expectation

Rule #1 of partnered sex: no one is entitled to any kind of sex with another person. Safe, healthy, pleasurable sex can only happen when both people are on the same page, and they respect each other's boundaries and desires. Honestly, what I read in your question are many feelings of anger and...

I'd like to start by addressing your use of the word "sex." Sex can mean anything from masturbation (aka "solo sex"), to manual sex ("fingering"), to oral sex, to anal sex, and of course to what many people mean when they just say "sex" (and what I'm guessing you're referring to in your question)...

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so lonely. First I want to tackle the fact that your friends in relationships seem to be drifting away from you and your group of friends. It's unfortunate, but it is common for many people to pull away from their friends when they enter a relationship...

If you're caring for a young person, then the question of when and how to have "the talk" with them has likely crossed your mind. It's generally understood to be one of the more dreaded moments of raising a young person, because it's awkward for everyone involved and seems like an awful lot to have to do all at once. But it doesn't have to be an awkward, embarrassing, weird metaphors about birds and bees filled discussion. And it not only doesn't have to be all at once, it shouldn't be.

The tradition of "men pursue, women wait" is still culturally prevalent, and a lot of families (yours included) teach their children that men should be the ones doing the asking when it comes to romance. This notion is problematic for a number of reasons. It reinforces not-so-great ideas about how...

If by sex, you mean intercourse, you probably can't. Even if you could, you or your partner probably wouldn't enjoy it: the idea intercourse is something people do -- or even can do, or would enjoy if they could -- for an hour or two just doesn't square with reality. A lot of people have unrealistic...

Sometimes sex is amazing. Other times, it's nice. Then there are the times it sucks. How do you deal, and what's the hidden value in not-at-all-awesome sex?

When people are new to sex in general, or with a new partner -- in your case, both! -- it's totally typical to find they have a hard time reaching orgasm, that it happens more quickly than they'd like, or to experience other ways where sexual responses either aren't what was expected or what they...

I'm going to answer your first question last. What would I, personally, do if I found out my partner had engaged in oral sex (or any other kind of sex) a certain number of times? I'd figure their sexual past is theirs to judge as they please and would hope they thought the same way about my past. I...

Dating this wonderful person pushed me to think about some things in new and challenging ways. Here are some of my favorite lessons that I learned when I dated a woman.