sufferinhubby
Junior Member
My marriage is not a tragedy. It's more like a romantic comedy without the romance
Posts: 67
Age Range: 46-50
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Post by sufferinhubby on Jan 26, 2021 8:49:01 GMT -5
Hello fellow sexless spouses! It's been a pretty long time since I posted here and there have been a couple interesting developments I would like to share.
About 1 year ago I once again broached the subject of our SM with my wife. In the past these conversations went nowhere so I felt I had to up the stakes. I drew a line in the sand and told her I want one of two things: A) A divorce B) An open marriage. Of course her initial response was "Let's just try to fix things" but I heard that a million times.
We are still raising our children. She felt strongly that we stay together for them, so she bedgrudgingly accepted open marriage over divorce. I think I even detected a bit of relief on her part as if the burden of sex was now off her shoulders.
As soon as I got started making a dating profile the Covid pandemic hit. Ever since agreeing to open marriage I have yet to go on a single date due to the pandemic. It's a terrible time to be dating!
Also, during the Covid lockdown of Spring 2020 my wife lost her job. She found part-time work in a local 'farm to table' produce market. While working there she met a man who lives in our town. He and his wife don't get along so she lives at their shore house. He and my wife started dating and are still dating 6 months later.
A friend of mine warned me about this when I floated the open marriage idea past him. He said a married woman will have little trouble finding men to date her, but a married man will have a very difficult time in the dating world. I knew this would be true, and I assure you it is.
But in all honesty I have no jealousy. I still plan to date post-vaccine, and if my wife's relationship with her married boyfriend continues to develop I am happy to separate since that was an option I initially put on the table.
Thank you for your time in reading this, and I am interested in hearing your thoughts.
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Post by Handy on Jan 26, 2021 13:08:52 GMT -5
He said a married woman will have little trouble finding men to date her, but a married man will have a very difficult time in the dating world. This part is so true.
My thought is do what is best for you regardless what your W is doing or plans to do. Legal advice is the first thing you need to sort out. Do not depend on what you hear will happen or what someone else did. Legal actions depend on locations and the different divorce rules in place in your legal area and the lawyers involved.
Welcome back to the club you rather not belong to.
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sufferinhubby
Junior Member
My marriage is not a tragedy. It's more like a romantic comedy without the romance
Posts: 67
Age Range: 46-50
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Post by sufferinhubby on Jan 26, 2021 13:44:29 GMT -5
My thought is do what is best for you regardless what your W is doing or plans to do. Legal advice is the first thing you need to sort out. Do not depend on what you hear will happen or what someone else did. Legal actions depend on locations and the different divorce rules in place in your legal area and the lawyers involved. Welcome back to the club you rather not belong to. Thank you. I come back here every now and then whenever my SM really gets to my head, and if it turns out all i need is a smack to my head then at least that helps me get straightened out . Yes I understand it's best to protect myself in the (almost inevitable) case of divorce, but I really can't divorce my wife because she is having more success at dating in our mutually agreed-upon open marriage than i am. I think what's messing with my head the most is that we are almost a year into our open marriage, i still have not had ANY sex (or even a date), and my refuser is enjoying an exciting sex life with someone new. I can't help but feel like a fool in this situation.
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Post by isthisit on Jan 26, 2021 15:04:48 GMT -5
My thought is do what is best for you regardless what your W is doing or plans to do. Legal advice is the first thing you need to sort out. Do not depend on what you hear will happen or what someone else did. Legal actions depend on locations and the different divorce rules in place in your legal area and the lawyers involved. Welcome back to the club you rather not belong to. Thank you. I come back here every now and then whenever my SM really gets to my head, and if it turns out all i need is a smack to my head then at least that helps me get straightened out . Yes I understand it's best to protect myself in the (almost inevitable) case of divorce, but I really can't divorce my wife because she is having more success at dating in our mutually agreed-upon open marriage than i am. I think what's messing with my head the most is that we are almost a year into our open marriage, i still have not had ANY sex (or even a date), and my refuser is enjoying an exciting sex life with someone new. I can't help but feel like a fool in this situation. Just asking here, but how do you know that she is having an exciting sex life? I wonder whether you have assumed this or do you have independent evidence? If you have evidence you have my sympathy. Wow that would have pushed me throughly over the edge. Apocrypha has a very similar story of a W who declined intimacy with him, but clearly had a desire for it elsewhere. Also, M women can get sex anywhere? I’m not divorced yet, that is news to me. 😊
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Post by Handy on Jan 26, 2021 15:39:19 GMT -5
Isthisit M women can get sex anywhere? I’m not divorced yet, that is news to me.
