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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Pamela Stephenson Connolly

Should I stay with my partner – despite the dull, dispassionate sex?

A man in a white T-shirt looks troubled as he reclines on a sofa with arms behind his head
‘I like to exercise and do activities with my partner. She likes to stay in and watch TV.’ Composite: Guardian Design; fotostorm/Getty Images (Posed by a model)

I’m a 30-year-old man who met my current partner about eight months ago. I was quite taken with her at first, but, as time has gone on, a few things have been eating away at me. Our sex is dull, dispassionate and unadventurous, mostly just moderately paced missionary. She tells me it’s the “best she’s ever had”, which has left me dumbstruck. And on two social occasions her friends, while inebriated, confirmed her feelings about our lovemaking. I have tried to speak to her about spicing things up, but although I’m not exactly wanting to swing from the rafters, she tells me that she “loves the way we do it” and that she “isn’t interested in more exotic positions”.

Moreover, I have started to find other aspects of our relationship just as upsetting. When I suggest date ideas or activities we can do together, she will tell me that she just wants to “spend time with me”, which translates to a night at home watching TV. When we first started dating, we would go out to eat, catch a movie, visit local parks for walks, and so on.

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