I do, Rebekka. Quite a bit actually! You can see a whole bunch of articles if you go to my Marriage FAQ page and scroll down to the libido section, but here’s one.
We have been married for almost 15 years and have 4 kids from 9 down to 4 so we’re quite busy. I read all these posts of people who’s libido is much different than their spouse. I too am in that boat where if I didn’t initiate sex, sex would never cross my wife’s mind. I’d be thrilled with one a week like a lot of posts talk about but I’m lucky if it’s twice a month. Usually it’s one or less. I do the laundry, wash dishes, do everything I can with the kids like taking then to practices or whatever to keep the lead off of my wife. I say thank you for dinner and any of the things she does for me. She always has a million reasons to not have sex but never an excuse to have sex. She never initiates and has never. She says she’s a girl and girl’s don’t do that. I feel like a perv because I’m anyways asking/begging for sex but there’s always one of those million reasons I mentioned before about why we can’t have sex. When we do have sex, it feels like pity sex or she feels guilty for putting me off for so long. She SAYS she enjoys it once we get stated but I doubt that because she never thinks about sex. I’ve tested theories a couple of times and we’ve gone 3 months without sex and she never mentioned it and when I asked her if she knew it had been that long she says it can’t have been that long?!?! I read your comments and it describes our life to a T. I’m distant from her, short with the kids, look forward to going to work and dread going home. I’ve never seen anyone but I’m fairly sure I’m severely depressed over this and she doesn’t understand. She just days it’s a phase we’re going through. She’s said that since our last kid was born….. 4 and a half years ago. I just don’t know what to do next. I’m tired of being rejected.
I’ll be honest, I dont initiate sex. Because he cheated and I’m still hurt. He says that he thinks I look at him like he’s dirty or something. Because I don’t initiate having sex, but the truth is I’m still trying to Fogel about him cheating. But he’s still blaming me and I’m lost on what to do?
Sounds like time for some counseling, for both of you separately and together as a couple as well. Something led to the infidelity. Either it was something he felt was lacking that he was too afraid/lazy to talk about to try to work things out, or he was just being selfish. One way or the other, whichever it was will lead you two as a couple down very different paths. But if there’s going to be any chance at all of success in your relationship in the future there needs to be some counseling involved, for each of you separately and for both of you together as a couple. Trust is a hard thing to earn, an easy thing to lose and even harder to earn back. If you can’t afford a professional you may consider a local minister (if you’re of the religious persuasion)
Is there any success stories? Sounds like everybody just sucks at marriage and sex. Even the marriages that seem good from the outside still suck.
Ok, I have been reading the commentary and it looks to me that every commentator on this board comes in to state his or her opinion. No one seems to have read all the comments and based on the commentary, diagnosed the problem and proposed a solution. So I am going to try to do just that:
1) First of all it looks as if this problem is more widespread in all marriages than people acknowledge.
2) Second it appears that the problem with women not initiating sex is nothing personal against their husbands. It just appears from what I have read that it is a combination of having been wired differently to not knowing that initiating sex is so important to their husbands.
3) Third, it appears that some husbands have initiated and been rejected so many times in the past, to the extent that they want to punish their wives and teach them how it feels to be rejected. So what I think is happening in this scenario is that, when their wives either read on the web or from a book and realize that the cause of their marital problems is because of her not initiating and rejecting her husband multiple times, she then tries what she has just learnt by initiating sex, only to be rejected by the husband because the husband is angry and want to teach her a lesson about what it feels like to be rejected. When this happens the wife then feels like the suggested solution she read from the web or from a book doesn’t work for her situation, so she goes back to the situation that she has become accustomed to (where the man is the one who initiates and she doesn’t). In this case we are back to square one and no solution is every found for the situation.
4) Finally my own proposal for solving this problem is for the couple facing this situation to fix a time to talk over the issues. When the couple are trying to find a solution to this problem, they have to use the “compromise approach” normally used by negotiators to solve difficult problems. The “compromise approach” means no one gets all that he or she wants and no one loses out completely on their wants. Reason why I recommend this approach is because from reading this forum I see that all the women on this board seem to have a common solution to the problem (blame the man and let all the solution come from his side), and all the men seem to have a common solution to the problem (blame the woman in your life and let all the solution come from her end). When ever you have a situation like that, there is a deadlock. For there to be a solution, each side should be ready to sacrifice some of what they want and also should be ready to adopt some of the solutions proposed by the other party.
For example, most women on this forum think their husbands need to acknowledge that they are tired from house work, and they also want the man to connect with them emotionally etc, The man cannot just do all that with no effort from the woman. So in my proposed solution, the man with do some of that and the woman will have to initiate the sex on some specific days of the week. For example, if the couple are having sex two times in the week, the woman will have to initiate at least one time on those two days.
Please let me know what you guys think about this suggested solution??
I would be happy in my wife would initiate once every month or two. She doesn’t usually turn me down but doesn’t understand that most husbands aren’t wanting their wives to just be willing but to show an actual interest. I bet I could count on one hand the number of times my wife has initiated sex in the past decade. I’ve brought it up a few times but nothing changes. It’s really the only frustrating thing in my life but it leaves me feeling constantly depressed. I guess that’s my cross to bear.
My husband and I have been married over 20 years. Early in marriage, our intimate life was great – we both initiated and had a very fulfilling sex life. After kids, I was worked to exhaustion daily. He rarely helped so it all fell to me – cooking, cleaning, organizing everyone and all tat after working 40 hours a week!
So, I did turn down his advances about 70% of the time, from sheer exhaustion. He then dug his heels in and declared that he would not initiate it with me. Ever. So if we are intimate it is one hundred percent up to me. He doesn’t refuse, but it has to be me to start it. I feel that he’s punishing me. I talked with him recently and told him I knew I was wrong in the oats and asked forgiveness. He said he forgave me, but nothing has changed.
What can I do to get him to stop punishing me and start initiating some of the time?
You’re awesome for trying and understanding, and I can understand how tired you would be. What I would suggest is, the next time you initiate and after you’ve had sex, tell him that you miss him initiating and would like for him to do it too. It’s suppose to be reciprocal and supportive in marriage. But you have to understand that if he does and you turn him down – after who knows how long and how many times you’ve turned him down – you will be making things even worse by saying one thing but actually doing another. It’s a double standard that drove my marriage to divorce after five years of near celibacy on my end (the husband). You feel cheated, ugly and powerless when someone goes from loving and wanting you to almost turning off a switch and making sex a one way relationship with one person having all the power. Men’s sex drives don’t change after kids, but many women’s perhaps do. It’s not fair for him to expect you to be a sex bunny, nor is it fair to expect him to simply accept it. Sex creates and strengthens a bond that he (and you) have chosen to make special that you share with no one else, so when that all but disappears, the bond begins to disappear, where you likely divorce or one will wait until the kids leave or they can take no more of the lack of connection and they leave. Relationships cannot be one way or double standards, the health of the relationship should be both persons’ responsibility inside and outside of the bedroom, and the same goes for cleaning up and helping with the kids, or at least one person handles indoor chores and the other outdoor or whatever. I applaud your desire to try to see things from his end, and if you try what I said above, he will be open to hearing things from your end. Sex I believe becomes less important for a lot of women after children (not all, but many, and for many different reasons), but it doesn’t for men. If you ramp up your efforts on this side, then gently tell him what’s missing in your end, he should be open to it. Lastly, Five Love Languages is a good template for this, but it can’t be one person working on the relationship’s needs for too long, because eventually, the other person might come off looking a little desperate, often cementing the other’s belief that they in fact don’t want to be with that person anymore, which is what I believe happened in my case.
