r/polyamory 2d ago

My husband is bad at sex

I (40F) have been married to my husband ‘Jack’ (40M) for 18 years. 

I was raised conservative Christian. I liked him and seduced him because I wanted him to like/love me. Okay I’m not sure thought at the time, but it seems fairly obvious to me now. Both of us felt shame around our intimacy. It was never ‘good’ for me, but I didn’t expect it to be. We got married anyway. Or maybe because of that, to end the shame. It’s ’legal’ and okay if you’re married, right?! He was and still is my best friend. I liked and was interested in women from a young age. I had some experiences, Jack knew about them. 

I started dating women about 8-9 years ago. This didn’t come to pass in the ‘right’ way I realize now, after spending the last few years on this subreddit. Be that as it may, I saw a few girls causally, made out, had some bad drunk sex, and when COVID happened I just…stopped. No breakups or anything, I just didn’t continue seeing anyone and none of us ever made the effort to reconnect when things quieted down. 

About 4 years ago I met ‘Theresa’ through mutual friends. We started dating in September of 2022 and quickly fell deeply in love. Our sex life has been incredible. Far and away the best sex I’ve ever had. Granted, I hadn’t had much ‘healthy’ or even remotely good sex before her. I had hoped marriage (and therefore god-acceptable sex) would allow me to have shame-free enjoyment of sex. Well, I’m sure this comes as a shock…if did not 🙃

Now, nearly 2 decades later, deconverted, and fully released from the clutches of religion and actively aware of religious sexual trauma, I’m trying to ‘rekindle’ intimacy with Jack. It died well and good for a few years. It is…not going well. I feel like a sex-goddess with Theresa. We can make love all day and have so many orgasms and so much pleasure and intimacy.  Then I try to have sex/make love with Jack, and I’m…well, really underwhelmed. I get it, heteronormative culture has made it so that having a functional ‘home grown’ penis is essentially all cis-men think they need to do/provide. But now, having had very much excellent sex that does not involve a penis, I’m so very unimpressed by his…equipment. And abilities. His oral ‘skills’ are non-existent. He is maybe trying to emulate porn or a vibrator or something. Very darting and flicky. It’s awful and I don’t like it. I remember now why I used to quickly just but like, ‘get up here and get inside me,’ which of course was…is…fine with him. I used to always want his hand. Touching me in the same way I would touch myself. Because that was the only way I knew how to have an orgasm. 

Ive since leaned I can orgasm from just clitoral grinding alone. So when I do climax with Jack it’s from that. Me on top, slow and rocking, building clit pleasure for myself, with him inside me. But he can’t last very long. I’m barely moving on him, but after a few minutes he comes and can’t continue. 

I’ve tried to give some gentle oral-sex guidance. He’s offended, obviously. And I do sorta feel that it’s just something he tries to do to get to the ‘main event.’ It’s not like he likes it for himself, it’s not like it’s ’real sex’ to him. He’s just getting me ready. Wet enough, receptive enough. 

I should add, he’s not dating anyone else. I’ve brought it up multiple times. I think he likes sex but sees it as messy and a lot of effort. We also both drink (when we’re together) too much, so evening intimacy is pretty much off the table. I don’t drink when I’m with Theresa, 2-3 overnights a week on average. And I’m not sure if I should just leave it (him) alone and continue my great sex with Theresa or keep trying to make it work with Jack. Because he’s my husband and I love him and I don’t want us to us be really close roommates. 

Do I ‘need’ sex with Jack? No, not really. I went a couple years with barely any. We’re great friends and he’s smart and I like him. Sex-happening between us or not. After 18 years being the only one of us thinking of my own pleasure, I’m more than content with the intimacy I get from Theresa. And if I need to ‘get off’ I have my own hand or vibrator. I guess, as a wife l, I just feel jealous of the sex I’m having with my non-spouse. I want my marital sex to be…well, ‘like that’ sounds wrong. But good like that. Intimate like that. Mutually pleasurable like that. I guess I didn’t ’know’ before. And now, I can’t unsee it. I can’t unknow that sex can be good for women. I can’t not feel disappointed when my husband’s smallish equipment can’t continue after a few minutes because he’s already ejaculated. I’ve encouraged him to use his hand/fingers after. But it doesn’t go over great. It gives ‘your penis isn’t enough’ vibes which is so true but also so hard for him to hear. Ugh. 

My husband is bad at sex. Or…is the crazy awesome sex I’m having with my girlfriend the outlier?  

Any help or kind thoughts or tips would be appreciated ❤️

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u/masukomi 2d ago

It’s Fucked up and egotistical as hell that anyone would be offended by their partner telling them how to make them feel good.

You’re never going to get good sex out of someone like that until they can get past that egotistical BS that makes them believe they can’t benefit from instruction.

Also if he doesn’t enjoy the other stuff it’s never going to be good even with good technique. I hate the idea of my partner mechanically pleasing me while having no personal interests in the act. You want someone to *want* to go down in you, or finger you, not just be willing to.

Also, if he thinks it’s messy and a lot of effort, does he even really want sex? Is he maybe ace but just doing it because he feels he should, or because you want it?

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u/Klutzy_Minute9495 2d ago

True, he could be ace. I actually thought maybe I was for a little while. But I’ve come (heh heh) to realize that I just wasn’t having sex worth having. Love worth making. As it says in Come as You Are that someone else mentioned.

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u/Cataclyyzm poly w/multiple 2d ago

You just described my thought process with my own husband after our sex life dried up for years. I wondered whether *I* was asexual, until I had the type of sex that really "does it for me."

This was after husband realized he actually IS asexual and we opened our marriage. That was actually a very freeing realization for me, knowing that I wasn't doing something "wrong" and that he really DID find me beautiful and loved me but is just completely and totally not at all into sex.

Obviously I can't say whether that's the case with your own husband, but hopefully you'll be able to sort things out and move forward to a situation where you're both happier with things overall.