Isthisit, I think women "could" have an easier time finding a partner but many women are more particular about who they have as partners. I have read women's post saying they would avoid married men. Add in all of the so called low life, self centered and boring guys some women complain about, that leads me to believe most women are more selective than many men, which to me makes sense.
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Post by Handy on Jan 26, 2021 15:42:31 GMT -5
Sufferinhubby it still might be to your advantage to consult with a lawyer even if you don't want to divorce right now to protect yourself from unknown consequences.
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sufferinhubby
Junior Member
My marriage is not a tragedy. It's more like a romantic comedy without the romance
Posts: 67
Age Range: 46-50
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Post by sufferinhubby on Jan 26, 2021 15:48:21 GMT -5
Just asking here, but how do you know that she is having an exciting sex life? I wonder whether you have assumed this or do you have independent evidence? If you have evidence you have my sympathy. Wow that would have pushed me throughly over the edge. Apocrypha has a very similar story of a W who declined intimacy with him, but clearly had a desire for it elsewhere. Also, M women can get sex anywhere? I’m not divorced yet, that is news to me. 😊 I didn't say they could get sex anywhere just that a married woman will have little trouble finding men to date compared to a married man . I don't have any evidence but she hasn't tried to hide it and I haven't asked her point blank bc I assume the answer would be 'Yes'. Her bf lives just a couple blocks from our house. His kids are in college, his wife stays at the shore house, and she spends a good deal of time with him. But again, it was me who made the ultimatum and I did with every intention to seek out sex. I knew it would bite me in the ass! I'm still sexless and my refuser is getting laid! Aint life just full of irony.
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Post by isthisit on Jan 26, 2021 16:28:54 GMT -5
You spend time with her and you aren’t getting any!
You may well be right, but appearances can be deceptive and assumption is usually worth avoiding where you can. Anyway, your focus should be on you and your journey forward. Is it covid restrictions or the fact that you are currently married which is your difficulty? You can’t do much about the covid restrictions, but if it’s your marital status is it disrupting the home for your children which makes divorcing problematic? It is very difficult to weigh up the risks and benefits.
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Post by baza on Jan 26, 2021 17:51:55 GMT -5
It all reads like a matter of "timing" Brother sufferinhubby . A year ago you declared the marriage as "open" (and that meant open for both of you). As events turned out, your missus got the first opportunity to act on it, and did act on it. Really, nothing has changed. The marriage has been open (for you both) for a year - and it remains open. Meantime, you are still in an ILIASM deal. I can't see where you are "worse off" than you were a year ago. Does it really matter who has been first cab off the rank ? After all, you still intend to act on the open marriage and seek sex elsewhere when the opportunity arises. All that's happened really is that your missus opportunity arose first, and she took it. It would be smart to see a lawyer in your jurisdiction and establish how a divorce would shake out for you.
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Post by worksforme2 on Jan 26, 2021 19:10:59 GMT -5
Also, M women can get sex anywhere? I’m not divorced yet, that is news to me. 😊 Perhaps you haven't been paying attention. It's a very general statement that may need a couple caveats, like height/weight proportional, a decent personality, a sense of humor and the ability to engage in interesting conversation. And foremost is the willingness to go outside the marriage. And remember we are talking about sex, not the early rounds of working out a marriage agreement.
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sufferinhubby
Junior Member
My marriage is not a tragedy. It's more like a romantic comedy without the romance
Posts: 67
Age Range: 46-50
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Post by sufferinhubby on Jan 26, 2021 19:21:17 GMT -5
I can't see where you are "worse off" than you were a year ago. Nope. Not worse off. Better off actually bc at least i have hope that this arrangement will yield fruit after all. Just sour grapes that my refuser is somehow enjoying the sex life with another that she couldn't possibly bring herself to enjoy with me. In my opinion she doesn't deserve it but all is fair in love and war. Who knows that better than us? I think perhaps, having lived a SM for 21 years now, that the hopelessness of our situation simply stems from the fact our refusers don't love us anymore. Could it just be as simple as that?
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Post by mirrororchid on Jan 26, 2021 19:25:18 GMT -5
...I really can't divorce my wife because she is having more success at dating in our mutually agreed-upon open marriage than i am. I think what's messing with my head the most is that we are almost a year into our open marriage, i still have not had ANY sex (or even a date), and my refuser is enjoying an exciting sex life with someone new. I can't help but feel like a fool in this situation. You're married to a happy woman? I call that a win. I'd been suggesting picnics, two blankets, 6 feet away, for the would-be outsourcers. When it gets warmer, that may be worthwhile if vaccines aren't out soon enough. Where's your profile posted? I found good luck at OKcupid. Nothing at Tinder, Bumble, or Coffee Meets Bagel. The latter three may be full of women repelled by a married man actually admitting it. OKcupid let me choose exclusively married women. I didn't want someone planning to "steal me away". I wanted that extra roadblock. Feel bad that I only got to date Kathy the one time. (My wife's reset made dating no longer so urgent and an unnecessary cruelty) Kathy had been having terrible luck finding a FWB. Lots of flakes, no shows, liars, jealous monogamous girlfriends... Someone's out there, friend. Want to run your profile past us? Maybe we can think of ways to tweak it some.