I wish you luck and hope you both calmly and lovingly learn how to make deposits into each other’s love bank in the near future.
I NEVER initiated in 7 years. We’ve been married for 2 years, and NOW it is a problem.
I have issues of my own that make it hard for me. I have been raped as a child and he knows, and am in search for counseling on that matter, Not only that but it is hard to approach him, and he makes me feel uncomfortable. He makes fun of me after if i did something he found to be odd, and makes me feel more insecure than i already feel. I try to talk to him about this, but at this point he gave me an ultimatum. Approach and initiate or divorce. ( as if we don’t have other issues in our marriage). How is that fair? I am willing to try, but he won’t tell me what turns him on, only i need to try something. I tell him i am not sure what to try, but am willing to learn if he will just tell me what he is attracted to. He has only said be agressive, but i am a passive female sexually. What do I do?
Not to mention the fact that I give it on demand pretty much, and even try to get in the mood when i really wasn’t to begin with, unless i am REALLY sick. I do this because I love him. I tell him what i like, but he won’t do the same, but tells me to initiate.
But other than that, how can he complain when he gets exactly what he is looking for?
My sex drive really isn’t as high as his and i have told him so, but he does not care. He is not a selfish lover, and he says the sex is great, and i think so as well. He is just a tad selfish with the timing thing ( but he says he is working on it, so we will see as time progresses), and I told him i am willing to learn to initiate, but it is a battle with my own fears as well as not knowing what he likes, and he will NOT tell me, after 8 years, not for the lack of me asking, or telling him to help me be more comfortable by not making jokes about my expense if i look weird trying something new, or if i am a bit nervous. He points out every “mistake” as if it is funny, and i told him how i feel about that.
What would you do if he was YOUR husband.
I told him i was willing to try anything to make things better ,i just need a push in the right direction, so i know WHAT he likes. I have tried a few times over the years, but i am always rejected or it is forgotten that I even made an attempt at all.
Hi there,
I’m so sorry you’re going through this, and it really does sound awful.
I’m not sure this is primarily an initiation problem, though. If he’s saying “initiate or divorce”, then there’s something else big going on–especially if you’re willing to have sex at other times, but you just don’t initiate.
I’d seriously suggest talking to a counselor, because you’ve obviously got some communication issues (he’s expecting something but won’t tell you what), but he’s also threatening to leave. I think dealing with this with a third party is likely necessary, because it sounds quite serious.
Again, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Many churches do have counselors, or you can talk to a pastor and ask for a recommendation. But I’d really look into that.
This has been a problem in my marriage (9 yrs). Most of it has been caused by our misunderstanding of each others feelings. I don’t think I even knew how important it was to me or the impact it had on how I felt as a man. It only made things worse that I watched porn and as time and rejections went on, I let it push us further and further apart. We have dealt with the porn issue as it nearly pushed us to divorce. I really never knew how unhealthy it was and how it prevents the closeness and affection I desperately want with her. With both of us intent on healing our marriage, we keep surfacing more information like this article. I shared it with her, thinking wow this really makes sense and says things I never would have. Her response tells me she does love me and does want us to get better, because reading it hurt her deeply. This was not my intention, but seeing that tells me I am absolutely with my perfect matoutometimes we hurt each other without knowing, its how we make it right with each other that counts. My advice to men in this situation is simple… Stop taking the easy way out with porn or other distractions. For women, I would just say that men are really only tough on the outside. We hurt just like you and need your acceptance more than we will ever let you know.
I have been married for 8 years now and have 2 beautiful children. I feel like I am the only one to initiate sex. When we were in the beginning of my our relationship that’s all we did was have sex. But now, that is the last thing on her mind. 19 out of 20 times having sex I am the one to initiate. 19 of those times took on average about five no’s to get a yes. I’m tired of the rejection and not putting up with this anymore. Have talked to her about it and get the usual answer that she’s tired or not in the mood. Says maybe I’ll could set the mood lighting candles buying flowers and craps like that. So I do, and I keep getting the same thing! After that much rejection I feel broken. I find it harder and harder to stay erect during sex. Some of the times that we are having sex she is having a full on conversation with me while doing it. Yeah that’ll get u in the mood heh? I feel more and more distant from my wife and don’t know what to do. Don’t get me wrong I do love my wife she has given me 2 beautiful children but, I can’t live the rest of my life like this. I’m not the best thing since sliced bread but I do still have decent looks and take care of myself. Not huge below the waist line but adequate. She does have an orgasm every time we have sex. What the hell am I doing wrong? I feel more and more like I need to move on. She just doesn’t care about me in that regard and I’m fed up with it. Thinking of leaving my wife. Thinking REALLY hard of leaving. I have been in situations where I could have probably had sex with some pretty hot women but never acted on the urge. But, what I would like my wife and other women to understand is that when u keep that thing on lock down like that and don’t ever initiate anything that just drives your man away. If he’s not getting his needs met there he will go find it somewhere else eventually. Which is what I’m thinking right now!!! Whether or not I have an affair. Which I don’t think I’ll go there. But, I’m thinking of divorcing my wife because of it. The sex drought has bled over to other facets of our life. At the breaking point. Don’t think I have the courage to have an affair.
Wow, I didn’t know this was as big of a problem as it is. I’m glad I found this site.
We have been married for 25 plus years, and dated for many years prior to getting married. My wife not initiating has been a source of problem for us for many years. I have been to counseling myself and with her. She has not and will not go on her own. I’ve read above where the wife has asked, what do you want me to do. I have no issues communicating my needs / desires. But for whatever reason, she can’t or won’t initiate.
I want to feel desired and wanted. The other night we were out at dinner and I had a couple of beers (two). So, I asked her to drive home since she was not drinking. On the way home I was staring at her. She was like, what? What are you staring at? I started playing with her hair, brushing it off of her shoulders onto her back. I rubbed her neck and stared into her eyes (the best I could, she was driving). But I was trying, the best I could, to let her know I was in the mood. It’s cold here now, but if she didn’t have a big coat on I’d have probably trying rubbing more parts of her. We got home she brushed her teeth and went and sat in front of the TV.
I’m at my end. I don’t want to divorce, but I refuse to go though life not being happy. All I want is for my wife to desire me. She says she loves me. She says she was never molested by anyone including her father. She had a horrible relationship with her father. I asked her to talk with him when he became very ill. Thinking that if she didn’t tell him what was on her mind before he passed that it might manifest in her (our) relationship/s. But she swears he did not abuse her sexually. I know he did mentally because I saw it. She says she doesn’t get turned on. By me or anyone. But yet, if we should have sex early in the morning, just after she wakes, she is, well, lubricated. So, I think the plumbing works fine when she’s dreaming.
She asked to stop working (about eight years now). I agreed as long as I can afford to pay all the bills and still save for our retirement (only about six years away now). We don’t have children. I give her whatever she asks for (if I can) and she doesn’t ask for a lot. She worries about anything and everything, except it seems, keeping her husband satisfied. I know she has self-esteem issues. From where, I don’t know. But she does. So, I got her to start doing crossfit with me. That’s been going on six months now. We have both lost some weight, but, that’s not why I did it. I did it because I read that physical fitness is essential to a healthy sex life.
I know she thinks different men are attractive. She thinks our trainer is. I heard her tell our niece as much. That in itself does not bother me. What bothers me is maybe she doesn’t think I’m attractive any longer. She never tells me I’m attractive and she NEVER SHOWS me either.
I’ve tried to tell her to do this, or, that feels good – more of that please, but either she forgets (which is hard for me to believe because she never forgets anything) or chooses to not remember.
When I asked her if she masturbates, she told me she thought she did once when she was away at camp. I’ve asked her to show me her VJ and point out the different parts and tell me the names (I read somewhere that it was a way of helping a woman to be more comfortable with herself). She wouldn’t do it.
While I try not to, we tend to get back to the cycle of, I wait for her to initiate, she doesn’t, I get mad and don’t talk to her, then things end up in a fight. Then, she might ask me one time, after a long day at work (I work 5:30 to who knows when, and I have a very mentally demanding job) want to take your pants off? Don’t get me wrong, it’s trying, but I’d of rather her kiss me good night, and not stop.
I feel like she’s not trying and I’m tired of trying.
Like one counselor told me, it’s going to be like that until I decide it will no longer be like that. While she didn’t say it to me directly, I think she was saying is I either need to put up with it or leave. All this time and energy that I’ve put into this relationship, I hate to call it quits. I sometimes wonder if I’m being played. I mean, she doesn’t have to work, she has a nice roof over her head, food in her stomach, no worries of concerns that I can think of, a bright looking retirement (well, she’s already retired). So, she has to have sex once in a while to keep me happy even though she doesn’t like it. Or if she does, she doesn’t let me know that. I don’t think she’s cheating. But, I almost wish she would. At least then I’d know it was me.
Does anyone have a story where it worked out that they live happily ever after.
Am I really asking that much?
Ok Guys, since my last post on this topic (August 2, 2015), I have been trying to understand why this problem is so widespread in marriages. I took some time to study this topic because I see that all the men complaining on this forum says their wives are not cheating on them, but yet despite having attended counseling, it appears almost all the women just can bring themselves to this simple task of initiating sex.
Well, after studying this topic into great detail I came to the conclusion that it appears that it is not intentional when our wives can not initiate. I appears from my study that women by nature were not created to have the confidence to initiate sex. No matter their status or rank in society, it appears most women are biologically set to differ this area and some other areas of their lives to their men. Once a woman enters the bedroom with her man, she seem to say that now you the man is the king and you should take over what is yours with confidence without asking, begging etc. Yes, she may be the CEO of a company, or highly regarded in society, but it appears once they get into the bedroom, they lay down all that status and confidence and loose all their confidence to initiate sex. My research shows that they may have nothing against their husbands, it just that biologically most women/wives are set to differ this aspect to their husbands. Just like we men cannot bring ourselves to do or appreciate certain things that women would like us to do, it appears the women cannot also bring themselves to initiating sex.
We should probably learn to accept our wives as they are, because once they get into the bedroom, they are trying to say by their inaction that now you the man is the king and you should take over. I wish I could write more about this research I did, but time will not allow me to do so.
I’ve been married 11 months. I Googled and came across this article six months after my first talk with my wife about initiation. I’m happy to see so much great feedback, information, and others dealing with this. What I’m not happy about is that ive only been married less than 1 year. Most of you are coming from longer marriages. I’m going to need to figure something out if I want to make it the rest of my life.
Ih, and divorce is NOT an option. I love her too much.
My wife and I have been married for just over five years now. Things have reached a stage where either of us don’t care about the other sexually.
If I talk about sex to my wife she just starts undressing and she wants to be done and dusted with as soon as possible, if I try to fondle her she gets upset. I recently asked her why she never feels like having sex and her answer was “I give you sex one a week, what more do you want?”
At this point I have become counselor depressed and an seeing a specialist, but have never told her this. I fear she will think I’m a bigger perv than she originally thought of me.
Divorce is not an option for me since we have a young boy who I cannot attend to be away from.
Thanks for allowing me to vent.
I feel everyway you described a man feels when he lacks initiation from his wife. I only wish I wasn’t the one reading this article. Is there a sensitive way to turn my wife onto this article? I feel like it would come off as an attack if I gave it too her as suggested reading.
Hi Casey, I do have an article that you can show your wife, written for that purpose, right here. I hope that helps!
Ya, tried that almost a year ago……I got a Stepford Wife for a week and a huge argument that did not end well. Valentines day is over and all I ended up with was a brief kiss and a “have a good day…”. Went to bed alone again next to my wife without the slightest hint that she even noticed any lack of intimacy between us. I’m dying every day without her touch…
At least you got a kiss!
Ya, but when you’re the one in that situation you ask yourself…what would have been worse…holding a plated, grilled steak in front of a starving man and saying “this is what you cannot have” or letting a single drop of the au jus drop onto his tongue and saying “and that is what you cannot have tastes like…..”. It’s a crap situation no matter how you look at it…
As a woman, one of my frustrations is the middle ground. I was raised being told that you don’t need sex to define you; that you are enough the way you are. Men are raised being told or being shown by the media that the more sex you have the more of a man you are. Women are told that sex shouldn’t matter. Men are told that it does. Most women don’t understand the man’s need for sex. Most men don’t understand that women are continually told that sex is not necessary. How do you have a conversation about this with your husband without offending him? My husband continually gets angry and say he doesn’t understand why sex isn’t on my mind more. I try to talk to him about it, but he just shuts down. It feels like unless I just agree with him, every time this comes up, I’m wrong. But when I agree, he sighs and says I’m just going along with him so we don’t fight. I can’t find a middle ground on this subject and it’s frustrating.
If your husband is anything like me, this comes down to being desired. The fact that my wife does not initiate / want to have sex means, to me, that she does not desire me.
I want to be desired. If she does not desire me, if I’m not the end all for her, she should go find the one. I want her to be happy and I’ve told her as much.
I think you are doing yourself a disservice by going along when you discuss the issue. That ends up (at least for me) with pity sex. Which is just the slightest bit better then none. There is still no passion.
I’ve been told by more then one counselor (both jointly and on my own):
1) Some people just want it more then others
2) It will be like this as long as I allow it to be. Which I took to mean if I want someone who enjoys having / initiating sex, I should go find that person and stop expecting my wife to change.
I think it’s sound logic……
Here’s what I don’t understand. My fiance wants me to initiate more but he’s constantly on me and doesn’t give me the opportunity to do so. How am I supposed to initiate when he’s always, and I do mean ALWAYS, trying to do it? I am at a loss here and our relationship is suffering horribly.