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Post by worksforme2 on Jan 26, 2021 19:28:09 GMT -5
I can't see where you are "worse off" than you were a year ago I think perhaps, having lived a SM for 21 years now, that the hopelessness of our situation simply stems from the fact our refusers don't love us anymore. Could it just be as simple as that? Actually I believe it could in some cases. My X never said she loved my after the 1st year of marriage. And after refusing became her general response to my attempts at intimacy and eventually me asking to open the marriage after 5yrs. she preferred a divorce to that arrangement.
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Post by Apocrypha on Jan 26, 2021 21:53:58 GMT -5
We are still raising our children. She felt strongly that we stay together for them, so she bedgrudgingly accepted open marriage over divorce. I think I even detected a bit of relief on her part as if the burden of sex was now off her shoulders. As soon as I got started making a dating profile the Covid pandemic hit. Ever since agreeing to open marriage I have yet to go on a single date due to the pandemic. It's a terrible time to be dating! Also, during the Covid lockdown of Spring 2020 my wife lost her job. She found part-time work in a local 'farm to table' produce market. While working there she met a man who lives in our town. He and his wife don't get along so she lives at their shore house. He and my wife started dating and are still dating 6 months later. A friend of mine warned me about this when I floated the open marriage idea past him. He said a married woman will have little trouble finding men to date her, but a married man will have a very difficult time in the dating world. I knew this would be true, and I assure you it is. But in all honesty I have no jealousy. I still plan to date post-vaccine, and if my wife's relationship with her married boyfriend continues to develop I am happy to separate since that was an option I initially put on the table. I've been down this road in the latter years of my marriage as well. We ran that program in various iterations across 3 or 4 years. Within that timespan, I found, as your friend advised - non-monogamy and low-investment/commitment sex is something highly sought after by men, and less so by women. I'm not unattractive by superficial standards and am often considered "husband material" (which can be a detriment in the non-monogamous sex world sometimes). It was about a full year after Mrs Apocrypha relatively easily found a partner that I found one suitable and sustainable. And I live in a metropolitan city. I can't imagine what it must be like in a pandemic. I also found that the "I am too old for sex" Mrs Apocrypha (then late 40's) VERY quickly flexed a robust and experimental sexual appetite with her new partner, doing things and talking about them that would likely be quite shocking to casual porn viewers. My criteria for agreeing to this little experiment was that we both are in on it - both sides. And, that I carry on with it only as long as my own sexual involvement with her improves to the extent that it ceases to be a crisis. Otherwise, why do this instead of putting our energy into being better ex-spouses and co-parents - since the problem OBVIOUSLY was not general sexual aversion on her part, as she insisted. As baza mentioned above and as I always council people who try this out - yes, you might get some sex in your life here and there, under specific conditions and as events, but this isn't remotely sex in the context of an invested relationship that has no baked-in limits on it. In other words, you are still in a sexless marriage - which is about more than simply the absence of sex. It's about the person you live with and love - demonstrating day in and day out - that they do not see you as a viable sexual partner. That's an incredibly toxic situation to live in. An open marriage, an affair, or a separation - gives you more empirical data to demonstrate that the problem isn't her sexual aversion in general; it's an aversion to you or the marriage to you. Every day. Open marriage together with a partner or one-sided without one, or a closed celibate marriage - it doesn't matter. You still are faced with a dysfunctional relationship in your home, in which your partner is so averse to you, she'd rather risk the marriage and everything associated with it than sleep with you.
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Post by isthisit on Jan 27, 2021 0:43:24 GMT -5
Also, M women can get sex anywhere? I’m not divorced yet, that is news to me. 😊 Perhaps you haven't been paying attention. It's a very general statement that may need a couple caveats, like height/weight proportional, a decent personality, a sense of humor and the ability to engage in interesting conversation. And foremost is the willingness to go outside the marriage. And remember we are talking about sex, not the early rounds of working out a marriage agreement. I was being a bit cheeky there 😊. I am only allowed out of the house to walk the dog, go to Tesco and go to work 🙁. And I am only married in the legal sense, in the ways that are important I am single, so no affair opportunities there. I know that many of you with a great deal more experience of this than me say otherwise, but I still struggle with the idea that women have easier access to as much sex as they want than men do. It’s not a world I know anything about so I accept the collective wisdom, but it still doesn’t sit well for me.
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