Tiffany- Admittedly that’s a bit of a conundrum there… My suggestion would be…tell him exactly what you just wrote here…Sweetie, I am confused…so help me understand…I have been asked to initiate our intimate times, yet it feels to me that I am not provided that chance, and this is frustrating to me…
or
Tell you what hot stuff, this weekend I am in charge of the intimacy and the sex…you are not to say or do anything. What ever I do, you can return in kind, but you must not initiate… I kiss you, you kiss me…I flirt, you flirt…I whisper naughty things in your ear, return the fun…
just a couple ideas…
I think you’re missing the point. Initiating intimacy is not just about “Waiting for an opportunity”. A SOLID 51% of initiating intimacy with your significant other is about MAKING that opportunity. The second the two of you are home, assuming that you’re living alone under the same roof, every other minute of the afternoon/evening is an opportunity that can be taken, a moment where opportunity can be made. Worried about dinner? Call ahead on your way home for your favorite takeout or delivery. Worried about one or both of you needing a shower after work? Well, you know the old saying…save water, shower together! It could be just as much about ‘being intimate together’ as it is about whether or not you are having sex. You have to remember…from your fiance’s standpoint he’s about to enter into a commitment that says “I love you so much Tiffany that I am willing to commit to give you and your willingness for intimacy complete control over the frequency with which I have sex and the degree to which I feel desired for the rest of my life” and if there are already intimacy issues in your relationship then whether he’s admitting it or not there’s a big part of him that is probably worried about what you’re going to do with that.
I would suggest maybe some pre-marital counseling, which is actually a good idea for all couples whether they are having intimacy-related issues or not. Maybe a couple sit-down sessions with a Christian couples counselor, although I wouldn’t necessarily go directly to counseling with a minister prior to the wedding. My live-in fiance (now wife) and I tried that with my parent’s minister, at which he dusted off his ‘Fire and Brimstone, livin’ in sin!’ and had my futue wife in tears faster than I could say “Never gonna step back in this building until he’s gone”.
And remember…no matter which spouse it is who is being prompted to initiate, if all you ever do is ‘wait for an opportunity’ or ‘wait for the right moment’ you’re gonna be waiting a long time. MAKE that opportunity!~
I’m in need of some advice. Married 12 years this year, have 3 girls and 1 on the way. Her mom lives with us (I offered) but has some back issues which keep her in the safe zone from having to watch the children – at most we get a few hours a month where we can go out, but rarely overnight – and she refuses to let us hire a babysitter but instead stubbornly watches the kids and then complains about it for days afterward.
I’m self employed and am quite busy, she’s a stay-at-home mom. Two kids are in school, the other in diapers. I feel like when I get home, I can’t speak freely and be playful for fear of being observed by her mother. My wife likes to talk about stuff that doesn’t involve us (events, other people, gossip in general) but I really hate talking about that because I feel cheap. So, she and her mom talk a lot about random things and I feel left out, and only contribute things that pertain to my work – the personal stuff can’t really be talked about in front of MIL.
I feel alone. I don’t think it’s all because of MIL – there are other factors; tired-ness from the pregnancy, poor timing with our reduced love life, my wife spreads her attention to a lot of people (kids, MIL… FACEBOOK/SmartPhone) and seems to barely have any left for me. As soon as we get in bed, she’s dozing in no time. I get frustrated, she gets offended that I don’t sympathize with her situation.
I told her last Saturday that I’ve fallen out of love with her, there were a lot of tears. I’ve explained all of the above time and again (this has been going on for months now) and nothing seems to change. It got better for a few days this week, but now we’re slipping back to where we were.
I’ve felt the temptation to want to cheat on her because of how lonely and sad I am, though to be honest I wouldn’t even know where to begin as I don’t have any real friends, let alone female ones. I’ve made my whole life about her, even moved away from my family. My parents know what is going on because I talk to them about it since I don’t know who else to talk to.
I’m really frustrated and I feel rejected. We used to be intimate a few times per week and there were rarely any complaints. But since work picked up and since the new year, it’s been more mechanical and involves me begging a lot.
Sorry for the long-winded post.
This will be from a wife’s point of view. I’m not trying to beat you up.
I don’t understand this kind of thinking. If you’ve been married for 12 years, and your having problems for XX amount of time in 12 years, why would you leave? I get that it’s not great right now, but no relationships are perfect all the time. Sex is like 10% of your married life, probably. And it seems to be the only important thing to men, generally speaking. Women want to feel important to you outside of the bedroom also. But it seems to only be the sex keeping a lot of marriages together and that’s what I don’t understand. I’m a woman,so maybe I just really don’t understand.
I don’t want to think my husband is with me only because of sex. I’m so much more, I clean, do laundry cook, supportive, I’m smart, I talk to him about video games, try to come up with things for us to do – my husband likes to be out of the house.
And you said she was better for a few days. But change takes time. She’s not just going to overnight change every habit she has. There’s a lot going on in your house. Give her a few more days, or set clear expectations. You want sex every day, or every other day or x number of times a week and see if that helps.
The more pressure my husband puts on me for sex, the harder it is to let loose in the bedroom too because I’m so self-conscious of every little thing I think he’s looking for that I don’t totally relax.
Like I said, I’m a woman, so maybe I need it explained to me…the man’s point of view/need for sex. I’ve also learned a lot reading the other posts on here, so maybe one of theirs can relate. All I can tell you is my frustration in my situation..maybe it’s similar to your wife’s thinking?
Sorry if I’m no help. I’m frustrated too because I can’t seem to make my own situation better.
Maybe because sex, in reality isn’t 10%. Is your need for affection 10%?
I just re-read my post to be sure, and I didn’t ever say anywhere in there that I would leave. I admitted to feeling the temptation to cheat, but also said that I have not done so and won’t as I know it is immoral and would seriously hurt my wife and our relationship.
That said, its not all about sex. In fact, there were multiple parts of my original post that didn’t pertain to sex in the least. Why not talk about those things instead? My comment clearly exemplifies the frustrations we are going through, and the crux of it is lack of affection and face time. With the many distractions we fill our lives with these days, it’s no wonder more people are having this issue.
I want to feel like I am the center of her physical world. As it is, I do not feel that at all. I get the scraps of my wife, left over from a day full of other’s drama and life stories. I hate working as much as I do, and I tell her this. Responses range from “I know hon” to “but we asked to be busy”. She never asks that I spend more time with her, although I ask her to do the same. Since I’m always the one pointing out where we are neglecting us, I feel like I am the only one who cares.
My God, how I feel this so very much.
Perhaps read the article before hosing us men. It can be helpful for you to comprehend the scenario.
Thanks for responding. My post in fact, reflects a lot of my frustrations in my own situation. I’m sorry if I appeared to take them out on you.
Your last paragraph really makes a lot of sense and gives me something to think about. I don’t want my husband to feel that way.
It’s hard when both parties want to find the same goal – a happy, healthy marriage, but struggle to meet in the middle. I sincerely hope that you and your wife find some common ground.
Have you maybe tried to find a babysitter to have a date night? Even a short dinner out. Or lunch together on a weekend, go for a walk away from the house. Even an hour may give you both time to relax together away from the craziness of your house. Maybe a setting change will give you time (even a little time here and there) to talk and open up intimacy between you more.
I know you’ve spoken with her about this, maybe use that last paragraph as another explanation on how you feel. I know that one struck a cord with me.
Thank you.
I would love to be able to do this. My husband has even expressed that he wants me to, that it makes him feel like I am not in to him. There are many times where I have tried, but I begin to have a panic attack just thinking about it. I start to sweat and shake and end up abandoning the idea all together. I really want to be open and honest about what I like, but I can’t. What can I do to get past this?
I see the following choices:
1) Put up with the rejection. Initiate from time to time, and then the odd time when she doesn’t turn me down because it’d otherwise become too obvious that something is wrong, and then just accept the lifeless sex just to get it over with. She’ll just lay there uninterested because it’s such a drag for her.
2) Don’t bother to initiate. This avoids the pain of rejection. Get my fix from porn sites, and just handle it myself. And that’s frustrating too, because it’s all too fake. The endless searching for porn that shows true honest energy (0.01% if that) is tiring – but yes it does exist, so I feel like trying.
3) Separate and/or divorce. The consequences of hurt children, and child+wife support payments, make this very unappealing.
4) Cheat. To me, this feels impossible. I don’t have the guts to initiate that. However, if someone would notice me, and attempt to rescue me so to say, which I’m pretty sure won’t happen, I’m fairly sure I would not turn that down. Problem with that is, that if you get caught, everything is stacked against you and she will win whatever she could possibly win. I feel women have the major upper hand here.
I would *love* to be loved. I (very) occasionally have a dream where I’m loved and feel loved, and I wake up crying and trying hard to go back to sleep to somehow to make that dream go on. It’s a feeling that I have never experienced in the waking hours of my life, ever. I had crushes in the past growing up, but was scared to ever act on it. I feel that I am not allowed to feel true love in my life. I’m almost positive that this is something I will ever have. Perhaps it’s entirely fictional. Hopefully I will have a dream like that a few more times when it’s all said and done.
So, two major frustrations here. I’m confused what love is or could or should be, and I can never get my sexual satisfaction. I have to take a break now, because I’m absolutely hating my life when I think about it.
I have been reading through this page for a few days reading everyone’s comments and stories and I feel that I am no longer alone in this time of uncertainty.
I have been married to my wife for over 6 years and we have two wonderful children. I used always initiate intimate times except when we were trying for children. They are now 6 and 4 and for the past 2/3 years we have probably been intimate 4/5 times, we have done nothing for the past 7 months as I got fed up of being rejected so I have set myself some new rules to avoid getting excited and then getting frustrated after being turn e down yet again. On top of this I am waiting for my wife to say that she loves me so I can reciprocate. I used to say I love you on a regular basis, gentle touches etc. But every time I said I love you she would grunt, so now I am waiting for her to say that she looks bed me so I can say those words that are screaming inside me to say to her.
I tried to get closer earlier this year by sending her messages via Twitter or asking about her day and trying to be more involved with what she was up to to which I was accused of stalking my wife.
I still ask her how her day has been, I continue to put the kids to bed at night, I tidy up and wash up when she goes to her mums In the evening.
I admit I put on weight and I have been working really hard on this and have lost over 30lbs, which has been great for helping me live a celibate life style.
I won’t show this site to my wife as she will think I am crazy again and accusing me of being a dirty old man (just turned 40).
Thank you everyone I will remain strong and maybe one day she will say that she loves me and will want to be intimate. Maybe even before I die?
I’m so sorry about this! I did write a post to show your wife for men in this situation–maybe you’d find that helpful?
Hi there. Great article. If only my wife would have seen this. I’ve given her several years, but I could not explain it to her in this way. These are my exact feelings. I want to be wanted! I love her but I think it’s too late.
Thanks for listening.
My husband actually sent me to this page. This has been issue through most of our relationship. Almost 10 years and I can count on one hand how many times I initiated sex. I always thought if he wants it he will tell me. Now it’s one major problem in our relationship because I don’t fully understand the big deal. I’m a willing partner just not the initiator. This has opened my eyes and made me see what is going on even though he tried explaining many many times.
I’m so glad, Rachel!
I have been married for about 6 years, toghter for 8. at first sex was a daily amazing thing for about one year. then was on a healthy 3 -4 times a week.
Things have change significantly, This change had lots to do with pregnancies. I do spect that, my wife is tired i get that but our routine involves more work on my part with the house and general duties, try she has responsibilities work/ school and girls.
But I do almost everything in the house; despite my job that is often 7 days in a row and for 12 hours usually. On the days that I work I still have to come home and make dinner for myself and pick up a mess left behind by the girls but often my wife’s too. when I am off I usually have my two girls. ( 5 and 2.5) and I get to do the same, dinner, clean etc.
I do very good gifts for the holidays and anniversaries, occasionally spending a good amount of money ( i don’t get that back, actually two christmas and two birdies in the row didn’t get presents. ) I am sorry this looks like I am complaining about presents , I am not, actually I didn’t thing I care much about those things, but after a while just another thing to add on. I have always been affectionate and tell her I love her, care for the small things or small details. I have put her needs before mine in almost every way. I have taken much more extra of my fair chair of obligations and I always thought I did it w/o asking for anything back. With the kids I try my best to attend to then at any point even at night despite my long work hours. I do flip occasionally to work nights and then I have to come home and take care of chores and in the past take care of one of my daughter before she was at school.
Anyway… I have been reading articles about this issues and all of then go on and on as hey man, if you want some, do some, how your wife will be more in “tune” if you do all this things. NO. at least not for me.
Sex for the past 3-4 years has been lacking ( I agree one of those years was pregnancy, but we have no sex at all that year. ) then for 2 years we had sex 12 times, I don’t know but that is not healthy in my opinion.
I hear I’am tired, but I really do a lot to offset that. now a day we have more sex that before but still not even averaging once a week ( in a good month when i don’t have to work nights ). When we have sex I initiate. Denial happens often, when it doesn’t happen, she is often not kissing me much, always I am the one doing the work and if i ask if she can come on top often I hear a mmmm.
She has always tell me she enjoys it when it happens and she always has an orgasm. no fore play as she is not into it.
If i do candles, massage her back, get her flower etc, I hear: I feel you are pushing me… She has come up with the: how about you ask me earlier before bed time ( no does not happens ), If i say you are looking very sexy, or I want you, ” you are putting to much pressure on me”
we went to an exotic place for 5 nights, Valentines day was one of those, we had sex once. we did not have kids and she was sleeping for over 10 hrs, but still nothing really happens. Valentines day end up with a fight because I wanted to have sex in the morning and she didn’t really had interest then I was feeling down for what my marriage has become and the fact that nothing i do has had an effect in changing it.
( we go to therapy but this issue is not on the agenda, we talk a lot of how she feels pressure buy other external issues , work )
My wife work is not demanding physically but she has projects that she is not done( because external distractions )
Sorry this is more venting than any thing else I guess.
sorry for typos and the mistakes, just a ramp of words Im not even checking.
I’m so sorry about this. It sounds like you guys just aren’t connecting on so many levels. You’re trying, but it’s not communicating anything to her. And she doesn’t understand how much you’re hurting.
I wonder if you could start smaller, and just learn how to talk again? I’ve often said that when you lose the ability to talk about the little things, you lose the ability to talk about the big things. And it will be really, really hard to talk about sex in your marriage until you first are at the point where you can just chat and laugh with each other. Otherwise everything is too fraught with tension. I do have a FREE emotional reconnection email course you could take. It’s 5 weekly lessons that build on each other, and I hope that it can help you! You can see it here.
Hi Sheila,
I am enjoying your posts. I came upon your blog as a wife who doesn’t initiate, nor has much interest in sex, married to a man with a high libido who never seems satisfied. Sex is mainly me feeling guilty and agreeing to it twice a week or so. We have been together for 23 years, married for 20. We have four children and I am currently pregnant with our fifth. My husband’s work schedule means he is home four days a week. I stay home with the kids, so we are always together. He constantly smothers me, always touching me, kissing me, in my face. Perhaps some women would enjoy this, but I liken it to a person trying to feed me chocolate cake every five minutes, whether I want it or not. I love chocolate cake, but eventually I’m going to get sick of it. I have tried to talk to him about this, and he just takes offence and says I am lucky he finds me so attractive (he doesn’t seem to think other married men find their wives attractive after 20 yrs of marriage). I have explained to him the kinds of non-sexual affectionate touches I *do* like, and he does them once but with the expectation of sex in return. He tells me if we have a lot of sex, he’ll calm down, and then he’ll be okay to touch me the way I want without having to have sex. He also tells me he wishes I would be all over him during the day (as he is with me), which I have done, but then he is upset if it doesn’t lead anywhere that night. At the end of the day, when the kids are finally in bed (sometimes this can be as late as 10:30pm with the youngest), and I am exhausted, I have a hard time finding the energy/desire for one more thing. And he does help out *a lot* around the house, so no complaints or changes needed there. I wondered if you had a post explaining to men why their wives aren’t so tied to sex like they are? Or explaining the valid reasons we might not be interested and ways they can accept that? Or perhaps one that encourages them to find self-esteem in other facets of their lives, aside from sex? What I’ve seen here it’s mostly women understanding men, but not the other way around. Of course it’s possible I haven’t chosen the right links.
Hi there!
I can totally understand how you feel! It would get tiring with him always initiating and touching when that’s just not what you want, especially if you’re pregnant again with your fifth! That’s a lot on your plate.
I will say that something your husband says rings true–when guys do get sex fairly regularly, and feel like their wives enjoy it, they often have a much easier time with non-sexual touch, and it even starts to come naturally. And they’ll usually stop initiating so much. When they’re not sure if we really want them, or if we’re just doing this out of guilt, they tend to try to reassure themselves, so that’s why they often come on so heavy. It’s self-defeating, of course, because it tends to push the wives away, but there is some truth to the fact that men who get frequent sex often don’t seem to be “pestering” nearly as much as men who are insecure about sex.
I don’t write very many posts for men, because this is mostly a woman’s blog. I am working on some courses that couples can take together, though, to help their sex lives, and I’ll definitely talk about how important non-sexual touch is, and how to love their wives regardless. I wish you all the best on your pregnancy! That really does sound like a lot to handle!
Wow! Thanks for replying so quickly. Regarding the posts “for men,” I imagined something along the lines of information women can share with their husbands, similar to the one you did for men to show their wives. So in that respect, they would be for women.
I wondered if I could ask a question; is possible for a person to just not like sex? Or is sex so awesome, that once the person breaks down whatever barriers are preventing their enjoyment, they will love it as much as their spouse? If I am honest with myself, there are times I enjoy sex, but then feel embarrassed, ashamed, and dirty. There are times when I agree to sex, and then feel violated during it (**Note: my husband never forces himself on me). I end up with a dialogue in my head that he is using me for sex and all he cares about is getting some/sex for his enjoyment.
What is wrong with me?
I have been married for 4 years and before marriage our sex life was awesome, after marriage i literally beg for sex, i feel she doesn’t find me attractive anymore as she complains of my baldness and how old I look..
Outside my home people tell me I look good and that gives me positive energy.
I got here trying to figure out why i always have to initiate sex and often I’m pushed aside.
I’m thinking of getting sex elsewhere. Before I end, i wish to say that I’m one of the best husband’s out there, i provide all the support physically financially emotionally. BUT? I feel sad now
So I am a husband reading this and it is hard for me. My wife and I have a very loving relationship, we do a lot of things we both enjoy together but when it comes to sex she treats foreplay as a chore. Until I perform oral on her she is simply awkward, after clitoral stimulation she perks up, but it’s no fun for me this way. I am finding my own libido affected now.
What do you do when you have literally tried everything? What advice do you give a man who has read everythingâ on the internet about low sex and it hasn’tâ turned around?
We’ve taken the love language tests. I’ve tried doing all the chores, literally ALL of them. Didn’t change anything. I’ve tried taking her on lavish vacations, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried showering her in gifts, didn’t change anything. I’ve talked about my feelings with her, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried giving her her free time, didn’tâ change anything. I’ve tried being mad and confrontational about it, didn’t change anything. I’ve asked her “what can I do to be a better husband to you? Are there any needs I’m not meeting for you? Please tell me because I want to be a better husband” then implemented any and every request, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried being clingy, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried being distant, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried being more “manly”, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried being more “feminine”, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried bringing toys into the bedroom, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried setting a weekly date night without the kids, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried being spontaneous, didn’t change anything. I’ve tried planning sex nights, didn’t change anythingâ. I always make sure she has an orgasm during sex. She tells me when she hasn’t which is rare and seems genuinely frustrated when it doesn’t happen, so I’m confident about the times she has, which is nearly always, so I dont think I’m a bad lover. I’ve asked her if she still finds me attractive. I’m in shape and have all my teeth, I know I’m a good looking guy, I see looks from other women, it’s not that either. I’ve done literally everything I can think of and some other stuff I couldn’t think of to turn this ship around. No dice.
It’s to the point where the rejection has gotten so bad that I’ve quit initiating. Either way I’m sexually frustrated. So it’s either be frustrated and feel like a loser because my own wife turns me down all the time. I feel less then a pile of dog crap you scrape off of your shoe with disgust in your eyes as you do so after so much rejection. Or I just repress my own needs and just lock it away in a deep dark space and live with the sexual frustration without feeling even worse for being rejected all the time. I’ve given up trying because the pain of rejection is too much for me to take anymore. It’s simply not worth being rejected and sexualy frustrated. So I’ll just drop initiating and take my sex life and throw it in the trash.
I dont understand how nearly every low sex article blames the man. I’ve tried every goddamn thing in these articles. I’ve talked and talked and talked about my needs. I’ve expressed to her over and over that this is MY needs, that I will do anything to meet her needs, anything at all. I’m a simple guy, I literallyâ have like 5 needs for happiness. And one of those five only she can meet, and it’s just not being done. I don’t know what to do.
I don’t want a divorce because outside of this, she meets every other need better then anyone could ask for. We are best friends, we laugh together, enjoy a lot of the same things together. We love to be with one another. She is an outstanding mother, both of our kids are so good and so well behaved. So funny and so caring. Just like their mother. She is a saint. She has a noble profession teaching young blind kids and special needs kids. She is a great leader for our family. I can’t ask for someone better outside of just wanting to have sex with me. I just don’t know how to change this.
As smart and intelligent as she is. As great a person as she is. As loving and humorous and kind and brilliant and loyal and a great friend as she is, I dont understand how she just doesn’t get it with this issue. It’s like she just doesn’t understand how important this is for me. All the other needs I have she meets, and not only that, she goes above and beyond by leaps and bounds. I know she cares for me deeply. Why can’t she just effing understand this one need? Why does she neglect it? I’ve done EVERYTHING! To fix it. Every goddamn trick in the book. Ladies advice, men’s advice, therapist’s advice, blogger’s advice. You effing name it.
Now I’m left in tears feeling defeated. Feeling lower then low. How humiliated I feel being turned down. How emasculated I feel. How utterly undesirable, ugly, unattractive, unloved I feel sometimes. I just don’t know what else to do to make her see that a core part of me, a core fundamental need is just being utterly neglected. And more so then that, the rejection is so goddamn painful.
So I’m done trying. I’m not even 35 yet and I’m giving up initiating. My sex life is pretty much over already. Makes me wish my actual life isn’t too far behind tbh. Lord please take me away.
My wife and I have sex maybe once a week; used to be two or three times a week, but that has dropped significantly over the past couple of years.
Lately, sex seems like a chore to her. She never initiates, and her idea of initiation is taking off all of her clothes and having me give her a full body massage, then giving her about 20-30 minutes of foreplay. She won’t touch me, won’t kiss me, won’t do anything. Once she’s gotten everything on her “checklist” I get a comment like “let’s move this along,” then sex is in the same position every single time. Truthfully it’s gotten quite unsatisfying, but I feel like I’m in a bad position to where I don’t go along, then we wouldn’t have sex.
I’ve tried talking to her about this; I tell her the perception of never initiating is that she doesn’t desire me or isn’t attracted to me. Then she gets angry. I talk to her about my needs and wants and desires, and all I get is “I’ll work on it.” But it’s the same old stuff every single time.
Do I think she loves me? Yes. Do I think she respects and desires me? Not a chance. Again, conversations about this lead to a lot of eye rolling and anger from her.
We celebrated 16 years of marriage last week, I told her I wanted to do something different; mix things up a little. She initially said okay, but after the romantic dinner and hanging out, we wound up doing the same stuff, all because she got “tired.”
I feel awful because this is leading to a lot of resentment on my part. Talking about it doesn’t help, and again, I feel like if I’m put in the position of going against the status quo, then she’d cut my off entirely.
I’m not asking for her to turn into a pornstar and do a bunch of unrealistic or dirty things, but knowing that she wants and desires me would be a good start.
She sounds selfish – self focused. It’s more of a “heart” issue than it is a sex issue.
But the issue could also stem from lack of connecting with her emotionally. Ask her how you can better love her or is there anything that she is needing.
It’s a two way street. For you and her.
How can I initiate something I don’t want. I literally have no desire for intercourse. I don’t talk about sex and only really think about in terms of if I don’t have sex with him he will eventually not want to be with me. We have been married for 9yrs. I know he is so frustrated and I have tried different way to try to have sexual desires but it has never really worked. I am at a loss of what to do because I want to want him in that way and have the great mind blowing sex we had when we first got together.
Hi Christina! Two things that may help: I have a post on 10 positive things to tell yourself about sex; and you may want to take a look at a my Boost Your Libido course, too. Those help you to see sex in a different way so that you can awaken the desire again.
Hello all,
I came to this page because my wife of 6yrs never initiates sex and it hurts just to think that she doesn’t find me sexually attractive, or that she simply doesn’t like how I do it, so I’m looking for answers. I decided I wasn’t going to initiate either just to see how long it would take before she initiated, and it’s been 2 months already since the last time we had sex. And she seems totally oblivious of the fact that we haven’t had sex, as if she doesn’t care. I can say with confidence that we have a wonderful marriage overall. I’m 33 and she’s 29 and we have two great children, ages 5 and 1. We’re always holding hands every time we go out, she hasn’t worked ever since we had our first child, we always pray together before we go to bed, we try to go out on dates at least once a month. I have a stable Mon-Thurs full-time job so we get to spend alot of time together and thankfully money isn’t an issue. We agree on most things, on our plans for the future, on the education of our children, etc etc. We’re constantly laughing and cracking jokes at each other. And when it comes to sex, I will say she rarely rejects me. There are times when we have sex 2 or 3 times a day when we can, or at least once every night for like a week straight, and then there are times when we don’t have sex for days, but it always depends on me, I have to initiate. Overall she seems like a happily married woman. Sometimes I wonder, could it be that she is too happy and comfortable that she doesn’t feel the need to have sex? Could it be that she views sexs as just another chore that she needs to fulfill as a wife and that’s the reason she rarely rejects me? Because if that’s the case then I don’t want to have sex with her like that, I would never make her do anything she doesn’t want to do, especially when it comes to sex. On the other hand, however, it’s evident (at least to me) that she enjoys it when we do have sex, as I always try to do my best, always trying to be creative (we’ve tried and experimented lots of things together, and it has always been fun). So I’m really confused and I don’t know what to do. I don’t understand why she never ever ever ever initiates sex. Like I said, it’s been two months already and shes acting like whatever. I don’t want her to feel that I have lost sexual interest in her if I continue to resist initiating sex, or that I might be cheating on her, but on the other hand I don’t want her to feel “sorry” for me for not fulfilling her wifely “chore” prompting her to initiate the sex. I’m just totally confused and don’t know what to do…..
I am not an initiator. I’ve been married for 6 years and my husband just sent me this article. Before I married in 2011 I had been having sex for 19 yrs. The first 5 years were fine. I initiated it. I liked it. Then I was sexuality assualted. For the next 14 yrs sex was robotic. I pretended I was someone else all the time. I pretended I was someone else. I mentally ruined myself. Then there was my husband. I “felt” for the first time with him. It was wonderful and scary at the same time. In these past 6 years I’ve been able to be myself with him. No fake, robot sex. But now….
am I not good enough the way I am? I just got comfortable with sex and now I still don’t do it right. I feel awful. I don’t know how to get comfortable initiating. Help.
I’ve read a good amount of these comments trying to see if my answer to my prob of not initiating was in there so i wouldnt have to comment, but so far haven’t found someone like me. I’m one of a kind i guess haha. I’ve been with my husband over ten years and I haven’t initiated because for some reason i can’t get myself to do it. I grew up in a very topsy turvy family where everything you did was dirty. And evem now as an adult married with kids I can’t reprogram myself! Now i HAVE done other things, any fantasy this man of mine has ever suggested. Took me a min to psych myself into them but i did them! But initiating, if i ever try almost immediately my body freezes. It’s like I’m paralyzed while my brain is screaming “just grab him!” “He’s right there!” But I can’t get my body to move to do it. I’ve read so many books or blogs or articles about this stuff. But I still after over ten years can’t do it and i don’t know why. Maybe i feel shake from my upbringing. I don’t know. Oh and i have explained all this to my husbamd, we communicate pretty well about pretty much everything. He says to just do it haha. I don’t think he hears the part, I want to i just can’t.
My wife doesn’t ever initiate. It’s just not in her. Which I understand. But, it’s nice to feel like someone desires you. If your wife doesn’t show her desire for you those other girls that flirt with me start to make me feel real good. And that’s not good. Bottom line is she doesn’t intiate ever and it starts to make her less attractive to me especially when other women are giving me sexually attention.
My wife has a covered clitoris. There is a flap of skin over her clitoris similar to foreskin. She has no feeling. I am deprived by her, but she has no physical feeling. I love to give her oral sex and it is necessary to get her lubricated. I have always been good orally, from my experiences before my marriage, with other women. She has as much feeling from my good oral sex as if I were licking her elbow. Maybe less. She has no feeling. She is impatient with sex and always asks me to hurry and get it over quickly. I have read about a covered clitoris on the internet. It takes a lot of work and patience to give pleasure to a woman with a covered clitoris. In life, she is a patient lady. For sex, she is impatient and wants it to end as fast as possible. She has never had any interest in sex.
Another way to deal with a covered clitoris is to use toys such as a strong vibrator. She does not like toys. I bought toys for her more than three years ago and she refuses to take them out and use them. She has never felt pleasure with sex and she does not know that she can have pleasure. I am willing to be patient and to work hard to give her pleasure. She has no interest. Her vagina is totally smooth with no bump or ridge. No sign of any clitoris. It is hidden below some skin. It is covered.
When I have asked her what she would like me to do for her to feel good, she tells me to hurry up and get it over. There have been times when I took too long (20 minutes) and she got up and walked out. She wants to play computer games while watching television. How can anyone want to do that more than make love? Sex means nothing to her and it has always been that way. From the first day we were married. Prior to marriage, I did not touch her below the neck. Not a single time.
We have no children. I will stay with her. I have to fight her to have sex and she is always coming up with ways to not have sex, such as fighting with me when I want her or having to do something such as watch a television show. I am lucky if I have sex once a week. Sex with her is like forcing a pre-teen girl against her will. She knows that she must submit but she hates me for it. This person is my wife! She has let me know often that she has no interest in sex and does not like it at all and feels nothing.
Our fourth anniversary is coming up. I will keep fighting for my marital right and continue to take constant rejection from my wife. I need sex and my wife is the only place where I will have my need filled.
I dont initiate cause ive always been forced with other relationships and it upsets my husband he tells me to forget but its so hard i also feel dumb and stupid and dont know what to do or how to do it
When we use the word âinitiateâ letâs not misunderstand: What we are really saying is please display that your into me, I am your focus, YOU âinitiate some form of sexâ, YOU take the lead, YOU do far more than just lie there, YOU get active and moving, finish (repeat).
Iâm not asking for all the time – just give me 25% of that and I will do 75%.
The problem is too many women out husbands on the bottom of the list of priorities if we even are on their list at all which is usually the case. We are usually not even considered.
Why even marry a person if you havenât any plans to GIVE yourself. It is so selfish!
Iâve did finally enjoy someone else about 10 years ago. Played around for a couple of years. It was so freaking great to be with someone that really displayed desire! Wow it was so much fun! I wanted so badly to have good times with my wife but she just wasnât into me.
I stopped the side thing.
I tried desperately, again, to get something… anything … with my wife but sheâs not into me I guess.
We are about to reach our 31 years and I am so sad.
I try to stay at work and drive slowly when going home. I actually love her so much but she doesnât display any passion towards me whatsoever. I havenât heard âI love you in years! No one kisses me. I havenât received a hug from another women since my fling. No one is reaching out to hold my hand. If my wife ever holds my hand it is strictly for show as if to tell people that we are happily married. Ugh!
Iâve been sleeping on the couch for nearly two years now and Iâve had the best sleep ever!! It is so much easier than fretting and hoping. If Iâm not lying her then I can resolve in my mind that sexual is going to happen. If I am in bed with her, nothing drives me more insane than to listen to her breath and sleep while Iâm dying inside.
Yeah, it would make anyone angry.
âHey, thanks for thinking about me. Iâm just sitting up in bed staring into the darkness for millionth time.â
Loneliness sucks!
As much as I would love to initiate sex, I’m just never in the mood. We’ve discussed why I don’t initiate it but he doesn’t seem to fully understand. He tells me I need counseling (which I very well do) but I feel like it’s more than just my brain. I want to have sex but I’m just fine with not having it also. He’s told me I have low libido, psychological issues and self-esteem issues, but regardless of those I should still initiate it. Other than the obvious seeing doctors what can I do?
Nicole, I just want to assure you that what you feel is not necessarily abnormal or even that there’s anything wrong with you. Many (if not most) women could say what you did. I think we just don’t understand libido. Have you taken a look at my Boost Your Libido course? It was written for women like you, and you may find it helpful.
I found this blog depressingâŚ.wife & I have been married over 50 yrs. She has never initiated, sheâs nearly always accommodating & from time to time (short times) has shown signs that she actually wants to be enthusiastic. But I do believe if I did not intitiate, there would never be any sex.
I could never bring myself to show her this article, she would be more hurt than angry. More important to me, knowing the kind, considerate & loving person she is, I know she would fake it, no matter how uncomfortable.
Thatâs not what this is about. We have had an otherwise great marriage, we love doing things together & some things we like to do separately, our views on ethics & money are the same, most of all we enjoy each other company & we do love each other.
My most painful, maybe my only regrets are that she has lived her life without knowing the feeling that I get when I look at her, that I may have caused it, and that I have lived mine without anyone actually âwantingâ me.
If your situation is like mine, consider doing something about it before you are 80 yrs old.
I’ve looked up this topic several times, and the opinions on Christian sites seem to be divided down the middle. I’ve read elsewhere (happily) that as the leaders in the family, husbands should also lead in the bedroom as most wives are wired to be passive and receptive. I myself am generally glad to acquiesce if my husband gets frisky, although I do admit that for the first decade or so of our marriage I was very body-conscious, and more often than I’d care to admit I would get huffy if I were in the middle of something (especially trying to get dinner on the table or get out the door). I’ve come around in the past couple of years, but in general my “wanting” is wanting him to want me.
What I’ve tried to express to him is that his leadership qualities are what I find sexy, and this includes leading in the bedroom. So if I climb on top of him (which I have done, albeit reluctantly), I feel like I’m the “cougar” sitting on top of a quivering 14-year old waiting for me to make him my “boy toy”. And that’s just not sexy.
It’s not about looks either. I didn’t marry him for his body or appearance, but even if he were some buff-n-cut kickboxer I’d be more inclined to worry if I were pretty enough for him than to pounce on him and rip his shirt off. And so my “initiation” consists of putting on lingerie or otherwise dressing sexy, snuggling up to him and generally indicating that I’m available. You’ve given me pause with your comments here, but I’m still not sure how much of an expectation to initiate is realistic or justified.
Dressing sexy to indicate you’re in the mood. That’ll work (for me, at least). Occasionally throw in some sexy hoola hoola or erotic dance moves would be an added bonus for dear old hubby. Hahaha
Wish my wife would find this.
20 years and Iâm laying here, alone, sad, feeling unwanted, with her right beside me. She never initiates and when we do make love, she basically just lies there. She doesnât even play with me. I guess this is what itâs like to have an inflatable doll…